6.031 Fried Fish Skin

Cycle 6 – Item 31

5 (Thu) January 2015

Fried Fish Skin

3.0

at Tao Yuan

-Malate, Manila-

with various K colleagues

TEITY (see Try Every Item at Tao Yuan) (Visit 34) (Items 197-205). Eating my way through the restaurant’s entire menu: all 222 items.

From what I’ve seen so far, it would seem to be one of the best in the neighborhood, solid on all counts: taste, quality, variety, service, vibe, proximity, maybe price. Once I’ve tried everything, I’ll know exactly what to get, depending on the circumstances, whether it’s for a quick bite on my own, a casual night out with friends/colleagues/family, or a formal occasion hosting bosses/VIPs. That kind of certainty, in the unpredictable culinary landscape of Manila, will be invaluable.

9 new items tonight, total 205 down, 17 remaining, averaging 6 items per visit (as of tonight), on pace to finish at TEITY 37 – the end is nigh!

As a party of five, a four-seater table with the built-in induction pad would’ve been too tight.

In stark contrast to the weird/icky stuff that we had last time, this meal focused on my favorite thing in the world: fresh seafood, including lobster.

The highlight was the fried fish skin. Not knowing what to expect but fearing the worst, I was quite surprised to the contrary. Deep-fried to a perfect crisp, nary a trace of oil. Whether dunked briefly in the broth or as is, worked well either way. Remarkably clean and delicate flavor, almost to the point of being tasteless, making me think that it’s from a large white saltwater fish. While the lobster was the best part of the meal, the fish skin was the most interesting.

XO Sauce (3.0): never seen XO sauce for sale on a menu; it’s nice, slightly fishy, in a good way, adding more depth of flavor to the dip; but not really necessary as the spread of free condiments is just fine (see generally 5.299 Tangho).

Slipper Lobster (3.5): also known as “bugs” (see for example 5.180 Mahi Mahi…), but referred to incorrectly on the menu here as “rock lobster;” in fact, the “original lobster” is rock lobster.

As far as I can tell, these are just as good as regular lobster, but a double-double better value as they’re cheaper by weight and they don’t have huge heads to weigh them down (I’ll have to try these in white pepper sauce next time my family comes)

Crab (2.0): my New Year’s resolution was to stop eating crab, solely because they’re a pain to eat.

This kind of arrangement is not recommended. First, the lazy susan and portable stove raise the pot so high that the inside is visible only when partially standing. Second, each cluster of diners is focused on their own pot, impeding a larger group dynamic. We tried it once with a single pot, but then it had to be rotated back and forth on the lazy susan so that people on the ends of the table could get their food.