8.153

7 (Wed) June 2017

Arabic Salad

2.0

at Seafood Market Restaurant

-Ermita-

with K colleagues

As suggested by the history of posts from this restaurant, I tend to order the same dishes or close variations thereon – mostly stir-fries of seafood and vegetables in some sort of gravy. 

Prior visits:

1. First visit (4.263 Parros Clams in Spicy Black-Bean Sauce with Sinagnag) (4.0)
2. SB (5.006 Steamed Lapu-Lapu in Soy-Ginger Sauce) (3.0)
3. NHIS (5.059 Sweet & Sour Lapu-Lapu) (2.0)
4. CS Hahm + YL (5.062 Ginger Crab) (1.5)
5. CAL’s birthday (5.194 Claypot Scallops with Vegetables & Glass Noodles) (2.5)
6. Post-dive (5.210 Chili Shrimp) (2.0)
7. Post-dive (5.224 Seafood Fried Rice with Green Beans in Spicy Black-Bean Sauce) (4.0)
8. K (5.249 Deep-Fried Tofu with Vegetables in Oyster Sauce) (3.0)
9. CBD (5.314 Pusit Adobong) (3.0)
10. Family (5.354 Deep-Fried Tofu & Shrimp with Vegetables in Oyster Sauce) (3.25)
11. The Handover (6.081 Taste Test: Live v Fresh Lapu-Lapu) (3.0)
12. K (6.112 Prawns with Ginger & Onion) (3.25)
13. DNH+ (6.115 Clam & Ginger Soup) (3.0)
14. KD+MG (6.133 Black Pepper Slipper Lobster) (3.5)
15. K (6.164 Deep-Fried Tofu with Vegetables in Spicy Black-Bean Sauce) (3.5)
16. CL+ (6.184 Jumbo Prawns with Asparagus in Ginger-Onion Sauce) (2.5)
17. The Moratorium (6.198 Jumbo Prawns with Broccoli in Ginger-Onion Sauce) (3.0)
18. The Return (7.318 Deep-Fried Tofu with Scallops, Broccoli, and Asparagus in Oyster Sauce) (3.25)
19. WHOCC Forum 2 (7.329 Scallops & Shrimp with Asparagus in Taosi Sauce) (3.25)
20. K (8.005 Scrambled Eggs with Black Fungus and Scallion) (3.5)
21. HS and family (8.026 Prawns in Chili-Taosi Sauce) (3.5)
22. CBD (8.066 Black Pepper Prawns) (3.5)
23. K (8.069 Deep-Fried Tofu with Water Chestnuts, Bamboo, Young Corn in Taosi-Chili Sauce) (3.25)

Adobong Kangkong (3.5)

Deep-Fried Tofu with Vegetables in Chili-Taosi Sauce (3.5)

Black Pepper Shrimp with Bamboo (3.25)

Tonight, I experimented with a new dish that I had seen on someone’s table at a recent visit, which the server had described as “Arabic Salad.”  While the food at this restaurant remains essentially Chinese/Asian in character, the owner is Arabic (Lebanese?), and a lot of Arabs live in the neighborhood and frequent the restaurant, so inevitably the options would shift a bit in that direction.  I was hoping that a salad would infuse a welcome shot of freshness into the spread.  Alas, it fell short of what I was expecting (see for example 6.032 Arabic Salad), just diced carrots, cucumbers, and onions in vinegar and salt and pepper.  And way underseasoned as served, forcing me to get up and make a big fuss of adding more vinegar and salt and pepper.