A shark is a club, restaurant and KTV

MANILA, Philippines - A shark Club, the newest Chinese restaurant to open at the Golden Phoenix Hotel within the MOA Complex in Pasay City, is more than  just a restaurant. “It is called a club because it’s a combination of restaurant, KTV and private function rooms,” brand manager Amy Peng, explains. “It’s not a membership club. It’s open to the general public.”

“We put Ashark in Golden Phoenix because we did not find any other place like it.

If you want to eat and sing, you have to go to two different places,” says Bernard Chong, board member of  the Ashark Holdings Group. “Ashark is patterned after those found in China where most of the restaurants have KTVs.”

Occupying 1,600 sq.m. of floor space on the second floor of Golden Phoenix Hotel, the expansive dining hall can accommodate up to 200 guests. “If you want privacy  or entertainment, you can go to the VIP rooms,” Peng remarks. “The experience is really different.” There are eight VIP rooms, four of which are KTV rooms that feature state-of-the-art audio and video equipment, including a touchscreen menu of songs and larger-than-life flat-screen TVs.  “You can access the songs from the Internet, so you get them in many languages,” Chong adds. “The rooms are soundproof, so you can sing as loud as you want.”

The lights inside the room change colors as you sing along.

The rooms without KTV are private tearooms, elegantly decorated with stylish chandeliers, beautiful Chinese paintings, wall décor and accessories. Each one features a different kind of tea set, and the lazy Susan on the dining table is remote-controlled.

The largest private room costs P50,000 consumable, and can accommodate up to 30 guests.

Every detail found at Ashark Club is intended to impress, it seems. And we haven’t even mentioned the food yet. 

“Ashark Club takes pride in the authenticity of its food,” Peng says. “We flew in our own team of culinary masters led by chef Mike Cheng from Hong Kong, who specializes in Cantonese cuisine.” Guests can also get a taste of a variety of regional dishes  such as Hunan and Szechuan. All dishes are meticulously prepared using ingredients and spices sourced all the way from China. So, if you ask for a Szechuan dish, for example, such as the Steamed Fish Head with Chilli Sauce, you can expect that it’s going to be truly hot, peppery and spicy.

We particularly liked the Steamed Red Grouper with Peanut Oil, with its delicately  light, fresh, and clean taste. Other dishes that were served during the grand opening were Abalone with Mixed Dry Seafood in Thick Soup, Deep-fried Pigeon, Deep-fried Pechay, Sauteed Snow Diced Beef with Black Pepper, Marinated Jelly Fish with Black Vinegar, Sauteed Prawns with Long Jin Tea, Pan-fried Lamb Chop, Polonchay with Wanton in Soup, and Fried Rice with Salmon.

Guests can place their orders using an iPad equipped with an app that shows all  50 dishes on the menu, complete with photos, descriptions and prices. “Our dishes are very affordable,” Peng says. “Many are under P1,000.”

There are also more pricey items such as Abalone with Mixed Dry Seafood in Thick Soup at P1,288 per order or the Baked Lamb Chop, which was easily the favorite around the table, at P584 per piece. But you get real value for your money. “The food is really authentic,” Peng says. “The taste is really good.”

Ashark, which gets its name from two live baby sharks that are kept in a glass tank  for good luck,.  The mostly Filipino wait staff are very attentive and always ready to serve with a smile.

“We want to be recognized as a place where we serve good food and good entertainment for our guests,” Chong says. “We want all our customers to be happy.”

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Ashark Club, located at the Golden Phoenix Hotel Manila, Oceanaire Bldg., CBP D. Macapagal, Sunrise Dr., Pasay City, is open from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m., Monday to Sunday.  Call 683-2888 for more information and reservations.