Chow Chronicles, Cuisine, Filipino, General Santos

Enjoy a Chinese Feast in General Santos at Tea Leaf Restaurant

There is a restaurant in General Santos City that has been in existence for years but I haven’t seen anyone talk about it on social media. It’s not advertised as any other restaurants and usually overlooked when people go to where it is situated. Perhaps, some people get intimidated because the restaurant looks fancy from the outside or you have to access it coming through a fancy hotel. It would be a disservice to the Generals if I not talk about it and how delicious and authentic the food they serve.

The restaurant I’m talking about is Tea Leaf Chinese restaurant in General Santos City which is situated inside Greenleaf Hotel. Yes, the food they offer is a little bit pricey but it’s the same price range with the Chinese restaurant franchises you see in the mall. I can vouch for the quality of the food they offer especially if you are looking for authentic Chinese cuisine which is really limited in Gensan plus it’s homegrown.

If you are looking for a place to get together with the family for special occasions or just want to spend quality time with your friends, going to Tea Leaf Restaurant is a nice change of pace providing you a luxurious experience at a decent price.

How to Get There

There are three dining experiences found inside Greenleaf Hotel.

One of those is Mint Cafe, which offers a variety of cuisines usually Filipino and mostly offers General Santos’ highly sought dishes. From time to time, Mint Cafe offers buffet experience which I also highly recommend trying at least once. Another dining experience is their Zanzibar, which usually offers a selection of liquor and cocktails. Their Lobby Lounge also, now offers Japanese cuisine, coffee, and cakes.

Lastly, Tea Leaf Chinese Restaurant, offers authentic Chinese cuisines. Greenleaf Hotel is located across SM Mall of General Santos and next to PacMan’s Gym. You can just drop by and just inform the security guard or the reception that you’ll just be dining at the restaurant.

There are no information on their opening hours, however, I am assuming that they are fully functional every day of the week. Payment method they accept are cash and credit card.

The Place and The Ambiance

The place offers tables fit for family guests or group of people. It also has the vibe of how expensive traditional Chinese restaurants look like which may be intimidating for some people. The walls and furniture have red accents and wood colors which personally, I find a nice color combination. I tend to notice that this is somehow typical of traditional Chinese restaurants to have this color combination. It can come as dark and intimidating unless it is well-lit.

I also like that the place is very intimate and tables are well spaced out from each other which gives you a sense of privacy. Their tableware are also luxurious looking and makes you feel regal and special.

Their tables also have lazy susans which are what the spinning table tops are called. Personally, when I see this at a Chinese restaurant, I have a bias impression that this restaurant offers great food.

The Spending

Unfortunately, I was not able to take pictures of the entire menu. However, to give you an unbiased opinion on the spendings I can say that it may come as a little expensive but the quality of the food is really great and we end up having to bring take outs.

They also have a long list of selections with dimsum, noodles, seafood, beef, pork, chicken, vegetables, soup, and their specials.

Tea Leaf also offers portion sizes so if you are dining alone, with a group, or on a date then you can order accordingly base on the portion size. They have small, medium and large platters that can range from P250, P300-P500, P500-P1,000 for their large platters.

The small size can cater to 1-2 pax, medium size can cater to 2-4 people, and their large platters can accommodate up to 4-6 people at least. They also have small orders like dimsum, noodle, and sizzling platters that do not cost more than P200.

Review

The first time I’ve been to Tea Leaf Hotel was way back in 2014 when I had my first job at a consulting firm in General Santos. My salary was not that big but in hindsight I was able to afford the food because contrary to what other people think it’s not as expensive as the steak restaurants and famous seafood restaurants here in Gensan. You can buy dishes the same price as you’ll pay at Mandarin for one and have a decent meal altogether.

For example, their sizzling oyster served in hot plate at the same quantity you get for a sisig from other restaurants would cost P250 at Tea Leaf Hotel.

With this in mind, I invited my family to eat at Tea Leaf to share the experience with them. We ordered shrimp and chicken hot salad (medium), pork dumpling soup, sizzling oyster, battered chicken (medium), lechon macau(medium), Chinese kangkong garlic(medium), shanghai fried rice (medium) and Tea Leaf fried rice (medium). I ordered a feast.

Shrimp and chicken hot salad was my family’s all time favorite although it may not be for everyone that has allergens. Basically, it has the same flavor profile for a typical cocktail or potato salad drenched in mayonnaise sauce but add shrimp and chicken to the mix. It has been one of my favorite salads out there. First time I tried this is at my friend’s wedding and ever since, I dreamt about eating it. Their shrimp and chicken hot salad for me is 10/10.

Pork Dumpling soup is a 7/10. The soup is really savory with garlicky flavor and the bokchoy is definitely fresh. However, it looks a little bit sad and don’t have a lot of contrast in color. I also don’t like the noodles used as it is too heavy and the taste of the dumpling has this citrusy taste which I felt was a little bit off for me.

Lechon Macau is really delicious and I would say it’s an 8/10. It would have been a 9 but the portion size for the medium platter is kind of small. Lechon Macau is typically like Filipino’s lechon kawali and is dipped with a special sauce that is sweet and savory which I guess have soy sauce and oyster sauce on it. Personally, my favorite Lechon Macau is from a different restaurant here in Gensan.

Chinese Kangkong is a 7/10. I have a big bias for Chowking’s chinese kangkong and I find that Chowking’s was way much better. However, with Tea Leaf, I can definitely say their vegetables are more fresh than the fast food giant.

Their sizzling oyster is a 6/10 for me. It’s a symphony of flavor but I don’t like the texture as it is not crispy and has a mushy mouth feel. Also, with oysters, I am particular with the oyster’s somewhat muddy aftertaste. I still can taste it with their sizzling oyster. Their battered chicken is also an 8/10. It’s crispy but not dry and juicy on the inside. However, the cuts seem to be a little small and more bony.

Lastly, both their fried rice is a 10/10. Their fried rice although medium platter is big enough for eight hungry people. It’s the shanghai fried rice which was the family’s favorite but I definitely enjoyed the Tea Leaf fried rice more. The fried rice in its own has a generous amount of protein in it. The shanghai fried rice has chunks of sliced mandarin sausages and the Tea Leaf fried rice has shrimp and delicious fried tofu on it. Although, you can request to remove the ingredient that you may be allergic to.

Overall, my family greatly enjoyed the experience and would definitely go back again especially on special occasions. It might not be for everyone’s budget but if you have the luxury to try Tea Leaf, I hope this review provides you an overview and help you feel less intimidated.

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