Date # 43: Shang Palace

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  I live to eat dimsum. I think that if dimsum didn’t exist, I’d die in a millisecond.

  Okay, I’m kidding. I just really love dimsum so much, because it’s so light and flavorful and yummy  and okay I should shut up. Just imagine my delight when Douglas and I found out that Shang Palace is opening its doors to dimsum lovers and is offering a dimsum buffet. We were enthralled.

   Th Dimsum Buffet is priced at only P810 per head. It includes unlimited dimsum, endless servings of soup, appetizer, rice, noodles, congee, vegetarian dishes and dessert and one main course per person. 

   You order everything at your table and specify how many pieces you want for each dimsum. That way, you’re sure to finish your orders. 

  Complimentary fried tofu cubes with sweet and sour chili sauce appetizer. 

  We got one piece of Deep Fried Taro Puffs with Diced Scallops each. The blend of taro and the frying was done quite well. However, the coconut cream had an offensive smell at some point.

  We got these Hong Kong style deep fried shrimp spring rolls which were served with sweet soy sauce. They were great, and the condiment really brought out the taste of the shrimps.

  We got two pieces of Deep Fried Sea Foods with Mango and Salad Sauce Wrapped in Rice Paper which I didn’t eat. Hehe. 

 Same with the Deep Fried Hongkong Style Shrimp Spring Rolls above, these Deep Fried Cuchay Spring Rolls were served with a sweeter soy sauce rather than the normal salty sweet one, resulting in a more unique and lovelier taste. We would choose this over the shrimp spring rolls, though, because the cuchay complemented the shrimps quite well.

  This is where you’ll get your money’s worth: Unlimited Serving of Steamed Giant Shrimp Crystal Skin Dumplings or in other words: Unlimited Hakao! The shrimps were fresh and plump, and they were all carefully tucked inside these beautiful translucent wrappers. Medyo nakakaumay though, since halos lahat ng dimsum nila may shrimp… tapos ito shrimp lang ang laman. :P

Of course, who could refrain from ordering arguably the most popular dimsum of all time: Steamed Pork Dumplings Filled With Shrimp “Siu Mai”? Unlike most xiu mai’s this one focused on shrimp more than pork. Overall though, it was good. The xiumai’s were fresh and the meat was tender. The roe on top was a nice touch.

  Careful with it, though, since it’s heavier than the other dimsum choices. You could get full with four pieces of these.

  This was my main course: Stir Fried beef tenderloin cubes in black pepper sauce. The beef was extremely tender and flavorful. Each strand of meat absorbed the black pepper sauce. Nothing I can’t say anything about the veggies, though, because we didn’t eat them. Hahaha! Baadd.

  The serving was good for sharing.

  This was Douglas’ main course: Hot Prawn Salad. He initially ordered this for me to try since I haven’t had hot prawn salad before. It was served hot, better than the usual hot prawn salad because the prawns were HUGE. Aside from the size, the other factor that made this good was the frying style/thin coating of batter which went well with the shrimp and mayo. 

   It’s a bit sweet, so it’s not my kind of food. But that’s just a personal preference.

   Mmmmm... Steamed Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce. I liked that the meat slides off the bone effortlessly since I have normally don’t have patience with bony things. It was sweet, juicy, and flavorful all throughout. 

  A bowl of Hot and Sour Soup to heat our tummies up. Felt like it was made from scratch. The sourness and spiciness was toned just right.

  And of course, if you’ve been following my blog, you should know by now that Steamed Shanghai “Xiao Lung Pao” is my all-time favorite dimsum. I could literally eat twenty of these in one sitting.

  But did I? Sadly, I only ate a few pieces of their Xiao Lung Pao because it wasn’t really worth the tummy space. The skin was too delicate and had no taste at all. The soup felt like it was just hot water. The black vinegar was able to give the meat a little taste, but otherwise, it’s just… gah. Really sad face. :(

  This is Douglas’ favorite: Sweetened Almond Cream with Glutinous Pudding. He said it’s “the best thing everrrr”. If I remember correctly, he had two bowls of these :P It’s sweet, and has a milky almond taste. The glutinous pudding had peanut paste inside. It smooth and goes down easily although the soup itself is a bit thick.

  The Chilled Sweetened Fruit Pudding with Syrup was so cute with the fishy design. The taste is very subtle, though.

(Shameless pacute picture)

The Verdict: With the unlimited serving dimsum and other offerings, this buffet is definitely worth what you’re paying for. However, it’s not good for Xiao Long Bao lovers like me. :P That aside, everything else was okay. Nothing exceptionally spectacular, but nothing below average, either.

The place has an excellent staff and ambiance perfect for special occasions. 

Make sure you reserve or call beforehand.

Shang Palace

2/F Makati Shangri-la Hotel

Ayala Ave. for Makati Ave.,

Makati City

840-0884

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With and For Love,

Rina Caparras and Douglas Chong

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