A piece of Taiwan in Ortigas

One of the things I look forward to on a regular work day is my dinner break. Fortunately for me, my Ortigas office is just a short walking-distance from two major malls, a few minutes drive from a couple of other malls, and the sprawling neighborhood restaurants in Kapitolyo just a quick drive away.

Shi Lin is one of those restaurants I go back to again and again after I discovered it. Their interiors may be modern but they serve traditional Taiwanese fare, and even their background music is authentic! It reminds me of the times my mom plays her cassette tapes of Chinese songs.

Xiao Long Pao

Their specialty is Xiao Long Pao( Shi Lin spells Pao as Bao. As someone who's of Chinese descent, I'm used to the Pao pronunciation, so that's what I'll use throughout this post.)



Me and my usual (but very special) dinner date are already hungry as we were driving to this place, so we started with a cup of Chicken Soup (Php98) to prepare our stomachs for the Xiao Long Pao and dumplings to come. The soup is simple with a clear broth and two parts of chicken.

Xiao Long Pao with
soy sauce, vinegar and ginger.

While we were finishing up the soup, the Xiao Long Pao (Php138 for 6 pieces) arrived in a traditional bamboo steam rack. The server would usually ask if you'd like for them to remove the cover already. If you're not eating them immediately, it would be a good idea to keep the cover so the dumplings are kept steaming hot. We, of course, were ready to devour those babies!

How to enjoy a Xiao Long Pao.

If it's your first time having it, you might want to take a peek at their tips for eating a Xiao Long Pao for the best eating experience. We also ordered the Shrimp and Pork Dumpling (Php148). The soup from inside these dumplings are flavorful. That combined with some soy sauce, vinegar and ginger create such a unique taste.

Shrimp and Pork Dumplings

For our main course, we shared a Fried Rice with Shrimp, Pork and Egg (Php128) and Spicy Spareribs (Php209). After having a couple dumplings, these two dishes are just the right size for sharing. The fried rice has a good helping of shrimp, pork and egg. It can actually be eaten on it's own. As for the spareribs, it's not that spicy for people who really like spicy food, because they just used chili powder to add heat to the spareribs.

In between munching, I sipped on the Plumberry Iced Tea (Php60/glass). It says on the description that this has a blend of organic teas from Asia. At first, it tasted very flowery but as we've started eating, the flower taste became subtle and I find it a good palette refresher as we go from dish to dish. Shi Lin has a one of a kind selection of organic hot and cold teas. You'd know from the taste that they're brewed and did not come from a powder mix.

With hibiscus, chamomile, pineapple and papaya in their drinks, it's Shi Lin's version of mixed drinks. I highly recommend you have tea with your dishes for an authentic Taiwanese meal experience.

Shi Lin

Address: 3F The Podium ADB Avenue Ortigas Center

Mandaluyong City

Contact Number: 4474108