Lugang Cafe at Robinsons Place Manila

Last summer, my US-based sister came over for an almost one-month vacation. We stayed for two weeks in our hometown in Quezon and more than a week at Adriatico Tower, that condo at Robinsons Place Manila. When she comes home every year, she stays either there or at The Grass in Quezon City but our favorite is Adriatico because that's where we love the restaurants, even the "lutong bahay ulam" and "merienda" available all day near the supermarket.

Anyway, one of the restaurants we tried and loved this year was Lugang Cafe, which is one of the latest to open at Robinsons in Ermita. It offers contemporary Cantonese-Taiwanese cuisine and judging from our orders on our two visits, I could say the restaurant serves food of high quality using fresh ingredients. Meanwhile, the store itself is elegant, very clean, airy and well-lighted. 
Lugang Cafe has been in the Philippines since about seven years ago but it was my first time there last May as the Robinsons Ermita branch is the first one near our place (I dislike venturing out of my comfort zone. Haha!). Their menu is a long one and covers everything from appetizers to soup to main course to dessert. 
Even the drinks have a lot of choices!

Anyway, here's what we ordered:

Seafood spinach soup, P380.
Healthy and delicious with a clean taste that doesn't overwhelm the taste buds. 
Whet our appetite, it did so well.

Sweet and sour whole grouper, P980.
Perfect harmony here between sweet and sour tones. There's lots of veggies too, such as diced carrots and green peas which don't just add flavor and nutrients but also beauty to this 
already good-looking dish with a deep, orange hue.

Chicken topped with scallion & ginger oil, P490.
This was my choice because I absolutely love white chicken. Lugang's version is steamed to perfection. The chicken is very tender though a little bland for me. I loved, however, that there is that huge heap of chopped spring onion that gave the meat a subtle zing.

Golden fried rice with egg and shredded pork, P380.

As you can see, there's a "commotion" in here with all those things mixed into the fried rice. This dish can stand on its own, having grains, pork, egg and vegetables. But it goes so well with any viand, too, and we enjoyed it to the hilt 
with our sweet and sour grouper.

Lugang Iced Coffee, P150.

My drink tasted just as delicious as it looked. I loved the boldness of the coffee balanced by the whipped cream that crowned it.

Fresh pomelo shake, P130.

My sister's drink which she loved for its rich pomelo sweetness with a hint of sour. 

She got herself loaded with Vitamin C!.

Hot tea (pot), P80.

My sister's friend's order on our first visit.

Two weeks later, my sister and I revisited the same Lugang Cafe branch, this time 
for afternoon merienda and these were our orders:

Steamed shrimp & pork shiao mai, P298.

Tender, juicy dumplings to make my day. Delicious!

Congee with preserved eggs and pork, P160.

My sister's choice. This was good, too. The porridge wasn't salty but not bland either. It was comforting to the tummy, just perfect for my sister who had bum stomach earlier in the day. This actually consisted her first decent meal of the day. The congee, by the way comes with pieces of bread, which we thought was fried tofu. We ate it after dipping in soy sauce mixed with vinegar. Haha! It was only after we were finished eating that we asked the server if it was indeed tofu. When we were told it was bread, we felt silly and had a good laugh. 😁

Steamed pork xiao long bao, P258.

Lugang Cafe is famous for this soup dumpling and I just had to try it. Well, it didn't disappoint. These round goodies were exquisite: delicious and a thrill to eat. If you gobble it up, you'd get "surprised" by the hot soup inside the dumplings. 

So be careful when bite into it, lest the broth inside scalds your tongue.

Milk custard with fresh fruits, P190.

This, undeniably, was the "star" at our table. Ain't it a beauty, with that myriad of colors? This dessert is the best! It's healthy and only the fruits provided natural sweetness. The milk jello-o wasn't at all saccharine but was very smooth it melted in the mouth. The shaved ice on which everything sits is milky, too, and provides 
a refreshing character to this unique plate of dessert. 

Yummy and guilt-free!

Coke with citron fruit, P130.

This was my sister's but she gave me some and we both loved it. I even ate the orange (it's supposed to be citron but tasted like orange to me) rinds and immensely enjoyed its sweet-sour goodness. I never knew Coke would go so well with citrus!

Inside Lugang Cafe

Lugang Cafe at the ground floor of Robinsons Place Manila

Have you been to Lugang Cafe? I highly recommend it if you haven't. Prices may be a bit steep but I assure you the exquisite food is all worth it. The servers are courteous and agreeable to our requests and as I mentioned, the physical store 
speaks of elegance and utmost cleanliness. 
I can't wait to be back to try their other dishes and drinks. 
There are currently seven branches in Metro Manila -- SM Mall of Asia; SM North Edsa; SM Aura Premier; Glorietta 2; Fashion Hall, SM Megamall; Robinsons Place Manila; 
and Greenhills -- so go to the one nearest you. 
See you at Lugang Cafe, folks! 
Happy eating!