Monday, October 2, 2023
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
    • Young Life
  • Special Pages
    • Pets
    • Tech
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • On the Road
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Cravings
    • Environment & Sustainability
    • Agriculture
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
    • Young Life
  • Special Pages
    • Pets
    • Tech
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • On the Road
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Cravings
    • Environment & Sustainability
    • Agriculture
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home Lifestyle Sip & Savor

The President at the President

Joyce Babe PañaresbyJoyce Babe Pañares
June 26, 2016, 7:50 pm
in Sip & Savor
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

Days before he steps down as the country’s 15th chief executive, President Benigno Aquino III paid a visit to his favorite Chinese eatery since the early 1980s, the President Grand Palace Restaurant located at the heart of Binondo district in Manila.

“I already wanted to eat here when I was still in college,” Aquino recalled while taking a bite of his go-to comfort food, sizzling oysters – tiny mollusks caramelized from the heat, crunchy and juicy with just the right flavor of savory black beans and pepper.

“I love the sizzling oysters – they’re really good. I also like the crispy squid, although I recall it used to have a lighter batter that made it extra crispy,” he shared with members of the Malacañang Press Corps during the farewell lunch he hosted at the President Grand Palace restaurant.

The dishes served during the farewell lunch of President Benigno Aquino III include steamed crabs with garlic and leeks, assorted cold cuts, and abalone with Shiitake mushrooms.

He would pass by the banquet-style restaurant, then located between Ongpin and Padilla streets, when his Filipino-Chinese classmates would bring him to Chinatown to watch the latest Jackie Chan films, without subtitles but complete with real-time annotation from his friends. But it was not until he landed his first job at the Philippine Business for Social Progress on Dasmariñas St. in Binondo that he was able to fulfill his gastronomic wish.

According to Amy Tan, one of the managers of the restaurant, Aquino would host luncheons and dinners for his friends at the President, which reopened in 2009 and is now housed at what used to be a Chinese theater, giving it a hotel ballroom-feel. The restaurant has an unassuming facade despite its lofty name, which Tan says was specifically chosen by the owners as being “auspicious” since president in Chinese also means number one.

Various roastings greet customers as they enter the President Grand Palace Restaurant in Binondo.

Tan, who has been with the restaurant for more than two decades now, has seen all sorts of customers, from Chinese aunties and uncles who would have dimsum and tea to high-profile visitors who would book one of their private rooms, including Aquino. 

“People like our food because it is always fresh. Our chef even studied culinary arts in Hong Kong to make sure we serve authentic dishes,” said Tan.

Aside from the sizzling oysters and crispy squid, the lauriat-style lunch hosted by Aquino included shrimps with pepper and chili, abalone with Shiitake mushrooms, steamed crabs, sweet and sour pork, various cold cuts and roastings and, of course, yang chow fried rice. There were no poultry dishes, however, owing to a childhood experience that made the outgoing President swear off eating chicken.

Amy Tan, one of the restaurant's managers

Aquino, who has less than 72 hours left as the country’s chief executive, said he looks forward to being able to eat more often at the President Grand Palace and in other restaurants that he likes. “There were days when my Cabinet members and I could only eat Yum Burger from Jollibee for lunch at 3 p.m. and Yum Burger again for dinner,” the 56-year old bachelor President said, scratching his head while reminiscing.

“I like eating here at the President. Their dishes are, I would say, unique and comforting,” added Aquino, who traces his roots to Hongjian village in China’s Fujian province where his mother, the late President Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino, came from the line of Chinese immigrant Co Yu Hwan who moved to the Philippines in 1861.

Members of the Malacañang Press Corps with Undersecretary Renato Marfil while waiting for the President.

For dessert, the President asked his close-in aide to buy peanut ampao (Chinese puffed rice rolls coated with either crushed peanuts or sesame seeds) at the nearby Salazar Bakery and mung beans hopia from Eng Bee Tin. “I would have wanted to buy these myself. Let’s go on an economic mission here in Binondo,” he said in jest, acknowledging the security protocols that have barred him from doing something as common as stroll along the busy streets of Chinatown for the past six years.

Before everyone knew it, the almost four-hour lunch was over – just like the Aquino presidency. 

For feedback, send comments to [email protected]

Tags: Benigno Aquino IIIPresident Grand Palace Restaurant
ADVERTISEMENT
Joyce Babe Pañares

Joyce Babe Pañares

Related Posts

Local coffee chain intensifies global expansion

byManila Standard Lifestyle
March 6, 2023, 9:50 pm
0
12
Leading airline launches more seats on anniversary month

Bo’s Coffee has gotten everything going with its expansion to new store locations here and abroad with its operations well-organized,...

Read more

Run your own milk tea shop with the new interactive Google Doodle

byManila Standard Lifestyle
January 29, 2023, 9:40 pm
0
8
Disney-inspired desserts for all seasons

There’s a new Google Doodle in town and this one celebrates the almost universal popularity of milk tea (or bubble...

Read more

High-end sports resto bar opens in Makati

byManila Standard Lifestyle
January 2, 2023, 8:10 pm
0
11
Al Mulla starts brewing Philippines’ largest homegrown coffee brand

Mansion Sports Bar & Lounge had a soft-launch event that gathered prominent members of the media, online personalities, popular local...

Read more

Al Mulla starts brewing Philippines’ largest homegrown coffee brand

byManila Standard Lifestyle
January 2, 2023, 8:00 pm
0
9
Al Mulla starts brewing Philippines’ largest homegrown coffee brand

The Philippines’ largest homegrown coffee brand, Bo’s Coffee, is now officially brewing in Dubai’s most prominent shopping mall, The BurJuman...

Read more

Leading blended Scotch whisky relaunches pop-up bar concept in BGC

byManila Standard Lifestyle
October 30, 2022, 7:10 pm
0
177
A fulfilling Davao weekend

After a successful four-month run on Bonifacio High Street, Chivas Regal announces that it is relaunching its pop-up bar concept...

Read more

Celebrate sweet moments with a bottle of wine

byManila Standard Lifestyle
October 2, 2022, 9:40 pm
0
38
Celebrate sweet moments with a bottle of wine

As the life-changing pandemic also brought about changes in perspective, people have become more grounded and appreciative of what they...

Read more

Print Edition

View More

Recent Posts

  • Ukraine says working with US after Congress drops aid
  • 850,000 Meralco customers lose power as 500-kilovolt line trips
  • Rice price cap seen lifted soon
  • Speaker says House, DSWD set to give out cash aid to 3m poor
  • Importation hurting local poultry industry, says DA
  • Protect us from Chinese ships, fishers ask Navy, PCG
  • Over 1k nabbed for election gun ban; Cops monitor 38 private armed groups
  • ‘Jenny’ becomes typhoon, Signal No. 1 over Batanes

Advertisement

Latest News

Protect us from Chinese ships, fishers ask Navy, PCG

byManila Standard
October 2, 2023, 12:45 am
0
8
China coast guard chases Pinoy fisherman in disputed waters

Fishermen appealed to the government on Sunday to increase coast guard and naval patrols to protect them from the Chinese...

Read more

Over 1k nabbed for election gun ban; Cops monitor 38 private armed groups

byVince Lopez
October 2, 2023, 12:40 am
0
8
Comelec junks nuisance case vs. Marcos Jr.

Over a thousand people have been arrested for violating the gun ban imposed for the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan...

Read more

‘Jenny’ becomes typhoon, Signal No. 1 over Batanes

byRio N. Araja
October 2, 2023, 12:35 am
0
8
Owner, driver of SUV in viral fight summoned

Tropical Cyclone “Jenny” (international name: Koinu) has intensified and was expected to reach typhoon strength last night as Signal No....

Read more

‘Be hard to reach to avoid scams’

byManila Standard
October 2, 2023, 12:30 am
0
8
CICC taps consumer group to address fraud

The public should ignore calls requesting personal information or PIN (personal identification number) codes, and being more difficult to reach...

Read more

Owner, driver of SUV in viral fight summoned

byRio N. Araja
October 2, 2023, 12:25 am
0
8
Southwoods nails Seniors’ Fil golf crown

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has served show-cause orders (SCOs) against the driver and the owner of a sports utility...

Read more

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
    • Young Life
  • Pets
  • Tech
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Cravings
  • Environment & Sustainability
  • Agriculture
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App