Tin Hau Tempts Us with Yum Cha

Dim sum has been a favorite dish. To those not familiar with dimsum, these are the little, appetizers-look-alike Chinese dishes. The Chinese love taking this for breakfast, lunch or afternoon snack. They love taking it with tea, as well. This whole dining experience of eating dim
sum and taking tea is called Yum Cha. I have recently experienced my first Yum Cha meal at Tin Hau, Mandarin Oriental, as I sat comfortably, and talked about different topics under the sun with friends. Mandarin Oriental Manila made the right decision in having their guests try out this dim sum experience in their Chinese restaurant. Now, it has become a temptation for guests to visit the place and try the Weekend Yum Cha menu.

Tin Hau Chinese Restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Manila

Tin Hau at the Mandarin Oriental Manila

Upon entering this beautifully structured restaurant, you would see the boat inspired structures and wooden decor. This is inline with the inspiration behind the name of the restaurant, Tin Hau, who is the god of the sea.

We were then given by the waiter a card where we could choose six types of dim sum treats (out of 10) of Tin Hau’s most popular selections. These include Steamed Pork and Shrimps Dumplings Siomai topped with Caviar; Steamed Shrimps Dumplings, Hakao; Steamed Shark’s Fin Dumplings with Chinese Parsley; Steamed Shanghai Xiao Long Bao; Steamed Barbecued Buns; Deep Fried Vietnamese Spring Rolls; Deep Fried Scallops and Chives Samosa; Pan Fried Radish Cake; Deep Fried Seafood Dumplings with Mayonnaise; and Deep Fried Shrimp Taro Puffs.

While waiting for the dim sum to be served, the waiter offered us some tea to fill our empty stomachs. It wasn’t too long before our orders came. I must say that at first, I thought that the dishes and variants served would not make me full, being so used to meals with rice and chunky meat. But after biting on one of the Steamed Pork and Shrimps Dumplings Siomai topped with Caviar, I was definitely sure that this would make me really full. The meat of the siomai was so packed and filled with meat. It was so far from those that we have tried with extenders, or even those of superior quality.

I also loved the Deep Fried Scallops and Chives Samosa. I have never tried Samosa made out of scallops before and guess what? It works. You can also try the Steamed Shark’s Fin Dumplings with Chinese Parsley and the Steamed Shrimps Dumplings, Hakao, which is an eternal favorite of a lot of people.

After the waiter served all of the six variants that we ordered, we were delighted and we thought that was the end of it. To our surprise, there were other things that were served for us to try out, which was apparently part of the Weekend Yum Cha. They served us Braised Shark’s Fin Soup with Crab Meat and Roe, which I would say was the best and the most filling soup that I have ever tasted in a Chinese restaurant. It had a lot of ingredients in it that every sip was so delightful. I am not a soup person, but I enjoyed this dish. They also served us Stir-fried Seasonal Vegetables with Minced Garlic. A unique dish (honestly, I have never eaten something like this before) was the Deep Fried Shrimps with Mayonnaise Dressing and Golden Corn Flakes that they served. I have tried those deep fried shrimps but never with this kind of mayonnaise dressing and with corn flakes. I love, love, love the interplay of textures. This is a dish that you can brag about to your friends that you have eaten. They also served Wok Fried Fragrant Rice, Yang Chow Style, which honestly, I couldn’t finish anymore.

For dessert, we were given Chilled Almond Jelly with Lychees and Golden Fried Milk Custard Paste and Salted Egg Yolk Buns to try. I liked the latter since it was a unique dessert. It was both sweet and salty (because of the salted egg yolk). It was like a little present with a tasty surprise inside. I also liked that presentation.

The Weekend Yum Cha is offered by Mandarin Oriental Manila at a very reasonable price of Php 1,080 nett per person. It is available for lunch on Saturday and Sunday, excluding holidays. It can be served for a minimum of 2 people and children ages 12 and below dine for half the price. Privilege Card members enjoy unlimited pouring of iced tea.

For reservations, call Tin Hau at +63 (2) 750 8888, or email [email protected].

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