Hoo! I can't believe it's been two weeks since I last posted something! Been crazy busy with life but I was able to visit some interesting places that I will be sharing with you guys soon ;) But for now, let me tell you about last Sunday, which was basically my first rest day since what seemed like forever :))
My mom wanted to watch Transformers (I don't want to talk about that, but fine, the robot dinosaurs were cool) and so we did in Alabang Town Center ("ATC") last Sunday afternoon. The movie was long, in that when we got in, the sun was up and then after it was night already! :)) And we were pretty hungry..
So we strolled a bit in the mall, looking for a place to eat, and we ended up in the relatively new wing in ATC, and this Chinese restaurant caught my fancy:
Photo courtesy of Ensogo Philippines.
Seeing the place made me thing of warm soup and soup belly and so I asked my mom if we could eat there. I was too hungry to take a picture of the nice place. :D I'm not even sure if the picture I grabbed is the one in ATC, but the place looked like that. You can see the kitchen when you enter the place through a glass window. The chairs were comfy and felt so posh.The restaurant was also not too crowded, looked and felt clean, and was bright and welcoming. I especially liked the lanterns that hung on the ceiling. Also, oriental music was playing in the background. :) We took a seat by the couch on the side.
The waiters there were not as attentive, because when we got there, there were only a few people inside, and they were a lot of them, but I had to wave m hand animatedly for a couple of seconds before I could catch the attention of one of them :)) They were, however, very courteous. Also, I liked how they served their food with flare! :D You's have to go there to experience it yourself. Let's just say the way they served the food we ordered reminded me of Cooking Master Boy :D
We ordered the shrimp and Pork Shao Mai (Php188.00) and Braised Beef Noodles (Php278.00). I also ordered an Iced Taiwan Milk Tea (Php188.00).
They served the milk tea first, and I was delightfully surprised that it came in a pot :D. IT was poured in the glass for me. I'd say this was a bargain because for Php188.00, I was able to have two glasses of milk tea. And it was good! It tasted like the one I had when I visited Hong Kong. It tasted authentic, and not at all like the instant kind. The tea flavor was very strong, and had the right amount of sweet in it. It was also a bit creamy, but it was light enough to be an accompanying drink to a meal.
Iced Taiwan Milk Tea
We had the noodles split into two, so my mom and I were surprised that we still got two big bowls. This was definitely my favorite dish. :) I love love loved its broth! It was super tasty, and not just salty. The beef flavor was in the broth and it had an umami taste that will just keep you wanting more of it. It was very light, and not greasy at all. It also had a bit of spice in it, which I loved. The noodles were thick and a bit chewy, which is just the way I like it. The vegetables in it were fresh and still crunchy. The beef was tender and tasty too. The single flaw of it was that the beef was a bit grainy, but it was no biggie for me. I also like that it was served to us int just the right temperature; hot, but not scalding.
Braised Beef Noodles
This is ma struggling to transfer her noodles to the small bowl, because she thought she couldn't finish the whole thing. She did.
They served the Pork Shao Mai last and I have to say, it took some time for them to serve it. I got why when the waiter opened the wooden basket thingy to reveal what was inside:
Pork Shao Mai. Pretty!
So apparently Shi Lin is known primarily for its Xiao Long Bao, or soup dumplings. I had no idea because yeah, I live under a rock! Haha. Anyway these darlings are meat WITH SOUP wrapped in a rice sheet. The one we ordered had ground pork and a steamed shrimp on top. So pretty to look at, I almost did not want to eat it. How they put soup in a dumpling, I don't know. Must be hard. So maybe that's why it took some time to prepare it. :))
It was nice that they had instructions on how to eat one :D
How to eat a soup dumpling
My mom says dumplings are supposed to look like coin sacks. How true?
Ground pork inside.
I tried to follow the instructions on the card, but napagod ako, and I ended up just eating 'em in one big bite. Classy, I know :))
I was amused by the soup dumpling concept, but the dumpling itself was just okay for me. The shrimp was well-cooked, the wrapping was smooth and firm and tasty, but I was not too sold on the ground pork filling. It was too grainy and needed a bit more seasoning in my opinion. Maybe it would have tasted better with sauce, but I like dumplings that are tasty enough without sauce. Still, it was an experience, and the dumplings were very filling. Me and ma were actually surprised we got super busog because we actually didn't order a lot. Ma noted however that we were not kadiri busog, meaning, feeling full and a bit sick. She says it's because the food wasn't greasy, so I guess that's good.
I wanted to order dessert but I was too full. Maybe next time. Those red bean buns look yummy..
Dessert Menu
You can find Shi Lin at the ground floor in Alabang Town Center's new wing. :)
Ambience
|
5
|
Service
|
4
|
Taste
|
4
|
Price
|
4
|
Overall
|
4.25
|
