(As featured in 10 Most Awesome New Homegrown Restaurants That Matter in Manila 2016!)
CANTON ROAD is a modern Chinese restaurant at Shangri-La Fort serving authentic Cantonese and Huaiyang cuisine.
Our favorites here include the signature roasted BBQ specialties, the unique dimsum selections, and of course, the Huaiyang dishes from China’s Jiangsu province.
We tried it here when they first opened one Sunday for lunch, and most recently for a Christmas dinner date.
Here’s what to expect at Canton Road…
CANTON ROAD
Address: Level 3 Shangri-La at the Fort, Manila, 30th Street corner 5th Avenue Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City Philippines
Telephone: +632 8820 0888
Email: slfm@shangri-la.com
Facebook: Canton Road
Instagram: @shangrilafort
Twitter: @shangrilafort
Youtube: Shangri-La at the Fort, Manila
Website: http://www.cantonroad-fort.com/
Operating Hours:
Monday to Sunday
• Lunch 11.30am – 2.30pm
• Dinner 6pm – 10.30pm
Shangri-La at the Fort Manila Staycation Series:
• Shangri-La at the Fort: Why it is the Best Family Staycation in BGC?! (2018)
• SAMBA: Manila’s Finest Peruvian Restaurant?! @ShangriLaFort (A Review) (2016)
• RAGING BULL: Best Steakhouse & Bar in BGC? (Preview) @ShangrilaFort (2016)
• CANTON ROAD: Best Modern Cantonese Chinese Restaurant in BGC?! (A Review) (2016)
• MINISTRY OF CRAB Manila Guide (Is it Worth it?) @ShangriLaFort (2019)
The 88-seater main dining hall is quite spacious, with contemporary Chinese floral and geometric patterns that are pleasantly inviting.
The best places to sit are on the plush couches for added comfort and privacy, which also have a great overlooking view of the BGC skyline.
Canton Road Lunch/Dimsum Menu: Gazette | Starters, Roasted & BBQ | Steamed Dimsum | Baked Dimsum | Wok Fried, Rice & Noodles | Sweet Treats, Bespoke Teas
The best time to go is during Sunday lunch when the main dining hall is flooded with natural lighting, bringing out the subdued celadon and violet colors.
Canton Road A la Carte/Dinner Menu: Starters | Roasted & Flame, Soup | Market Fish, Seafood Dishes | Meat & Poultry | Braised Dishes, Vegetables & Greens | Rice & Noodles, Sweet Treats | Mingcha Fine Tea
Canton Road Drinks Menu: Wine by the Glass | Mingcha Fine Tea, Mingcha Cocktails, Spirits | Spirits, Beer
The dinner time ambiance can be romantic, but it does not have the warm glow you get when you come here for lunch.
There are nine (9) private dining rooms ranging from 18 to 62 seats, with the bigger rooms featuring nice comfortable sofas.
Each room is named after an iconic location in Hong Kong: Kowloon, Peking, Nathan, Mody, Salisbury, Admiralty, Austin, and Granville.
The rooms have a private toilet so you don’t have to go all the way to the elevator lobby for the common restrooms.
The meal starts with an appertif shot made of red dates, haw flakes, and wolf berry.
Canton Garden (P88/person)
I like to order and enjoy their signature teas while waiting for the dimsum and main dishes.
Yangzhou Soft Bean Curd Soup (P388) with Yunnan Ham.
A hot and light soup made of thinly sliced tofu. It tasted bland at first, but I started to like it because of its delicate texture and comforting feel.
DIMSUM
The dimsum menu is only available during lunch time, but you can still request for it when dining at night.
Chef’s Pork Dumpling (3 pcs. – P468). Steamed Iberico pork dumpling with abalone and black truffle.
My favorite! Wonderful combination of umami flavors with the abalone topping.
Baked Pumpkin (3 pcs. – P228). Black truffle and chicken puff.
A unique signature dimsum at Canton Road, which is like stuffed mini-pumpkins with chicken and black truffle flavors.
Steamed Custard and Salted Duck Egg Bun (3 pcs – P228)
Cute salted egg panda buns that you can either have as an appetizer or a sweet dessert ending.
Chef’s shrimp dumpling (4 pcs. – P348). Steamed king prawn dumpling with flying fish roe and Yunnan ham.
A better hakaw version.
We requested for kids’ plates so that our boys could eat already while the main dishes were still being prepared (which took a while).
MAIN DISHES
U.S. Angus Beef Tenderloin and Foie Gras (P2,288) in crispy garlic pepper sauce.
Another favorite! This is like sweet salpicao cubes, best paired with the Chinese fried rice.
Trio BBQ Combination Platter (P2,288). Honey glazed Iberico pork, roasted Peking duck, Macau crispy pork belly.
Their BBQ dishes are some of the best we’ve tasted. You can get a sampling trio platter.
Eu Fu Noodle (P548). Assorted seafood and straw mushroom.
If you’re celebrating a birthday, these Eu Fu noodles with big chunks of seafood are sure to give you the long life you deserve. 🙂
Simmered Free Range Chicken (P688) with shallot in black truffle sauce.
We also liked their braised claypot dishes. Try these if you’re looking for something saucy, hot, and full of flavor.
Crispy Wasabi-coated Prawn Balls (P1,388) with mango pearl.
Their version of hot prawn salad but with prawns coated with wasabi. Eat with a bit of fruit and the mango balls for some sweetness.
(Note: You can request to cook the dishes with olive oil rather than the cheap unhealthy vegetable oil.)
Congratulations to Chef Wie Qing Wang, Chef Edwin Loh, and the rest of the culinary team from Mainland China for a great execution of the Canton Road concept!
DESSERT
Moist Chocolate Cake (P228) with salted caramel sauce.
Simple chocolate and caramel dessert done right.
Black Sesame Cheesecake (P228) with raspberry coulis.
Order this black sesame cheesecake if you like something unique. This cleans your palate with the black sesame flavor.
Chilled Mango Sago Cream (P228) with grapefruit, seasonal fruit platter.
This chilled mango sago dessert was an absolute hit with our boys (they’re quite easy to please).
I like the elegant but still approachable ambiance with contemporary touches. Best to come here for Sunday lunch. Be sure sit near the windows or on the plush round couches.
Start with the Yangzhou soft bean curd soup and their signature teas. Then order an array of their signature dimsum–steamed Iberico pork dumpling with abalone and black truffle, baked pumpkin with black truffle and chicken puff, and steamed custard and salted duck egg bun pandas.
For the main course, get their signature BBQs, U.S. Angus beef tenderloin and foie gras, and the braised dishes. Budget about P1,500/head.
CANTON ROAD is definitely one of the best Chinese restaurants to open this 2016! Congratulations!
CANTON ROAD
Address: Level 3 Shangri-La at the Fort, Manila, 30th Street corner 5th Avenue Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City Philippines
Telephone: +632 8820 0888
Email: slfm@shangri-la.com
Facebook: Canton Road
Instagram: @shangrilafort
Twitter: @shangrilafort
Youtube: Shangri-La at the Fort, Manila
Website: http://www.cantonroad-fort.com/
Operating Hours:
Monday to Sunday
• Lunch 11.30am – 2.30pm
• Dinner 6pm – 10.30pm
Shangri-La at the Fort Manila Staycation Series:
• Shangri-La at the Fort: Why it is the Best Family Staycation in BGC?! (2018)
• SAMBA: Manila’s Finest Peruvian Restaurant?! @ShangriLaFort (A Review) (2016)
• RAGING BULL: Best Steakhouse & Bar in BGC? (Preview) @ShangrilaFort (2016)
• CANTON ROAD: Best Modern Cantonese Chinese Restaurant in BGC?! (A Review) (2016)
• MINISTRY OF CRAB Manila Guide (Is it Worth it?) @ShangriLaFort (2019)
Live an Awesome Life,
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Disclosure: We attended the Canton Road preview; we also paid for our meal on our 2nd visit. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights.
P.S. I have yet to try the main seafood dishes. Skip the dessert because you can get better dessert options at Samba.