King Chef Seafood Restaurant Review: I Forgot About my Allergies!
Whenever I have a foreign visitor or “balikbayan”, they ask me to take them to an amazing seafood place. Unfortunately, because of my crustacean allergy, I am not 100% comfortable taking people to Dampa because I have zero skills when it comes to choosing good seafood.
Basically, I need everything to be chosen and quality-checked for me. Luckily, I had the opportunity to try out dishes from KING CHEF SEAFOOD in Lucky Chinatown Mall in Binondo, Manila.
The setting is very classic Chinese. There’s the usual red and gold opulence but it’s modern and not tacky. The dining room is spacious and convenient to go to since it’s inside a mall. Armed with several antihistamine tabs and an epi pen, I set out to discover the seafood selection here.
- King’s Special Crab Roe Soup: The soup was very meaty. I swear it was a meal in itself. There were generous chunks of seafood but there was no nasty fishy taste. The flavor and thick texture is similar to many Chinese soup dishes that we are all familiar with. The big bonus really lies in the abundance of seafood. Be careful not to have too much as you might get too full for the next course!
King’s Special Crabroe Soup (Php900.00-good for 10) - Shrimp Salad Cups: This is a fusion between a hot shrimp salad, a Vietnamese spring roll and a Japanese maki. It’s not very common in other Chinese restaurants in the country so I was pleasantly surprised. There was a crunchy element inside and each piece was topped generously with a fat, juicy shrimp. There’s a sweet, tangy sauce that brings out the natural sweetness of the shrimps. At this point, I knew that the seafood was fresh because I wasn’t breaking out in hives yet!
Shrimp Salad Cups - Spareribs with 8 Spices: Like I said, I usually shy away from seafood because of my allergies. Because of this, spareribs are one of my favorite dishes to order in Chinese restaurants. This one is top notch. First of all, it’s boneless and the breading is very light. That means you get a lot of meat per serving versus other places where you end up with a lot of bones. The flavors are rich but not cloying. Even those who are not fond of Chinese five spice will find this pleasing. a real winner in my book!
Spareribs with 8 Spices (Php900.00 Large) - Steamed Gourd with Seafood: If you like scallops, order this dish. It’s light, the flavors are subtle, but there’s nothing subtle about the mountains of chopped up scallops stuffed inside the bright, green gourd.
Steamed Gourd with Seafood (Php760.00 Large) - Crispy Lapu-Lapu in Pomelo Sauce: Fish is another option for me whenever I don’t want to risk having crabs and shrimps. The Lapu-Lapu here was served deep-fried and crispy but it remained juicy and tender inside. The Pomelo sauce was refreshingly tangy. This was another crowd favorite at our table.
Crispy Lapu-Lapu in Pomelo Sauce - Pineapple Fried Rice: Any Filipino meal isn’t complete without rice. This time, we steered away from the usual Yang Chow and went with the pineapple rice. I know that pineapples in savory applications is a “love it or hate it” kind of thing, so not all of you will like it. I for one, love pineapple fried rice. This one was not filled with too many pineapple chunks so I think it would still be pleasant for even the pickiest eater.
Pineapple Fried Rice (Php480.00) - Drunken Suahe with Chinese Wine: This is the highlight of our meal. It was a culinary delight as well as a feast for the eyes. Large, live shrimps are presented to the table while they are still wriggling in the pot. They are drenched in Chinese wine to kill them quickly before they are flambeed right in front of our eyes! The colors change quickly, as the alcohols burns and cooks the shrimps. Once they are cooked, they are drenched with a light, sauce and garnished with greens. A very impressive and tasty addition to your special-occasion meal.
The finished product 
King Chef staff in action - Salted Egg Buchi: Everyone is familiar with the bean paste filled buchi served in most Chinese restaurants. In King Chef, we tried the salted egg buchi instead. I really liked this but I hate trends so I’m not too excited about every single restaurant now serving some kind of salted egg dish. Nevertheless, this was really tasty and I would not mind having it again.
Salted Egg Buchi - Drinks: Apart from the usual hot tea, King Chef also serves a variety of refreshing drinks. They have fruit shakes, fresh lemonade and the usual iced tea and soft drinks. there is definitely something for everyone here.
Wide variety of bevearages - 3-D Gelatin: This is simply amazing. The gelatin is artfully created to form a 3-D effect while remaining 100% edible. It’s almost too pretty to be eaten. While it looks beautiful, there is no lack in flavor as well. You can even make an advance order to have your name written in it! Amazing!
3-D Gelatin 
Cross-section of the amazing gelatin artwork Final rating: 5/5 stars, Overall, it was an outstanding experience I can’t wait to bring a a big group here for a memorable gathering!
At the end of the meal, I felt great, everything was clearly fresh and cleaned properly because I didn’t feel any signs of my allergies. I highly recommend this restaurant for your next big family dinner!
See the full menu and other King Chef branches in Zomato: