Unlimited dim sum, anyone?

Pork siomai, hakaw loaded with shrimp filling, those tiny siopao-like dumplings called xiao long bao that burst with flavorful soup in the mouth, and of late pork buns with their flaky crust filled with a generous helping and barbecued pork…

No real Chinese meal is ever complete without them. We love dim sum so much that we order them for appetizer every time we dine in a Chinese restaurant. Dim sum comes in different forms — meat, seafood, chicken, vegetables — and is steamed or fried. The bite-sized treats are usually served in fours, in bamboo steamer baskets, which are sometimes not enough, especially if we’re dining out in groups.

Now, there are places where dim sum lovers can have unlimited dim sum for a reasonable price, one of which happens to be Shang Palace at Makati Shangri-La Hotel. Dim sum lovers enjoy dining at Shang Palace because of the quality of its dim sum and the wide variety of dim sum to choose from. It also offers Dim Sum Plus, which treats diners to unlimited dim sum for P1,094 net.

Makati Shangri-La is now taking its Dim Sum Plus a notch higher by holding an exclusive four-day Dim Sum Plus voucher sale that will allow diners to enjoy their unlimited dim sum for only P868 net per person. The Dim Sum Plus sale will take place from July 28 to 31, and patrons who get to purchase vouchers during the four-day sale may use their vouchers from July 31 to September 30.

With Dim Sum Plus, diners get to enjoy unlimited dim sum at Shang Palace during lunch, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Mondays to Saturdays. The restaurant offers a wide selection of dim sum, including its specialties, such as steamed crystal skin shrimp dumplings, Shanghai xiao long bao, barbecued pork pie, deep-fried taro puffs with diced scallops, and pan-fried turnip cake with XO sauce.

Shang Palace’s steamed crystal skin shrimp dumplings, better known as hakaw, are bigger than the usual shrimp dumplings and the filling is pure shrimp, no pork fat extenders.

Shanghai xiao long bao treats the palate to a sensory experience, as it is a moist meat dumpling with soup inside. It is supposed to be enjoyed in one mouthful. Pop it into the mouth, take a bite, let the soup burst in the mouth and then enjoy the meaty biteful.

Barbecued pork pie is still all the rage, with Chinese restaurants enjoying good sales not only on dine-in but also on take-outs. Shang Palace’s version is one of the best, with flaky skin encasing a luscious barbecued pork filling.

Similarly, Shang Palace’s deep-fried taro puffs with diced scallops is a cut above the rest. It is a visual wonder as it is a gastronomical treat. It is a work of art, seeing how the thin threads of taro are spun around the ball of filling and deep-fried to a purplish gold and fluffy crisp. The key is exact timing, temperature and technique.

It is more commonly known as fried carrot cake (particularly in Singapore, where carrot is regarded as white radish) or fried radish cake, but at Shang Palace, it simply goes by the name pan-fried turnip cake with XO sauce. Apart from being visually appetizing, this version is uniquely exciting because it has a nice spicy kick to it when taken with the XO sauce.

Other dim sum items to choose from include steamed pork dumplings with fish roe, spinach dumplings stuffed with shrimps, steamed black bean sauce, steamed chicken feet with spicy black bean sauce, deep-fried spring rolls, steamed barbecued pork rice rolls, steamed beef balls, and deep-fried ham shui kok stuffed with minced pork and chicken.

What’s more: Vegetarians would also love Makati Shangri-La Hotel’s Dim Sum Plus because there are vegetarian dim sum choices as well, such as steamed vegetarian dumpling “chiu chow” style, deep-fried vegetable spring roll, lohon style steamed rice roll with assorted mixed vegetables, and pan-fried bean curd roll with mixed vegetables.

The name Dim Sum Plus can be misleading, although in a good way, because its name suggests solely dim sum for lunch. Instead, Dim Sum Plus includes unlimited appetizers and a choice of one soup, one rice, noodles or congee, one main course, and one dessert. Consider this lineup of menu choices that diners can enjoy: Sichuan-style hot and sour soup, yang chow fried rice with diced honey pork and shrimps, Fujian stir-fried noodles, hot prawn salad, sweet and sour pork, deep-fried lapu-lapu fillet with sweet corn sauce, and chilled mango purée with sago and diced mango.

Shang Palace’s Chinese chef Ben Lam strongly recommends hot prawn salad and sautéed scallops with asparagus in XO sauce.

The Dim Sum Plus lunch winds down with three of the most popular Chinese dessert selections — chilled mango purée with sago and diced mango, almond soya jelly with lychee, and deep-fried stuffed sesame balls with lotus paste.

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