An afternoon treat of dimsum + tea at Shi Lin

Since I changed jobs a little less than two years ago, I don’t usually go to Ortigas anymore where my previous office is located unless I have to meet a friend or there’s an important errand I have to make in Mandaluyong or Pasig. The first time I ate at Shi Lin was when I was with my former officemates and we watched the movie Captain America at Podium. I knew I just had to go back and check out their other menu. 

Shi Lin  serves Taiwanese food mainly dumplings and noodles but they also offer other Taiwanese dishes in small plates. It's interesting to know that the name of the restaurant actually came from one of the largest night markets in Shilin district in Taiwan.

So what brought me to Podium one Saturday afternoon?

Shi Lin menu

Definitely, it’s their Xiao Long Bao!

It was a little past 4pm and since we’re in Megamall we decided to eat merienda at Shi Lin found at the nearby Podium. 

What's on our table?

Of course, there’s Xiao Long Bao.  It’s a steamed bun and is traditionally steamed in bamboo baskets. Xiao Long Bao is also called as soup dumplings because of the broth inside the dumplings. The broth is really tasty that you’d wished there was more you can sip. The dumpling itself is a sure winner for me. The taste of the pork and the rich broth is a good combination. 

Xiao Long Bao,Serving choices: 6 pcs/Php 138, 10 pcs/Php 230

How do I  eat thee?

How do you eat Xiao Long Bao?

1. Xiao Long Bao is best eaten while hot. You can enjoy it with sauce or try it in its original flavor without sauce.
2. To make the sauce, combine ginger slices with vinegar and soy sauce according to personal taste. 1:1 ratio is suggested.
3. Delicately use chopsticks to dip the Xiao Long Bao in the sauce. Be careful not to puncture the thin flour wrapper.
4. Place the Xiao Long Bao in a spoon and bite the top to slowly sip the hot soup within.
5. After tasting the soup, you may add some ginger slices doused in a little sauce to the Xiao Long Bao and eat it in one bite. Enjoy

We also ordered Noodles with Shrimp and Pork Wanton. The noodle soup was kind of bland. You have to concoct your own sauce or mixture to add flavor to the noodles. It may taste bland at first but when you sip the soup you'll know that the noodles were freshly made as well as the other ingredients.  

Noodles with Shrimp and Pork Wanton (Php 188)

We had Passionberry and Plumberry iced teas for drinks. Both iced teas tasted so natural and freshly-brewed. The passion berry is sweeter though thus I liked it more. I’m loving tea these days. It’s just naturally good and healthy too!

Passion Berry Iced Tea (Php 60)

Organic Plumberry Iced Tea (Php 60)

Shi Lin has an open kitchen where you can see the chefs/food attendants prepare the food. I found it amusing looking at them. You can see their serious or rather ‘game’ faces when wrapping the dumplings. Cute!

Overall, I’m satisfied with the food, price, ambiance, and service we got from Shi Lin. So no questions asked, I highly recommend it and I will be returning to try their other Taiwanese dishes.

And oh I'm lovin' these lanterns