Accompanying my balikbayan aunt and uncle (Hi Papa Tony and Mama Dette) with my parents around the metro was a refreshing and palate challenging experience. It was refreshing because I was able to catch up on what was going on with them, and palate challenging, because their tastes had gone far beyond the ordinary. Figuring that Gloria Maris was up to the palate challenge, we hied off to Greenhills.

We waited for about an hour; that was pretty long! To pass the time, we talked; topics ranged from my cousin’s wardrobe to new karaoke songs. Alas! We got a table near the bar where the waiters placed orders, and I’m telling you this: don’t get a table near that bar when you visit. The noise was deafening! I thought maybe the Tower of Babel sounded that way. The waiter was quick to get our orders and was quick to deliver it as well. Foremost on our minds was the restaurant’s five-star reputation in Manila.

We had siomai (P80) and hakaw (P85) for starters. It was small dimsum freshly made, but I guess the siomai didn’t pass our guests’ standards. The wrapper was slightly overcooked and soggy. The meat, though, was okay – spiced and mixed the right way. The hakaw had well-sized shrimps, fresh and tasty.

Though it was no one’s birthday, we had the Birthday Noodles (P170). Traditionally served to the celebrant during Chinese birthday celebrations, it has quail eggs, orange or pink coloring, noodle vegetable "sahog", and egg noodles. Tradition holds that it can make the birthday celebrant happy. But the guests found it too rich for their taste. How would the next dish fare, considering what had already taken place?

Hmmm, I think the Mapo Tofu (P180) saved the day! The tofu was of the highest quality with the minced pork spiced just right. The rich flavor of the spices for the meat went well with the freshness of the tofu. Our tofu dish was complemented by Sauteed Mixed Vegetables (P170). By this time, everyone was grumbling about the tiny (were they rectangular saucers?) plates. We asked for regular-sized plates, but the tiny ones were all they had, according to our waiter. Well!

And that was not the end of the story. We also had the Steamed Fish Fillet with Garlic. At P220, it was not worth it; it was not good for sharing and the fillets were so small, they were just right for our tiny plates. Good thing we had the Yang Chow Fried Rice (P140) as well; we filled our tummies with it. It had the usual scrambled egg, bits of pork, and small shrimps. But their Yang Chow placed fifth on my Top Ten Fried Rice list. On top of this list is a Chinese fastfood’s version, which is filled with shrimp, ham, green peas, carrots, egg, and the works for P120.

We made do without dessert and contented ourselves sipping the warm tea we ordered. Afterwards, we agreed that it might be too much to say that it was a high-end Chinese restaurant.

The wait for a table seemed to take forever; the food was sub par compared to other Chinese restos; the prices were steeper than those at other places with the same quality of food; the noise was deafening (there goes ambience). What the place had going for it was its waiters; they were always ready to serve us, yet they did not hover around our table. But because of the noise, they would sometimes misunderstand you when you asked for a spoon, instead bringing you a fork.