Shi Lin: Dimsum Delight at the Podium

It’s the start of the Chinese New Year and I’m not sure if craving for Chinese food is really in the air, but I’ve recently been craving for dumplings. My mom on the other hand have been craving for Taipao (but that’s another story).

There’s this new Chinese restaurant at the Podium, which was nice and new. It’s called Shi Lin. It is nice, because it had this cozy feel to it. Most of the Chinese restaurants I know are filled with huge tables, and you would feel the “hustle and bustle” in the place. This restaurant had smaller tables (tables of four), and the ambiance was very chill.

One of the specialties of the place is the Xiao Long Bao. It’s being sold for Php 128 for 6 pieces and Php 210 for 10 pieces. There’s a particular way of eating the Xiao Long Bao. Here’s the guide.

Yes, this dish has soup inside. It’s pretty amazing. Call me naive but I have never tasted dumpling with soup like substance inside.

We also ordered the Shrimp and Pork Siomai at Php 145 for 6 pieces. It was crafted beautifully. It had the shrimp peeping on top of a pouch like shaped siomai. The pork filling was inside the pouch and as you bite into it, a hot spoonful of soup will graciously combined with the shrimp and the pork.

My favorite though in Shi Lin was the Mushroom and Vegetable Dumpling at Php 128 for 6 pieces. This will be a delight for those vegetarians out there. This dumpling has texture; this comes from the different textures of the mushroom and the vegetable. For a healthy dumpling, this dish is quite flavorful.

We also ordered Steamed Buns. We ordered two varieties: The Pork Bun and the Mushroom and Vegetable Bun.


Both were priced at Php 98 for two pieces. I liked the Mushroom and Vegetable Bun. It was made out of the same fillings as the Mushroom and Vegetable Dumpling. The Pork Bun was interesting. It also had a bit of soup inside the bun. When you bite into it, it mixed with the pork inside.

The food was good, and I would come back for more. You would be able to see how carefully, artistically and beautifully they make the dumplings that are served. There are at least 4 people making one dumpling: one making the dough, one filling the dough, one closing it and one cooking it. My friend even mentioned that she gets inspired to cook every time she sees the cooks make these dumplings at Shi Lin.

If you’re craving for dumplings, you can try out Shi Lin!

Contact Details:
Shi Lin
#3rd Level Podium
Ortigas CBD, Pasig