Shi Lin Restaurant's Steamed Goodness

Forced my brother to pose in front of Shi Lin

"SHI LIN is an authentic Taiwanese Restaurant which specializes in Dumplings, Buns, and noodles- hand made, fresh everyday!" as stated on their page.

I love open kitchens because I get to peek at the food preparation.

I eat at their Fort branch almost every other weekend and I always, ALWAYS get their Xiao Long Bao. It's their best seller out of all their dumplings. This post will focus on some of their steamed offers. Xiao Long Bao is a steamed dumpling filled with hot broth and traditionally pork. Beware! If you eat it like a siaomai (I intentionally spelled it like this bec. this is how it was on their menu) then expect it to burst and have the broth spill all over you. There is a way to properly eat it. 1.) Be sure not to break the skin when picking it up and dipping into the sauce with chopsticks 2.) Bite into the skin creating a small hole to suck the broth. You can then add more sauce into it.

Left: Xiao Long Bao (P165/6 pcs. or P275/10 pcs.) | Right: Mushroom and Vegetable Dumpling (P175/6 pcs.)

They were prepared in xiaolong which are small steaming baskets made of bamboo and this gave a feeling of authenticity to the dining experience. The Mushroom and Vegetable dumpling had spinach and was very tasty. You mix your own sauce using soy sauce, vinegar, and shredded ginger according to your preference. All their dumplings go well with the sauce. Ask for extra ginger!

                       Shrimp and Pork Dumplings (P165/6 pcs.) 

The Shrimp and Pork Dumplings were good too but I mostly only tasted the pork part. There was also Shrimp and Pork Siaomai on the menu and I learnt that the difference was that the siaomai had the shrimp exposed on top of the wrapper while the dumpling kind had it already mixed in with the pork. I guess I'm not a picky eater because I liked everything I ever ordered so far... or maybe everything is just really too good not to like? All their dumplings rest on steamed cloth to prevent them from sticking to the bamboo and then bursting.

Oh my gosh. Look at her buns. Red Bean Bun (P108)

I had to have something for dessert. These are red bean but they had taro buns/dumplings too. I tried to not let these look like boobs in my shot! lol. I mentioned boobs already so you might imagine boobs when you look at the photo on the right. Anywaaaay, these were deliciously soft and delicate! They serve it super hot so be careful when biting into it. Don't be like my brother who burnt his tongue when he put half of it immediately into his mouth =))

Casual vibes. First floor of the restaurant.

It's pretty casual so you can wear your shorts and t-shirts and you won't be judged. They also serve coffee! Check out the photo below to see their coffee and tea items for sale.

These aren't for our regular 3-in-one and lipton tea bags. lol. 

Wow! You're almost at the end of my post! If you'd love to try Xiao Long Bao, Shi Lin also has branches in Power Plant Mall, The Podium, ATC, and Lucky Chinatown Mall. I also highly recommend these:

• Fried Rice w/ Pork Chop and Egg (P238)- Good for two! YOU MUST TRY THE RICE!!!
• Cool Almond Jelly with Lychee (P108)- so simple yet super yummy and refreshing.
• Pork Bun (P125)- Their siopao tastes sosyal. :))
• Japanese Cucumber (P120)- I'm trying to recreate this at home bec. I think it's just apple cider vinegar, garlic, and cucumber. Tastes so good though.

Location: Global Commercenter Bldg. 4th ave. Cor. 31st St. Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Open 11:30 -15:00 ; 17:30 - 22:00

Contact number: 0917 7408567/ 859 7012

[Inna Paredes is a BS Tourism student at the University of the Philippines Asian Institute of Tourism who's favorite past time is watching Youtube beauty and fashion guru videos. When she isn't buried in books, she's out discovering food places with her friends and family. This girl is always, ALWAYS ready for dessert and derives great pleasure from eating gelato and dark chocolate.]