Shi Lin Rockwell — Restaurant in Makati

Shi Lin, Power Plant Mall - Disappointing and Inconsistent Experience ⭐⭐☆☆☆

While the staff at Shi Lin in Power Plant Mall were accommodating, the overall experience left much to be desired. Eatigo Discount Policy: The 50% discount was only valid for 30 minutes, which felt rushed and unreasonable. I’ve never encountered this kind of arrangement with Eatigo before, making me question its legitimacy. This policy alone greatly impacted our dining experience. Unavailable Items: We were informed that deep-fried dishes were not available due to a broken fryer, yet customers who came after us were served fried foods. This inconsistency was both confusing and frustrating. To make matters worse, most of the vegetable dishes were unavailable—only 2 out of 6 options were being served.

These issues, combined with the lack of transparency and inconsistent service, make it hard to recommend this branch. Sadly, this experience has cemented my decision...

Ordered: Char siu pork bao — liked the bao, but unfortunately it’s the only thing working for it. pork needs improvement. It’s too tough. Probably reheated from freezer. No hoisin based sauce like with other baos, which I think binds every ingredient of the bao together. No peanuts as well.

crab oil and pork xiao long bao — okay. So-so.

mapo tofu — too salty, to the point where using the fragrance of the schezuan peppercorns gets defeated.

shrimp fried rice — good. They used short grain rice, which i prefer.

braised beef noodle soup — beef and noodles are good. Broth is ok.

salt and pepper squid — took the salt and pepper part literally. No garlic, ginger, and chilis which is an essential part to the recipe.

What the restaurant got right: interior, service

Value for money: 2/5. For good baseline pork baos, try...

5 stars for excellent Chinese cuisine and value for money 🤗🤗 Personal recommendations are:

Pork Xiao Long Bao Braised Beef Noodle Soup Fried Mantou

Beef was definitely fork tender with so much flavour in the broth 😋 while the Xiao Long Bao is as good as it can be especially coupled with Black Vinegar and Ginger 👍🏻

Mantou was fried to perfection with the perfect crunch on the inside and softness on the inside 😋😋

Topping it all off is the overall service with the staff being very attentive to their guests - kudos to the Management on this.

Shi Lin is a must try when you are in Powerplant Mall, Rockwell CBD. I personally will be dropping by here for good...