Christmas Eve Dinner at The New San Thao
Sunday, 2022-12-25
I remember the last time my wife and I went for dinner at a Chinese Restaurant was in July to celebrate her birthday. That time we went to a famous resto that has been in business since 1979 called Central. It has 3 branches, and we have been only to 2 of them, and I must admit the food at both places was excellent but quite pricey.
Delivery orders are how restos survive during the pandemic and have become the new norm these days.
This time we decided to go to another Chinese resto we used to frequent before the pandemic for Christmas eve dinner. The resto is not too far from our place and the food there was reasonably priced although not as good as Central. The resto used to be called "San Thao" but I noticed that it has added the word "New" so it's now called the "New San Thao". These days we try to have dinner at the latest 18:00 or skip dinner.
The kitchen is on the 3rd floor. Notice the food elevator underneath the clock at the center of the picture above.
The menu.
When we arrived at the resto, it was just after 17:00, and the place was still empty. We ordered 3 main courses and rice. There was another couple who came in right after we placed our order. We waited around 15 - 20 minutes for our order to be prepared.
Capcay – an assorted vegetable dish with pork and seafood.
Capcay or capcai is the name of a typical Chinese-Indonesian assorted vegetable dish cooked by boiling (gravy) or stir-frying. The name capcay is taken from the Hokkien dialect, which literally means "10 vegetables" (cap = ten, cay = vegetables). The number of vegetables in capcay is not certain but many people are mistaken in thinking that capcay must contain 10 different kinds of vegetables. Some vegetables commonly used in the mix are chicory, mustard greens, carrots, young corn, straw mushrooms, ear mushrooms, cabbage, peas, beans, cauliflower, broccoli, leeks, tomatoes, and onions. However, elements of animal protein are also commonly added to this dish, for example, beef, chicken, eggs, chicken liver and gizzards, shrimp, meatballs, squid, and pork. When the capcay came, I could smell the pungent aroma of fish sauce which is very popular in Thai dishes. I didn't like the smell of it but it tasted excellent!
Fluffy, soft, and savory shrimp lumpia.
Shrimp Lumpia or shrimp spring rolls, unlike typical spring rolls with a mixture of meat/shrimp, vegetables and vermicelli wrapped in thin sheets made from dough of wheat flour, this one is finely chopped shrimp spread over thin egg omelet and deep fried. The dish comes with a sweet sauce. Although it's not as crunchy as typical spring rolls, the taste makes you want more. This is one of our favorites.
Delicious Honey Pork Ribs.
Honey Pork Ribs is considered one of the resto's favorite menus. The ribs have been well marinated and coated in flour before deep-frying and glazed with honey. We couldn't help overhearing the couple sitting behind us ordering the same dish as a takeaway for their daughter at home. This is simply the best dish on the menu.
The Delicious Christmas Eve Dinner Set that cost less than USD 20.
The total bill was USD 18, not even half of what we had spent at Central last July. The food was excellent, and I thought it was even better than before the pandemic. The additional word "NEW" in the resto name is also reflected in the better taste of the food.
Merry Christmas, Keep Safe and Stay Healthy.
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A baby boomer who's trying to embrace and adapt to the new digital world. Worked for over 30 years in the IT industry before retiring and now run an online vegetable delivery and hydroponics equipment business. Enjoy traveling, cooking, writing, playing pool, and all IT-related stuff. You're always welcome to leave a comment or feedback, and an upvote or reblog is also greatly appreciated. |