Golden Bamboo Restaurant in Ayala Malls Circuit

by - Tuesday, February 19, 2019


I haven't been to Ayala Malls Circuit in a long time. I can't even remember the last time I was here, and a lot has really changed since. There's now a main mall where I came across some interesting stores and restaurants I haven't heard of before.



Golden Bamboo Restaurant is one of the newest food destinations that just opened in this mall. It's a spacious and cozy restaurant serving classic Chinese cuisine, and other familiar dishes with an added twist, prepared by their very own master chef - Chef Zhang. It's the restaurant's first branch in Metro Manila, after deciding to expand to a new market outside of their successful ones in Bulacan, Isabela, and Tugegarao. 

We started our dinner with the wintermelon seafood soup. I wasn't able to get a photo of it but it tasted delicious! I'm used to having seafood spinach soup (which I love), so this one caught me off guard. I really liked it.

Roast Platter 
The roast platter we had for appetizer consisted of roast peking chicken, soy chicken, Peking duck, and crispy chicken. Out of all these, I got to try their Peking duck, which was leaner than the usual ones I have. Its meat is soft and flavorful, but the part I got would have been perfect if there were some fats to make it juicier. 

Roast Suckling Pig with Rice
Their roast suckling pig was the highlight of our dinner. An order is served with a bed of glutinous rice (like machang). I loved that it maintained its crispy skin hours after being served. It had a nice flavor that went well with their vinegar. I'm not sure if this was the sauce, but I really liked it since it complemented the salty taste in the pork, and gave it an added, lingering spice. Definitely a must-try!

Emperor's Rib with Buns P490
Buns
The emperor's ribs gave off an exciting first impression with its vibrant-colored sauce and even layers of fat and meat. It was a bit lacking in terms of taste. A few extra tablespoons of sugar, or hoisin could've made it perfect. Too bad since the meat was so tender!

Golden Bamboo Crispy Pork Leg P550
The Golden Bamboo Crispy Pork Leg is very similar to the Filipino Crispy Pata. It's huge so it's perfect for sharing, and it's got the tender meat and crispy skin that you'll all love to eat even without rice. 

Beef Curry with Coconut Milk P280
At first I wasn't sure what this dish was. I guessed it was curry, which is not very common in the Chinese cuisine, and therefore got me skeptical. It was simple. It didn't have those extra Chinese herbs and spices. It was a dish that wasn't forced to have that added twist, but hey, it was good! 
Fried Lapu Lapu with Mango Sauce
Since I arrived late, I wasn't able to get a taste of everything that was served, especially the fried lapu lapu with mango sauce. I can only assume that it was the favorite from our table since I only got to see fishbones and leftover sauce (hehe!) Kidding aside, I think it's a pretty interesting dish being a classic sweet and sour fish fillet but with the use of mangoes instead of just sugar.

Vegetable Fried Rice
Dinner in a Chinese restaurant isn't complete without yangchow fried rice, but sometimes it's best to have something less flavorful and meaty, especially if you're going for mains with lots of herbs and spices. In those cases, the vegetable fried rice may just be the right carbs to go for.

Ube with Sago
It's not the first time I've had ube sago for dessert in a Chinese restaurant. It's not uncommon, although it's a break from the typical mango sago. Golden Bamboo's version was a bit sweeter and thicker, which I really liked.

Masachi
We also took home Golden Bamboo's Masachi, which is a bit similar to the Chinese buchi. I honestly don't know how they differ, but I liked that it was soft both inside and out.


We had a lovely experience at Golden Bamboo. There are just some areas that need minor improvements, but overall I will definitely visit the place again, especially since their offerings are very much affordable. I am most excited to try their dimsum next! 

My Scores:
Pricing - 3.5/5
Service - 4/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Taste - 4/5

Hungry for more,

Address: UG/F Ayala Malls Circuit, Makati City
Operating Hours: 10am to 9pm Daily
Contact: (+63) 917 802 8070
Budget: from at least P300 per person 
Parking: Main Mall Parking 
Facebook: @mrtea.ph 

Golden Bamboo Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

(Date of Visit: February 13, 2019)

*Check out how I rate restaurants here!

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
Tags : ,

You May Also Like

0 comments