I love Chinese lauriat celebrations! I think this is a beautiful Chinese family tradition where everyone shares a communal feast on a roundtable with everybody wearing red to bring good luck to the celebrant.
We don’t have it in my Filipino family and I married my wife so that we can eat Chinese lauriats every time there is a birthday celebration.
My wife’s family often celebrates at Causeway because everyone enjoys the food— good variety and good value for money.
Here’s what we love about the Chinese lauriat at Causeway…
Appetizer
We never eat breakfast before any lauriat so that everyone is ready to fight over cold cuts of jellyfish, Hainanese chicken, lechon Macau and pork asado.
The second appetizer is usually prawn with noodles and our favorite is the butterflied steamed prawns with lots of garlic.
Another version is Prawn Noodle with Cheese made with big prawns soaked in a pool of cheese sauce with noodles. This was a bit heavy.
The hot seafood soup course prepares your stomach for more food to come.
Usually, the soup combinations are unique like Braised Sharks Fin Sea Cucumber Crab Meat Soup or Shredded Chicken with Fish Lip and Dried Scallop Soup.
We usually order a more premium lauriat course for the adults and the celebrant.
The young ones get to occupy another table with more kid-friendly lauriat courses.
Main Dish
The Fried Pigeon is a typical premium course in a lauriat celebration. Its a healthier, high protein low-fat kind of meat but I’m still not fond of it until now.
It’s always a treat eating Sea Cucumber with its leathery skin and Sliced Abalone for its exotic meat taste.
Have you tried Abalone Shell and Cubed Chicken Fried Rice?
It’s way better than the usual Yang Chow. You won’t be able to resist this so make sure to schedule your cheat day during the lauriat celebration.
I was not too happy with the Pork Belly in special pineapple sauce which we ate with the buns.
You can always eat healthy and order the steamed fresh Lapu Lapu with Shrimp Sauce or Oyster sauce.
The most awesome course is the Steamed Crab (1.5 kg) with giant claws and lots of garlic!
Desserts
For dessert, the family always brings different kinds of cake to greet the birthday celebrant.
Rache ordered a special birthday Tablea Cake (₱900) from Ted’s Kitchen in Laguna.
Of course, a Chinese birthday celebration is not complete without eating noodles like the Fujian Misua which symbolizes long life not only for the celebrant but for everyone as well.
Then the kids fight over the Buchi, Masashi or Egg Custard, depending on what mood we are in to eat for dessert.
The boys love Mango Sago, and they always make sure that everyone gets the same amount, or else…
You can also enjoy a healthy serving of Assorted Mixed Fruits for dessert.
This beautiful Chinese lauriat tradition brings everybody together, unleashes good chi for the celebrant and strengthens family ties. I’m so happy to be married to my wife because of her Chinese family traditions and their love for Chinese food.
I always look forward to eating at Causeway whenever there are Chinese celebrations. What is your favorite Chinese lauriat in Manila?
生日快乐 Happy Birthday Ama! Cheers to long life for years to come!
CAUSEWAY SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
883 Banawe Street corner Del Monte Avenue, Sienna, Quezon City
Telephone: +632 410 8690
Facebook: Causeway Seafood Restaurant
Chinese Lauriat Set (₱14,888)
• Suckling Pig Combination Cold Cuts
• Steamed Prawn with Garlic
• Braised Sharks Fin Sea Cucumber Crab Meat Soup
• Sauteed Fresh Scallop and Chicken in XO sauce
• Sea Cucumber with Sliced Abalone and Seasonal Vegetable
• Lapu Lapu with Shrimp Sauce
• Fried Crispy Pigeon
• Fried Salted Egg Crab
• Fujian Misua
• Assorted Mixed Fruits
Chinese Lauriat Set D (₱10,888)
• Assorted Cold Cuts
• Prawn Noodle with Cheese
• Shredded Chicken with Fish Lip and Dried Scallop Soup
• Ancient Style Steamed Lapu-Lapu
• Pork Belly in Special Sauce
• Sea Cucumber, Mushroom and Vegetable in Oyster Sauce
• Steamed Crab with Garlic (1.5kg)
• Abalone Shell and Cubed Chicken Fried Rice
• Egg Custard
• Mango Sago
Live an Awesome Life,
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Disclosure: We paid for our meal. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions and insights.
P.S. Wondering if there are sustainable options for Sharks fin and Abalone?
The best thing about eating in a Chinese restaurant is that fresh seafood lauriat meals bring the family closer together as they bond to share good food together. Mom and Dad would surely welcome the thought of unleashing good chi for stronger family ties while feasting on freshly cooked live groupers and crabs. It would be good if the family could do some Chinese food feasting once a month to bring in more luck.