Ocean Seaside Restaurant and Its Hidden Milk Tea Shop
ROCK LOBSTER WITH CHEESE
The first time I heard about Ocean Seaside was when my beloved Auntie Beauty called up my mom and her bevy of sisters (Auntie Susan and Auntie Beth) for a clingy Saturday lunch. Since I was free at that time, the invitation was fortunately extended to me.
PRESSURE STEAM HOT POT
Auntie Beauty was set on trying out its Pressure Steam Hot Pot set for four (priced at P1888) which includes shrimp, nylon shells, elephant shells, blue crab; slowly steamed so that all of their sweet juices end up becoming part of your congee's broth.
ADOBONG PUSIT (P450)
Unfortunately, two of the four seafood items inclusive in the hot pot were unavailable; so Auntie Beauty decided to skip the hot pot and opted from its ala carte menu. Consequently, fortune was on our side as it led me to taste what was easily one of the best Adobong Pusit dishes I ever tried. Oddly, it had to be in Chinese seafood restaurant. The kitchen opted for a thicker sauce and made use of tenderly cooked squid pieces lovingly bathed in a perfectly tangy, perfectly savory squid ink sauce. You'd want to order some rice to pair with that sauce!
SALTED EGG CRAB
The Adobong Pusit proved to be the main highlight amidst being served among heavyweights such as the Salted Egg Crab and the Rock Lobster with Cheese. The Salted Egg Crab was coated in a perfectly balanced salted egg sauce, which didn’t overwhelm; while the fresh crabs unashamedly boasted of their sweet meat. It was easily the best salted egg sauce I tasted since the one I tried in Malaysia! The Rock Lobster with Cheese featured juicy rock lobsters generously bathed in a light cheese sauce.
BUTTER GARLIC SHRIMP (P550)
To be honest, it was a splendid seafood feast save for the Butter Garlic Shrimp. I absolutely adore butter-garlic sauce so it’s my go-to sauce whenever I opt for live seafood in buffets; but theirs simply tasted off. First, their butter sauce didn’t taste like it used butter (my suspicion was that it was margarine). Secondly, it had a hint of sweetness which didn’t work well with my notion of what a butter garlic sauce should taste like. I was literally scraping the sauce off of my shrimps to be able to eat them!
THE ALLEY’S MATCHA BROWN SUGAR DEERIOCA (P130)
The biggest surprise was that its second floor also doubles as an extension branch for The Alley (to enable them to deliver via Grab and Foodpanda to Quezon City residents). Walk-in orders are limited to diners of the restaurant, so we immediately grabbed of such opportunity. I opted for their Matcha Brown Sugar Deerioca which boasted of a nice balance of matcha; enough flavor that you can taste it, but not too much that it becomes overwhelmingly leafy tasting. Its pearls are no match for Tiger Sugar’s and Yi Fang’s though. Overall, it was okay, but it's definitely something I would crave for.
PRESSURE STEAM HOT POT
However, my mom and I were curious to try their Pressure Steam Hot Pot, so we immediately scheduled another visit to Ocean Seaside. Accompanied now by my sister and her boyfriend, we finally were able to avail of their Pressure Steam Hot Pot.
The seafood were steamed one at a time so expect a slower paced meal. Make sure to order another dish to satiate you during the wait. Options to add on spareribs and century egg are available to lend some extra umami flavor to the congee. The seafood was undeniably fresh as you can taste how clean and sweet each bite was, but the serving size was unreasonably little for the price you pay it for.
You end up with a huge casserole of tasty congee so you’re guaranteed to be full, but it’s definitely not worth the price you pay for.
OYSTER CAKE (P480)
Fortunately, we were still able to unearth a gem from its menu during that meal. I’ve never appreciated oyster cakes (I’m more of a purist, so I prefer eating oysters in their fresh and raw form); but Ocean Seaside’s Oyster Cake is miles and miles away from any version I’ve ever tried. Scrambled egg and grilled leeks inject flavor and color in this dish; making me love something I always found so dreadful before. This was absolutely mind-blowing! A must-try for fans (and haters) of oyster cakes!
Ocean Seaside Restaurant
Banawe Avenue corner Santa Catalina Street, Saint Peter, Banawe, Quezon City
Dates of Visits: May 25, 2019 with Beauty Sy, Beth Chua, Susan Tan, Lily Chua; June 4, 2019 with Lily Chua, Jem Chua and Kino Mendoza
