Working from a hotel is not the ideal scenario from a cost perspective. However, it presents a writer such as myself with a couple of positives. It beats having to jostle for empty seats near power outlets and dealing with bad Wi-Fi in coffee shops around the metropolis. Nevertheless, with the recent torrential downpour, dangerous flooding and horrendous traffic three afternoons in a row (as of writing), I decided to show up six hours earlier at the venue of a dinner invitation from the office of an esteemed foreign dignitary (more about that in my next column).
After going through the pages of the menu at the lobby lounge of Marco Polo Plaza Cebu, I remembered seeing an online promo for the P888 unlimited dim sum offer at Hai Shin Lou—the Chinese restaurant inside the hotel. Realizing that dinner was going to be free that night and that the à la carte menu items at the lobby were similarly priced, I decided to give Hai Shin Lou a visit. The concept of unlimited premium dim sum has always intrigued me.
I entered the restaurant and immediately was at peace with the ambiance. It wasn’t crowded, and the atmosphere was relaxed. The servers were very attentive. I took my seat and requested the unlimited dim sum menu, and sure enough, the server handed me a check list with 11 items to choose from: Crystal Jade Prawn Dumplings, Hai Shin Lou Siomai, Beef Balls with Chinese Parsley, Poached Pork Dumplings topped with light soya and chili oil, Tiger Skin Chicken Feet with XO sauce, Authentic Cha Shao Bao, Taro Puff with black pepper, Deep Fried Spring Roll, Pan-Fried Radish Cake, Steamed Ma Lai Gao and Minced Pork Congee.
Since I didn’t want any of the food to go to waste, I tried to be strategic and ordered only five items: Crystal Jade Prawn Dumpling (the closest thing to Har Gow on the all-you-can-eat menu), the classic Siomai, the savory Poached Pork, the all-time Filipino favorite Spring Roll and Ma Lai Gao for dessert.
While the dumplings are prepared ahead of time, they are only steamed or fried upon ordering. This is great because it ensures that diners receive food that’s fresh out of the steamer or fryer. Expect about a 15-minute wait before service. With a pot of house tea, I dove right into the dim sum in front of me. It felt like dining in Hong Kong all over again, minus the crowds.
If you were to tackle unlimited dim sum, how many dumplings could you finish? I found out my maximum limit that day—21.
Yes, I had to go through 21 pieces of dim sum. The Spring Roll says “3 pcs.” on the menu, but these are actually quite large and are cut in half, yielding six bite-sized goodies.
By the time I reached dumpling number 17, I had already turned penitent, promising to make better life choices. I thought that if I had ordered three dim sum items à la carte instead, that might have been more prudent. But doing the math, the dim sum is approximately priced at P238, which would mean I would need to eat at least four servings to break even and come out ahead a bit.
However, this culinary calculation of mine becomes irrelevant when considering the quality of the food being served. For an authentic take on delicious Cantonese dim sum, priced just a little higher than the ones served in malls—plus, once again, the wonderful dining experience thanks to the pleasant ambiance and well-trained staff—things start to make economic sense.
I’m happy with all five items I tried. With that in mind, I’m bringing my wife or dining with the family next time. Dining solo is cool, but sharing dim sum with loved ones is even better.