IN CANTONESE LANGUAGE, LUK FOO ARE WORDS THAT MEAN ‘HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY.’ In the Philippines, Luk Foo Cantonese Kitchen is one of the most raved about Chinese chain of restaurants because of their authentic Cantonese dishes that are surprisingly affordable.
According to General Manager Mr. Andy Lao, “Cantonese cuisine comes from Hong Kong…ang Chinese dishes maraming klase. Yung iba maanghang. The most famous is Cantonese.”
The Cantonese food served in Luk Foo is actually familiar fare to Pinoys and they are among the more popular Chinese dishes in the country. Who doesn’t know Sweet and Sour Pork or Beef with Brocolli?
Mr. Lao, who is a hundred percent Chinese himself, says Luk Foo’s team of chefs (led by Executive Chef Jacky Leung) are all of Chinese descent and they were all trained either in China or Hongkong, making them masters of their craft. In fact, each Luk Foo branch has a trained resident chef that ensures that the quality of their dishes remain true to authentic Cantonese cooking. The A-team was privileged to have met Commonwealth branch’s own chef Man Tai, who had just arrived from Hongkong that day.
Mr. Lao believes in providing their restaurant patrons a good mix of quality and affordability. Even with a smaller mark-up, they make up for it with a larger volume in sales, especially from loyal clients that keep coming back.
He proudly muses that for the same type of imported ingredients and taste, Luk Foo charges 50% less than other high-end Chinese restaurants. “Ang price nila 40-50% higher. Tapos portion namin mas marami pa. Affordable sa tao. Isang order sinasabi namin good for three to four persons, but minsan six persons kaya,” boasts Mr. Lao.
