The Aristocrat Restaurant Dinner

Starting the Year of the Dragon with a big ol' Pinoy dinner at The Aristocrat Restaurant! On the table - chicken & pork adobo, crispy eggplant, pinakbet na baboy & Shanghai rice. The adobo had quail's eggs & that rich, slow-cooked depth, while the crispy eggplant lived up to its name with great crunch, awesome dipping sauce & tomato cucumber salsa.

Wasn't a fan of the pinakbet simply because I'm not a shrimp person & the gravy was shrimp-flavoured. Otherwise, the veggies were nicely cooked. On the wall hangs a picture of founder Lola Asiang, known as the Mother of Phillipine Cooking, who founded the restaurant in 1936.

We ended with a sweet treat - halo halo. Mine had honeyed bananas & Mum's was a jelly-red bean version. In the front, The Special halo halo with jelly & red bean, and behind it the honey banana version. We like!