Cycle 5 – Item 305

6 (Thu) November 2014

Braised Fish Maw with Sea Cucumber

2.5

at Tao Yuan

-Malate, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines-

solo

TEITY (see Try Every Item at Tao Yuan) (Visit 17) (Items 87-90).  Eating my way through the restaurant’s entire menu, currently at 222 items.

Tasted 4 new items tonight, bringing the total to 90 items tasted thus far, 132 items remaining, averaging 5.3 items per visit, on pace to finish at TEITY 42.

Not really a highlight, the best dish by way of elimination was the Braised Fish Maw with Sea Cucumber.  The fish maw – my first experience with it – turned out to be rubbery, kinda like squid, but otherwise very little flavor.   The sea cucumber was spongy/mushy, and orangeish in color, making me now realize that it’s not be the same animal eaten in Korea or in the States, which is more firm, and brown/blackish.  But the sauce, some kind of mild oyster sauce, was excellent.  I’ll probably never order the dish again, but I’d consider adapting the sauce to other components.

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN PHILIPPINES)