Chili Lobster at Harbor View

I've never had lobster in my life. I think I tasted a bit many years ago in Escolta, but that doesn't count because I only tasted a small bit. I never really had lobster properly. Today was the first time.

I wanted to try it just once in my life (that seems to be my motto nowadays), taste it and experience it, and never have it again. Because really, it's just too expensive to really indulge in.

I browsed the Internet on where to find the best lobster in Manila, and it pointed me to this Chili Lobster from Harbor View Restaurant, near the Quirino Grandstand. I thought, yeah OK, I'll try this.

Today me and Ilyn had an opportunity to visit Mapua in Intramuros, and I thought this would be the best time to go to Harbor View for lunch. I didn't even look at the menu too much. I knew what I was going to order.

Within 20 minutes our Chili Lobster finally came, looking really awesome.

What's the verdict?

My immediate reaction was that it was pretty good. It tasted like a cross between crab and prawn. The chili sauce that went with it made the entire dish really really good. But I thought it wasn't the earth-shatteringly awesome taste experience I spent a large part of my life expecting.

But as the day wore on, I can't help but think of the lobster, and how good it was. If I kept thinking about it, then it must have been better than good, right? Because for the better part of the day, I just couldn't get it out of my mind. I want to have it again, but well, I just can't afford it.

I think I can approximate the chili sauce that went into it, so I guess I'll just cook it with these really big prawns I usually see in the local market. I'd do it with crab, but it's such a hassle eating crab. We'll see!

Harbor View itself enjoys a nice spot over the shores of Manila Bay. It's an open restaurant,  no air-conditioning. That allows you to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of Manila Bay. Going there at lunch time probably wasn't the best time to go because I could see how dirty the seawater really is. The good thing is, polluted as Manila Bay is, it didn't smell bad so it didn't ruin the experience.

It's become a habit to order the house brewed coffee at restaurants I eat, just to see what their coffee tastes like. It's part of my never ending quest to find the best coffee in the country.  Ling Nam's coffee wasn't that good. See the restaurant review here. But Harbor View's coffee was actually pretty good. It's actually pretty thin and not really dark, but as long as it tastes good, I have no complaints.

Will we return to Harbor View? We definitely will. But we'll just have something else next time.