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.

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.)

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*

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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