Xin Tian Di: Unlimited Dimsum at Crowne Plaza Galleria

Being a foodie, and at the same time, a fan of group buying sites, I didn't hesitate buying vouchers when I saw Deal Grocer's offer for Crown Plaza Galleria's Xin Tian Di -- Unlimited Dimsum for only P888 instead of P1,088.
Xin Tian Di

It has been months since we've last dined in an eat-all-you-can restaurant, and after a week of sulking for missing the Valentine's Day celebration (Blame it on the flu!), my date and I decided to use our vouchers and stuff ourselves with dimsum to make up for the quite unacceptable incident. (If you're wondering, both the beau and I had the flu.)

Xin Tian Di Lobby Xin Tian Di Lights

Located at Crown Plaza Galleria's 4th floor, a simple yet nice lobby with the Xin Tian Di logo greets diners before they could enter the sophisticated and tasteful space of the Chinese restaurant. Accented with blacks, reds and limes, the cream-colored interior of Xin Tian Di exudes a sense of warmth and comfort which can effectively engage visitors. And although the dining set-up is mostly of big round tables, there were two-seaters and even couches for couples, or for those who prefer soft cushions for their backs. *wink*

Xin Tian Di Dining Area

After having settled on a table (couch seating of course), our server brought us a plate of their complimentary peanuts which tasted really good. I may sound weird for loving these legumes, but I assure you, these are one of the best peanuts I've ever tasted. And while I went nuts with the nuts, we were also handed a paper-printed menu -- a checklist with 55 food items composed of steamed, pan-fried & deep-fried, noodles, congee and desserts.

Complimentary Peanuts

Xin Tian Di offers their unlimited dimsum sit down and ala carte style where diners will have to check which items they'd want to get, how many pieces, and after which, they just wait for the food to be served. Since my date and I wanted to eat systematically, we first ordered for their steamed items.

STEAMED ITEMS

Steamed Crystal Prawns Hakao

Of course, first on our table was a 6-piece serving of the Steamed Crystal Prawns or Hakao. They may not look perfectly delicate, and the shrimp is not as plump as what we would've wanted. But, every piece of this coated bundle of goodness oozes with not 1, but 2 pieces of shrimp. So somehow, the quantity made up for what the shrimp lacked in size. And if you want to know how it fared taste-wise, I can definitely say it didn't fall below expectations.

Steamed Xiao Long Pao Shanghai Style Xiao Long Pao Shanghai Style

I also ordered 3 pieces of Xiao Long Pao Shanghai Style which I found good but nothing extraordinary. If you're wondering, my date doesn't really dig Xiao Long Bao so I had to finish everything on my own. (Not that I'm complaining or anything.) You see, my date is quite a purist so he doesn't like his supposed-to-be all-solid dumpling tampered with liquids.

Bird's Eye Dumpling Stone Fish Dumpling

We also got 3 pieces of the Bird's Eye Dumpling -- green dumplings with shrimp, bamboo shoot and wansuy, and 4 pieces of the Stone Fish Dumpling -- yellow-skinned dumplings filled with stone fish fillet, shrimp and carrots. Both of these dumplings were good and tasted quite similar to Hakao.

Steamed Pork Sio Mai

Since my date is a big siomai lover, we didn't miss getting 6 pieces of the Steamed Pork Sio Mai. They were not head turners, but they were very meaty. My date didn't praise this set so he probably didn't find it extraordinary too. However, he didn't complain either so these definitely passed his taste buds.

Steamed Sio Mai Japanese Style

And because I'm more of a Japanese siomai girl, I made sure to try Xin Tian Di's Steamed Japanese Style Sio Mai. Unlike the ones from Master Siomai which I'm very fond of, these rolls are richer in meaty flavors. Another thing I loved is the egg drop soup-like fluid these siomai pieces were drenched with, making every bite silkier and more interesting.

Steamed Pork Ribs in XO Sauce

We also ordered a serving of the meaty and savory Steamed Pork Ribs in XO Sauce which is quite similar to our dimsum staple -- Spareribs with Tausi. Unlike the latter though, these pork ribs were spicier. And if we weren't availing of unlimited dimsum, I would've definitely ordered a cup or 2 of rice to go along with this steamed dish.

Ma Chang Inside Ma Chang

Since my family loves Ma Chang, I decided to get 2 pieces of Xin Tian Di's version -- Steamed Glutinous Rice Dumplings Stuffed with Duck Meat, Mushrooms, and Egg Yolk in Lotus Leaf. Yes, Xin Tian Di's is definitely a mouthful. However, it tasted really good. The glutinous rice is flavorful albeit pale in color. It's also a lot smaller than the regular, triangular Ma Chang.

PAN-FRIED & DEEP-FRIED

Salmon Taro Puff

After munching on the steamed items, it was finally time to try the pan-fried and deep-fried ones. First on our table was a 3-piece serving of the Salmon Taro Puff. I'm a big salmon and taro lover, so having these 2 in a crispy fried bun made me really happy. The salmon flavor was not as potent as I would've wanted, while one can really taste the taro. It was quite weird though that these came with a sweet and sour sauce. However, they taste really good with or without it. Yum!

Gluttinous Pork Puff Chinese Pancake
Crispy Spring Rolls

Out of impulse, I ordered a few pieces of the Gluttinous Pork Puff which tasted similar to the Ma Chang, but enclosed in a fried bun instead. The Chinese Pancake on the other hand, was good as it was just a flatter version of a sesame buchi. And as for the Crispy Spring Rolls, I didn't know what I was thinking when I ticked the check box on the menu. They were quite good though, but you'd still never see me eating spring rolls too often.

NOODLES

Dry-fried Flat-shaped Rice Noodles with Beef

I personally didn't plan to order noodles, but since I'm with my beau who's a big fried noodle lover, we just can't leave Xin Tian Di without ordering these carb-loaded dishes. So first he got was a serving of the Dry-Fried Flat-Shaped Rice Noodles with Beef also known as the Beef Hofan. I got to taste this noodle dish, and although the noodles had a nice, soft but not soggy texture, and the beef was cooked tender and succulent, I felt as if the dish can still be improved. My date thought so too.

Fried Noodles in Soya Sauce

And since one noodle dish was not enough, he also got the Fried Noodles in Soya Sauce. Honestly, I can't remember the exact taste of this dish. I can only recall liking the firm noodles and commenting how this had quite a similar taste to the Beef Hofan. I'm not sure what I liked better though.

DESSERTS

Although I would've liked to try Xin Tian Di's congee selection, I was already too stuffed with everything we got. So after finishing our last pieces of fried items, I decided to finally jump to desserts.

Chocolate Mantao

We first had the Chocolate Mantao -- fried Chinese buns filled with chocolate. These weren't so extraordinary, but they're quite good for a snack. The bread was soft yet firm, hot and very comforting.

Steamed Sweetened Layer Cake and Sweet Egg Custard

I also ordered a piece each of the Sweet Egg Custard and the Steamed Sweetened Layer Cake. Both of which were quite good, but the latter was more interesting as it had gelo bits which added texture and a unique love-it-or-hate-it flavor.

Malay Cake

My date and I also shared a piece of the Malay Cake. It was the first time I got to try one and I found it similar to most of our local delicacies. It had the texture of a rougher and slightly denser sponge cake, and flavor similar to puto and bibingka.

Coffee Pudding

And to finally cleanse our palate, we had the Coffee Pudding which is one of the best I've had so far. Although small in size, the pudding has a strong yet clean coffee flavor. It was also silky smooth, light and fluffy. If only we had more time to stay in Xin Tian Di, I'd gladly eat 10 or more of the Coffee Pudding.

If you're wondering what we had for drinks, my date and I just decided to go with a pot of Hot Jasmine Tea (P176) to help with digestion. And although our server had to refill the teapot, we didn't pay double. (Now I'm wondering, is their hot tea really refillable?)

THE VERDICT

After a very long post and over 2 hours of writing this review, I only have one thing in mind -- to go back to Xin Tian Di and get the 37 other food items we weren't able to try. Although nothing we ordered was superb, most of Xin Tian Di's dishes were quite good especially for an unlimited dimsum deal. Another great feat in Xin Tian Di is their service. We had 3 servers namely Chester, Mario and Florence who were all very friendly, courteous and attentive to our needs. Now, all I have to do is wait for another deal or possibly a 50% off promo for Xin Tian Di.

Taste - 4/5
Ambiance - 4.5/5
Service - 4.5/5
Promo Price - 4/5
Original Price - 3/5
Overall Value - 4/5
(Note: Overall Value rating is for the discounted voucher amount we paid.)


Xin Tian Di Chinese Restaurant
4/F Crown Plaza Galleria Manila, Ortigas Ave.,
Cor. Asian Development Bank
Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 633-7222 loc. 7240

43 comments:

  1. Yum yum yum! I'm sure pag kami ni hubby kumain dyan, masasayahan sya. mahilig sa chinese food

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  2. I got some vouchers too! :)

    Will try it next weekend. :)

    http://www.dekaphobe.com/

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  3. i am curious about the salmon taro puff! sounds delicious! :)

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  4. Just followed your blog. :)

    I love Hakao! I wanna try this too.

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  5. Andaming dimsum...

    di ba nakakasuya?

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  6. Yummm! I love steamed dimsum & noodles :D

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  7. That's a lot of food for 2 people haha.. but it look sooo divine. I love Ma Chang too..but here is not even close to "pwede na".

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  8. Oh my god, Sumi! I was salivating while reading this. No joke! Hahaha Disgusting as it sounds, I was swallowing back laway while reading hahaahhaha YUCK! hahaha :)) Everything looks so good. I love dimsum and i wanna dimsum all i can! And I love xiao long bao! :))I wont mind finishing a set on my own :P

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  9. The Fried Noodles in Soya Sauce is mouth-watering especially that I'm so hungry now!

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  10. I'm loving the interiors. The food looks really yummy.

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  11. @michymichymoo: If you have excess vouchers, you can sell them to me.. hahaha.. :))

    @Thirdy Lopez: Nope, there's a wide variety naman so you won't get taste fatigue.. :D

    @Mich of Mich Eats and Shops: Don't worry, I felt the same after writing this and reminiscing how our lunch date went. I just want to go back.. >.<

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  12. drooling here.. I dont know exactly what it tastes but im pretty sure that this will pass my taste.. hahahaha i love the noodles and of course the desserts.. they're so tempting..

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  13. Why did I have to see this right now. Haha! Nagugutom na ako, seriously. I remember a few weeks ago, my sister had her first taste of dimsum (well aside from the usual siomai) and she really did love 'em. I'm definitely showing this post to her :)

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  14. Ang dami mo ng nakainan! Love the photos! Ang sarap ng dimsum. Parang gusto ko tuloy pumunta ng binondo today just to satisfy my craving.

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  15. Food porn! I love Xiao Long Bao, they have a nice selection of dimsum.

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  16. Food looks delish! After reading your post I am now craving for siomai and Xiao Long Bao. hahaha.:)

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  17. all those foods look and sounds very yummy dear!! love the malay cake! i like how the food sounds really cooked! whenever we to other country we always used to buy deep fried food as well so we know its totally cooked! coffee pudding and malay foods looks so tempting!! xx

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  18. foodie to the max! im drooling at those sweet treats...i want:)

    have a fab weekend, girl.

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  19. I have yet to try this. Shang Palace at Makati Shangrila Hotel has a similar dimsum promo which costs P999 net (as is, no need for coupons).

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  20. This is food overload for me, waahh! Nakakagutom! Haha

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  21. foreign food for me, but they do seem mouthwatering. i like the ambience, parang ang sarap mag breakfast ng tahimik :)

    i've been seeing these group buying pero hindi ko pa sya naiintindihan masyado :)

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  22. I wanna hate you for posting this! Hahahaha! Kiddin! I love all of them! Will surely visit Xin Tian Di with the whole family.

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  23. Chocolate mantao looks appetizing. Parang ang sarap kagatin! :)

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  24. these dimsum are making me hungry sweetie!

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  25. I didn't have the chance to buy this voucher! Sayaaaaang :( I need some Chinese fare soon. I really do. XD

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  26. Yum yum yummy!! all those photos made me crave for some. I love siomai too! My recent vacation to Pinas involved a lot of eating LOL! and that means more siomai lamon. Anyway, they all look good and interesting.

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  27. Did I miss the other people in the story or were these really for only two people? Ö Can't blame you though if the food is really good...bonding over food is also nice. Yummy shots as always...I'd love to try the siomai with roe and the salmon taro puff. :)

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  28. These food shots are making my mouth water!

    ♥Lia
    MadeByLia.com

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  29. holy fart. you had me at unlimited dimsum! i love eating at unlimited sushi houses but had no idea a chinese counterpart exists!!! happy dance

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  30. wow! tlga ngang unlimited ah? ang damii!!! at ang sasarap nmn nyan, nakakagutom. ;)) Want to try it sna kya lng mlayo ang place samin. :/

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  31. Group buying sites can be a foodie's heaven - getting to dine at certain restaurants at discounted prices... and it's a good way of tasting new without really feeling a big regret if the experience turned out to be bad. I love how you presented this, if I get to see a deal for this resto, I will go and grab it.

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  32. Oh my sis Sumi... It's just so unfair. Where did all the foods go? You just stay so slim after all those food feasts...:D

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  33. omg im craving for xiao long pao!!! hahahaha thanks for sharing~

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  34. What can I say than delicious!

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  35. Nice pics! it made me hungry! lol :)

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  36. I love hakao! I want to try the other too but I think the food coloring is too intense. ANyways if ever we try it there mukhang masarap yung coffee pudding hehe

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  37. looking forward to having a meal here!

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  38. oh, you didn't get to try No.12 Steamed Fresh Squid with Garlic, this is one of my favorites among its offering :)

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  39. I'm craving now because of this post! :)

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  40. the place looks nice,and the food looks yummy too,one of the place im looking forward to visit soon

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  41. Any unlimited dimsum deal, is a good deal! I will be on the lookout for this one :)

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