Christmas Lunch at Gloria Maris, Greenhills

During Christmas, my family doesn't really prepare Noche Buena. This year, like all previous years, my family and I had a series of lunch outs for our Christmas celebration. This week, I have been to Binondo and Robinsons Magnolia (Sunday), Trinoma (Monday), Greenhills and SM Megamall (Tuesday), and Trinoma (Wednesday) just to eat out. Now, I am steering clear of any mall, since I have had more than enough mall trips in a week!

For our family Christmas lunch last December 25, we ate at the newly-renovated, very posh and modern-looking Gloria Maris in Greenhills. We don't regularly go here, although I wish we could, because it's kinda pricey! But then since it's Christmas, we have the reason to celebrate because it's the birthday of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

My family loves Chinese cuisine, and the food from Gloria Maris are some of the best that I have tried.

House Tea

The House Tea in Gloria Maris is not free, but we don't mind at all since it does smell like real jasmine tea. It's fragrant and refreshing, and it is a perfect match for a meal full of Chinese food.

Pork Siomai

For me, the two restaurants that make my favorite siomai are Causeway Seafood Restaurant and Gloria Maris. The siomai from Gloria Maris is larger than the regular-sized siomai, and it's packed with meaty pork and shrimp (none of those starchy fillers in those 4 for P25.00 siomai stands)! The firm yet soft wrapper adds a special touch and texture to the entire dimsum. I could eat about 3 orders of these in one sitting, but of course, self control rules.

Fried Pork Spareribs with Salt and Pepper

The spareribs were tender and they had enough salt and spice into it, which makes for a good rice topping. Also, you gotta love how they presented the dish - I wanted to take home that little orange bird but didn't, because I don't know what I would do with that anyway if I had taken it home with me. Haha!

Yang Chow Fried Rice

As for the rice, I think it tasted similar to the Yang Chow Fried Rice of President Grand Palace Restaurant in Binondo. Nothing too unique or special, just the usual Yang Chow Fried Rice. But then, it has lots of add-ons like pieces of meat and shrimp, so you could just order this plus an ulam or two, and you're good to go!

Beef Tenderloin Chinese Style

When they said tenderloin, they really meant for it to be oh-so-tender. I personally hate saucy foods (and my friends think I'm weird because of that), but this one I absolutely loved (after scraping off the sauce from my slice of meat, though). The beef is so soft and so easy to bite, plus I love how savory it is. We took some of the leftovers from this dish home, and it was still so good and soft even during the next day.

 

Beef Fried Rice in Tomato

This one reminds me of the Yang Chow Fried Rice topped with Beef Tenderloin Chinese Style (look at the 2 dishes above), but it's not. The meat here was a bit harder than the tenderloin (similar texture to pork chop, but it's beef). Not such a huge fan of this dish because it has so much sauce in it! (Again, that's just my personal preference.)
 

Crab with Salted Egg

See, I was never a crab fan until the fateful Christmas day when I first tasted Gloria Maris' Crab with Salted Egg. This is hands down the best-tasting crab dish I have tried, and my entire family (especially my Dad!) thinks so, too. The shell is coated in salty, savory salted egg, and the crab meat is just so tender and tasty. The crab dish itself has a decent size - quite meaty and not just full of thick shells to make up for the weight of the dish. I think we'll be back to Gloria Maris because of this dish.

How about you, how did you Celebrate Christmas? Do feel free to share it with me in the comments box below. Happy holidays! :)

Love,

Helen