Dinner date at Kao Chi

April 25, 2013 6:00 PM (This entry was looong overdue)

I had a dinner date with my family at Kao Chi restaurant located at Retiro cor. D. Tuazon in Quezon City. We came early since our 1 yr. old niece was with us. We were the first customers at that time.

The Restaurant

Dominant colors were red and black. The light was dimmer than the usual lights inside Chinese restaurants. Note: I'm assuming it's a Chinese restaurant. But unlike others, they have rectangular tables (which I prefer more than round tables..though they also have a section for round tables). 

The Attendants

Since we were the first ones to arrive, their attention was concentrated on us. They were also polite and attentive. What I didn't like was they were literally waiting on our table. It had advantages, but it was a bit uncomfortable.

The Food

The reason why we came here was: we were looking for a restaurant serving good Xiao Long Bao. Since Shi Lin ( from my previous post ) was a tad far from our home, my sister's friend recommended this restaurant.

  

Xiao Long Bao

Xiao Long Bao (6 pcs): I liked their version of this soupy dumpling. It was creamy and light. Eat it immediately because it will stick to the paper and you'll risk having the soup flow out of the dumplings. I forgot the price but it was cheaper than the ones in Shi Lin. Though I say that they're both delicious. With Shi Lin's version, you may or may not put some soy-vinegar-ginger sauce, but Kao Chi's version will be enhanced with the same sauce.

Steamed Fish Fillet: We absolutely loved this dish. My niece preferred this over our order of wanton noodle soup. 

Fried Xiao Long Bao: This is the fried version of their steamed ones. We'd still choose their steamed counterparts. Nothing wrong with the taste. 

Shrimp Balls (6 pcs): I've been looking for these for the longest time. I haven't had them since I was young. If your not a fan of the coating(since this could really taste oily), you could remove it and eat the shrimp inside. It's great with sweet and chili sauce.

Wanton Noodles Soup: Rumor has it that they make their own noodles. It wasn't a rumor when a bowl of this was served. The noodles and the wantons tasted good. But there's still something that's missing in the broth. 

Rice: We all ordered a bowl of rice. I don't know why but this bowl of rice seems to get you very very full even if you've just consumed half of it. I'm a rice person and I love my rice. With the taste of the food we're eating, I imagined ordering for a second bowl if it was the ordinary rice variant.

In addition to these, you will be served with hot tea. You may ask for spoons and forks if you're not comfortable in using chopsticks.

In the end, we were really grateful with my sister's friend. She recommended a restaurant that we may visit anytime soon.

Xiao Long Bao @ Shi Lin

I've been craving for Xiao Long Bao for the longest time. Only a few Chinese restaurants offer this type of dumpling and these are usually expensive. So when CashCashPinoy(a group buying site) offered 250 php for  500 php worth of Dimsum and Noodle products from Shi Lin, I instantly bought 2 vouchers.

What is Xiao Long Bao? It's a kind of dimsum with soup inside. I don't know how they make these but they definitely are yummy.

Grabbed this Xiao Long Bao photo from my sister

February 23, 2013

Together with SS, I went to Shi Lin at the Podium. They have a limited number of branches and I'm glad that one of them is accessible. *Sorry this post won't have any pictures since I forgot to bring a camera :(

Inside Shi Lin

Shi Lin has that typical Chinese restaurant ambiance. Now I won't get all descriptive about the place, let's get on with the food.

Since my voucher is good for 500php worth of products, we limited our orders to 1 order of their 10-pcs Xiao Long Bao(248php) and an order each of the Noodles with Shrimp and Pork Wantons(188php). Yes, we ordered in excess of the 500 but it was at a minimum. Going back, when the noodle orders came, we were quite shocked. Side note: SS and I are not noodle people...we're more of the rice type

So imagine our reaction to the huge bowls served in front of us. Each bowl is good for 2 people to share. We didn't know that, so we had no choice but to finish it all up (we're not the wasting type too). The taste of the noodle broth was simple you could ask the attendants for chili sauce to add that needed kick. The chili also tasted great with the wantons. I'm guessing that the noodles were freshly made because it was white in color, not the typical yellow noodles served in other restos. Then, our xiao long bao order came. It tasted good w/ or w/out the soy sauce. Finally, my cravings have been satisfied. Overall, it was a good lunch.