Read first: A New World Hotel Makati Holiday Staycation Story
JASMINE, the Cantonese restaurant of New World Hotel Makati, is consistently one of the best Cantonese-style Chinese restaurants in Manila. It’s the Chinese place to go to if you are craving for authentic Cantonese specialty dishes or if you just want to enjoy an eat-all-you-can yum cha just like the ones in HK.
It’s been a while since we tried it, but this time we were able to bring the boys who happen to be our barometer for good dim sum and true enjoyment of the taste of the food.
JASMINE
2nd Level New World Makati Hotel
Esperanza Street corner Makati Avenue, Ayala Center, Makati City 1228, Philippines
Operating Hours: Open Daily
Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Telephone: +63 2 8811 6888
Email: enquiry.manila@newworldhotels.com
Facebook: New World Makati Hotel
Instagram: @newworldmakati
Website: http://newworldhotels.com/manila
Check out low New World Makati rates and availability from Booking.com.
First Things First
It was the first time we stayed at the New World Makati Hotel, a Chinese hotel brand that recently celebrated their 25 years in the Philippines. This hotel was the setting of a lot of memories during my P&G and partying days, and the brand stood the test of time in its iconic location on the corner of Makati and A. Arnaiz Avenues (now Pasay Road).
This holiday season, we created awesome staycation memories with our family of 4 boys. Here’s our New World Hotel Makati Holiday Staycation Story.
New World Makati Hotel
Esperanza Street corner Makati Avenue, Ayala Center, Makati City 1228, Philippines
Telephone: +63 2 8811 6888
Email: enquiry.manila@newworldhotels.com
Facebook: New World Makati Hotel
Instagram: @newworldmakati
Website: http://newworldhotels.com/manila
Check out low New World Makati rates and availability from Booking.com.
Jasmine Menu: Peking Duck | Jasmine Specialties | Barbecue and Appetizers | Soups | Live Fish and Seafood | Seafood | Poultry and Meat | Vegetables and Bean Curd | Vegetarian | Rice | Noodles | Dessert | Unlimited Yum Cha
Auspicious Menu: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII
Drinks Menu: Chinese Tea | Chinese Liquor and Spirits | Iced Tea Infusions | Sparkling & Champagne, White Wine, Red Wine | Champagne | Cellar Selection | Red Wines: Cabernet and Blends | Shiraz and Blends, Pinot Noir, Merlot | Others, Dessert Wine | White Wine: Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc | Chardonnay, Others | Single Malt, Bourbon and Whiskeys | Tequila, Cognac, XO | Beer: Local, Imported | Softdrinks, Mineral Water, Coffee
You can try the Jasmine specialties or holiday specials, the Auspicious Lauriat menu options or their eat-all-you-can dim sum.
The restaurant has a fine casual setting that needs refurbishment. Make sure to reserve one of the private rooms for a more intimate lauriat experience specially when you have kids with you.
Jasmine Holiday Menu
Executive Chef Wong Kam On created Jasmine specialties for the holiday season that still carry the authentic Cantonese flavors that Jasmine is known for but with a holiday flair.
It’s a cross between a hot prawn and a creamy chicken salad to get a seafood-meat combination slathered with a creamy sauce.
Not your ordinary corn soup, an upgrade with lobster bits and flavor that both kids and adults will surely appreciate for the holidays.
Our favorite—scallop with crispy skin on the outside but still juicy inside on a bed of mashed spinach with egg white surrounded by pumpkin sauce.
A healthier dish of fish fillet and broccoli with just the right black pepper sauce coating.
Your typical beef main dish, wok-fried with a smoky flavor served with vegetables and XO sauce.
The boys loved this lumpia of fried rice with creamy Cantonese-style curry sauce. Yum!
All-you-can-eat Dim Sum
Jasmine has become famous for its dim sum, and it feels like eating in HK here with the quality of the dim sum and variety of specialties.
We also tried all the dim sum in the Unlimited Yum Cha (₱1,388/person) menu and here are our favorites:
Soup
So surprisingly good that even the little ones loved it—a little sweet, with a little spice and a little sourness. Just the perfect thing to stimulate your appetite.
Steamed Dim sum
The boys are siomai monsters, and they loved this because of the fuller meat, thin wrapper and umami from the crab roe.
The hakaw also got approval from the hakaw monsters, and each one got a basket each with a good amount of shrimp inside.
The chicken feet and pork spare ribs cooked in tausi sauce was Chinese-wife approved, and this is often our benchmark for good Cantonese food.
After the little monsters devoured one basket each of siomai and hakaw, they turned their attention on the xiao long bao which was equally good, and they got one basket each.
Baked and Fried Dimsum
The puff had a crusty and flaky texture with just the right seafood taro mash inside. So good!
Like a fried siopao with a form factor than resembles an empanada with a hopia-like delicate texture.
This is their best seller, which is like a strip of steak rolled with mango and bound by seaweed. Definitely an acquired taste, but excellent if you are looking for a good piece of meat.
Fried wonton with sweet and sour sauce to snack on throughout the lunch.
Dessert
The buchi monsters couldn’t get enough of the perfect buchi—right sesame crust, chewy mochi texture and sweet inside.
After the buchi, you can feast all you can on the chocolate mochi dessert.
Eat-all-you-can mango sago was heaven for the boys, and this dessert was just the perfect ending to the yum cha.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Jasmine’s eat-all-you-can Yum Cha is Chinese-wife and little dim sum monsters-approved. I also like their take on Cantonese specialties and how they are surprisingly consistent with the quality of their food over the years.
The Jasmine service staff is friendly and helpful, with reinforcements coming from Li Li restaurant in the former New World Manila Bay hotel.
Jasmine stood the test of time, but I think its time to refresh the interiors and take the Cantonese cuisine in Manila to a whole new level. Congrats, Jasmine team!
JASMINE
2nd Level New World Makati Hotel
Esperanza Street corner Makati Avenue, Ayala Center, Makati City 1228, Philippines
Operating Hours: Open Daily
Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Telephone: +63 2 8811 6888
Email: enquiry.manila@newworldhotels.com
Facebook: New World Makati Hotel
Instagram: @newworldmakati
Website: http://newworldhotels.com/manila
Check out low New World Makati rates and availability from Booking.com.
Live an Awesome Life,
Founder, Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: We were media guests of New World Makati Hotel. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions and insights.
P.S. The dim sum chefs from Li Li recently transferred to Jasmine and replaced Jasmine’s long-time dim sum chef.