Shi Lin 06122013

Another sisterly date was set on Independence Day and after work, we headed to Lucky Chinatown Mall in Binondo to dine at Shi Lin. Earlier, I had purchased a voucher from Cashcashpinoy and I was determined to gather my sisters with me to claim my noodles and dumplings. But because the mall is far from home, it took us a long time before we finalized the trip.

Initially I thought of having only noodles and dumplings but my sisters wanted to try out other offerings so we had jellyfish as appetizer. It's a good thing my sister's stubbornness prevailed. At first I was against the idea since we often eat jellyfish when we dine a la banquet style in Chinese restaurants. I just love the sauce which is a mix of mild spiciness, sweetness, and sourness.

Jellyfish (P105)

We ordered two noodle types: Spicy sesame with peanut sauce noodles and beef noodles. Both boast of QQ noodles and overwhelming flavors. I initially loved the beef noodle soup but later on, I shunned it for fear of MSG overdose.

Beef noodle soup (P268)

Spicy sesame with peanut sauce noodles (P145)

While in the middle of enjoying the noodles, our dumplings and xiao long bao arrived. We all fell instantly in love with the xiao long bao with the not-so-hot-it-can-scald-your-tongue soup inside. (The last time I had xiaolongbao in Manila I was super disappointed to find it's got no soup inside.) For me, it's best eaten without the sauce. (But that's because I don't like ginger. My sisters both loved these with the sauce.)

xiao long bao (P148/ 6 pcs.)

While we all raved about the wonderful xiaolongbao, we found the mushroom and vegetable dumplings a bit dull. Or maybe it wasn't warm enough when we ate it because we were too busy savoring the xiaolongbao?

mushroom and vegetable dumplings (P158/ 6 pcs)

Will I be back? For the xiaolongbao, without a doubt! Truth be told, I am ambivalent toward Shi Lin Restaurant because they do not have free hot tea. One has to shell out P40 for an unlimited pot of House tea (Taiwan oolong tea) which, by the way, is still worth the price as it is surprisingly aromatic and nice. I must admit that I never wanted to leave the establishment and just wanted to stay there and consume tea after a nice dinner. My sisters had to drag me out of the restaurant and go to the mall's stores to shop.