I imagine I must have been a full-bloodied Chinese in my past life coz I love dimsum. There are times when intense siomai cravings hit and I just gotta have it. The soupy xiao long bao is one of those that’s been added to the mainstream dimsum list in town and am glad to have eaten the whole variety – from Suzhou to Jasmine to Lugang Cafe and Crystal Jade. There’s also another place which serves one of the best (if not the best) xiao long bao and it’s Shi Lin.
Their decor is highlighted by a display of Asian -inspired lanterns on the ceiling. Here’s the one at their branch in the Fort ….
Shi Lin’s xiao long bao looks so simple being in this basket but I must say it’s really well-made. The dough has a milky consistency but is firm enough to hold the dumpling and the soup. The latter two are very flavorful, btw. At P138 for six pieces, this is one of the best deals in town.
What else do you have at Shi Lin when you’re not in the mood for xiao long bao?
We ordered the Noodles with Sesame & Peanut Sauce (P138) just for kicks and it turned out to be very good. I couldn’t have enough of its taste which I would describe as having a delicious sauce of “salty peanut butter” 
Definitely, a different take on the noodles we know and recommended for vegetarians
The fried rice with pork chop and egg (P195) was also good. Remember that Shi Lin offers Taiwanese cuisine so the menu couldn’t possibly be missing the five-spice seasoning on their fried chicken & pork chop.I love it
Their seafood omelette had peppers, shrimp and sliced squid. I found the sweet chili sauce that accompanied this dish rather mild but still not badly priced at P88.
Red bean pancake for dessert! I would call this hopia deconstructed but rather too thin and oily for me.
Overall, I would recommend this resto. It’s a good place to get over your Chinese food/ dimsum fixation with good ambiance and reasonable prices.
Shi Lin has branches in The Podium Mandaluyong, the Fort, Rockwell Powerplant Mall & Lucky Chinatown Mall.