Xin Tian Di’s Unlimited Dimsum Buffet

Dimsum Buffets are my new favorite thing!!!! Thank you Deal Grocer. You have once again opened my eyes to a world of awesomeness. In April, they had this offer for P695 Unlimited Dimsum at Xin Tian Di also known as Crowne Plaza Galleria’s resident Chinese restaurant. I grabbed it the minute I saw it.

For those who are looking to embark on this All You Can Eat Dimsum experience, read on so you know what to expect. Also, do not eat prior to this meal. Very important to wear loose, comfortable clothing since you will be stuffed full. Ideally, go with family so you can eat as much as you want without judgment.

Today, my brother, my cousin Eric and I finally got the chance to redeem our vouchers. The place is real nice and fancy as one would expect from a hotel’s restaurant.

The minute you sit down, they hand you the menu. You will mark down on the order sheet the items you would like to have. Here is the catch: ONE PIECE OF EACH. Huh? It means, for the 3 of us, we had to coordinate the items we’d all like to have. It was quite a fun challenge to figure it all out.

We invented the Gluttonous Dimsum Game/Auction. It goes like this. One person should read menu items out loud (in this case it was me.) The rest of the group(brother & cousin) will then say how many pieces they want or can eat. Group discusses and then I consolidate. So we got like 13 Shrimp Dumplings (4 each + extra), 6 Xiao Long Bao, 4 taro puffs, 5 butchi, 3 abalone mushroom, 2 chili dumplings, 1 of each item here and there that we’d like to try, etc, etc, etc… You get the picture. We did two rounds of ordering plus a round of dessert. They also give you a cup of rice each, choice of plain or yangchow. I skipped the rice. I didn’t wanna be filled up.

*Note – I can’t imagine how this ordering game would go in a group larger than 4. Haha. The bigger the group, the harder it would be to consolidate all orders.

Everything comes pretty quickly. The service is terrific. We got a bunch of stuff and tasted random dumplings here and there so it’s hard to write about them individually.We purposely stayed away from the noodles and congee cuz we’d be too full as these are heartier dishes. In general, everything tasted delicious. We were extremely satisfied. Our favorites:

• Hakao (unanimous favorite)

• Birds Eye Dumpling (tasted quite similar to hakao)
• Taro Puff (my favorite)
• Seafood Dumpling in Superior Stock (only my brother had this and he said it was delicious)
• Sesame Butchi (fresh and hot!)
• Coffee Pudding (loved this! perfect ending to the meal, order like 10 of them they are tiny)

We didn’t think we’d be full but we were insanely stuffed. We ate until we couldn’t breathe. It was ridiculous.

This is a Steamed Michael Roll with Radish. I like the inside better than the outside. It’s kinda chewy so for those that don’t like chewy textures, be forewarned. I don’t know why I took a picture of this specific order and not the others. I think I was too busy eating. This came during second round when we were slowing down and I had time to take a photo.

Spot my Cousin 🙂

We had Tea afterwards. It’s supposed to cleanse your system of the grease. I don’t know if that’s necessarily true though haha. Their house tea is P160 for a pot and is not included in the buffet price.

Is it worth it? If you’re coming here just to order endless siomai and wonton noodles, you might not find that it’s worth your buck. Full price is around P1,088++ However, consider this place as a tasting opportunity for different types of dimsum. It was a chance to try dumplings and dishes that we always see on menus but never order. As a bonus, we also generously ordered our favorites. In that alone, for us, it was worth it. We’d highly recommend it. We had such a great time 🙂

Xin Tian Di Chinese Restaurant
4th floor, Crowne Plaza Hotel
Next to Robinson’s Galleria,
Corner Ortigas and ADB Avenue
Tel# (02) 395-2635