Just a week ago or so, I got an opportunity to try the Dim Sum menu at Shang Palace, in Shangri-La Hotel Jakarta.

Actually, they are having a Weekend Dim Sum Brunch as the current highlight. The promotion is for every Saturday and Sunday brunch, where patrons who appreciate the delectable Chinese signature cuisines, can enjoy the all-you-can-eat Dim Sum, both buffet style and ala carte style. The Weekend Dim Sum Brunch is especially prepared by the Executive Chinese Chef, Benson Fok, which we got to meet at the time. Chef Benson Fok is really an amazing chef with humble and down to earth personality. He told us briefly (and in Mandarin) about his journey from a very young age to what he has become right now. With years of experience across Asia, from Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, and Indonesia, he has dedicated himself in Shangri-La Hotel for more than 4-5 years. When he was only 14 years old, he’d dived to this culinary world. Thus, no wonder, the dishes Shang Palace served for us that day,were just almost impeccable.

When I came (a bit late though), Mr. Joris and Ms. Melissa offered a warm welcome with a quick shake-hand and sincere smile. My fellow food bloggers had started early with the inevitable photo-taking session. I quickly grabbed my camera, and caught up with them to make up for the time I’d lost. Started off with appetizers and desserts section, I could see delicious tapas-like appetizers were showcased to build our appetite. Love at first sight went to the Marinated Smoked Duck with peanuts. Oh it was solo good, so tender and just rich in taste. I always have a thing with duck, anyway. =D I ignored the peanuts though as I have soft allergic towards peanuts. Other than that, I could find Stir Fried String Bean with Dried Shrimp (XO sauce) which was delicious and freshly crunchy, Crispy Fried Eel with Salt and Pepper (delicious!), and Deep Fried Mushroom with Salt and Pepper which was thinly crispy and well-seasoned.

The desserts I tried were Chilled Mango Pudding, Chilled Lemon Grass Jelly, and Mixed Salad. They were all sweetly gorgeous! The mango pudding was a tad too much in portion though. I think it should be served in smaller size. 🙂

I didn’t try some others due to limited belly, such as the Chilled Drunken Chicken with Wolfberry and Chrysanthemum Jelly ( I think it’s quite unique), Sesame Balls, Almond Bean Curd with Mixed Fruits (looked refreshing!), Oven-Baked mini Egg Tart, and so on (I will get tired of mentioning them one by one =D)! Slices of fresh fruits were seductively served on the table, from kiwi to watermelon.

Homemade gelato with various toppings? 😉

When I initially stepped inside the main dining area, I noticed a small table with tree and tea pots decoration on it. Apparently, they were having a promotion for Blooming Tea. Intrigued? Yes. With only additional IDR 68 k ++, you could choose one of the 5 kinds of Blooming Tea, each offers its own unique characteristic and benefit. For Dim Sum pairing, The Rising Star was recommended. Oh yes, it tasted so fragrant, not overpowering and had this sweetish after taste. No wonder it was recommended for Dim Sum pairing. It could easily neutralised our sense of taste.

We got to try First Kiss Tea and Enchanted Beauty. Enchanted Beauty was looking beautiful, enchanting. It had that grassy (leafy) aroma, and it was a bit too bitter for me. First Kiss Tea was nice, with fruity smell and taste. It was refreshing and I could imagine why they named it First Kiss Tea.

Note: For the Weekend Dimsum Brunch, patrons actually will already get free standard Chinese tea, Kwan In or Jasmine and additional Iced Lemon Tea. 

The buffet which is located at the centre of the main dining area, decorated in red, offered extensive choices of steamed dim sum, fried dim sum, appetizers, selection of heart-warming soup and congee, and scrumptious desserts. The variety was so extensive we were kind of confused in picking the food. The famous signature dim sum(s) such as Siu Mai, Hakau, Steamed Chicken Feet, Chang Fen and Steamed Bun were available for guests to enjoy.

The Siu Mai, was amazingly fresh and fluffy. One bite and I was hooked. The Hakau (Steamed Prawn Dumpling) was just as great, fresh, and delicious.

Chang Fen (Steamed Rice Flour Roll) was served in three types. Pork, Beef or Prawn. The best? Absolutely, Pork! The pork was barbecued, and it was so fatty, so juicy it could just melt in my mouth. Oh, I would die to have more. (Not Exaggerating!)

The Steamed Beef Balls were okay, I could just pass this and spare my belly for others. But the BBQ Chicken Bun? As standard as it always is, this Chicken Bun is just a must in every dim sum occasion. The Chicken Bun here was great! It was because of the Char Siew (BBQ Chicken) which was very well-seasoned, sweet and juicy.

For those who love fried dim sum, there were BBQ Pork Pastries (Char Siew Su), Fried Dumpling with Mayo, Crab Stick with Prawn Fritters, and others to choose.

Winner of the day? BBQ Pork Pastry or better known as Char Siew Su. The pork inside was minced, cook in a very good way, and it tasted so good inside my mouth mixed with the well-seasoned baked layers of pastry. The Fried Dumpling with Mayo was good too anyway.

For the Congee Section, patrons can enjoy Fresh Grouper Fillet Congee or Century Egg and Shredded Chicken Congee. I bet most Congee lovers would love to have a taste of both selections. The soup was very intriguing too. They offered Pumpkin Soup with Minced Chicken, Sweet and Sour Soup, and Fish Maw Soup with Sweet Corn. I did try the latest though, and it tasted nice.

Halfway through our fun brunch, Miss Ririan, the manager of Shang Palace was introduced to us. She was a lovely cheerful manager, who introduced us to her “Palace”. She explained some of the differences between the daily offer, all-you-can-eat here and the Weekend Dim Sum Brunch. In the core, both are the same. With slightly different rate, the Weekend Dim Sum Buffet offers more perks.

For example, Weekend Dim Sum Brunch has this buffet which you can see directly (or be tempted) before you pick. They serve warm steamed dim sum, fried dim sum, congee, soup and lot of others on the red-layered-table. On weekdays, the food offered is made by order. The choices are limited to the ala carte menu. Free Chinese Tea is still available, but do not expect Iced Lemon Tea or fancy stuff.  =D The weekdays offer is IDR 198k ++ and the Weekend Dim Sum Brunch is IDR 208k ++.

Anyway, for the Ala Carte menu, we could still pick a lot of selections (Crispy Spare Ribs, Steamed Fish, Wok Fried Prawn with Salted Egg Yolk, oh and lots of others!). But again, due to our limited human bellies, we just have to control our desire in trying every thing Shang Palace offered for the day. We then notice that we just had to try the Xiao Long Bao, and in about 15 minutes, here they were, on our table.

Shang Palace offers 3 kinds of Xiao Long Bao. There are choices of beef, XO sauce and Crab Meat and Pork. We enjoyed all three and I, personally found the XO sauce XLB (with bright yellow colour) as my favourite! =)

To really sum up my long ‘two-cents’, I just think Shang Palace is just no ordinary Chinese Restaurant. It offers a lot more in terms of authenticity, taste, ambiance, service and not to mention this salivating Dim Sum offer! With competitive and affordable all-you-can-eat Weekend Dim Sum Brunch, I can really suggest all Chinese Cuisine fans to bring their family and friends to enjoy a happy brunch here. I could imagine not only the great sumptuous delicacies, but also great laughs and extraordinary quality time.

What are you waiting for? Don’t forget to make reservation before heading there to secure your table. =)

Ciao foodventurers!

Rate for Weekend Dim Sum Brunch: IDR 208++ (inc. Chinese Tea)
Hours of Offer Availability: 11.30 WIB – 14.30 WIB (Saturday and Sunday)

SHANG PALACE
Level 1, Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta
Kota BNI JL. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 1, Jakarta, 10220, Indonesia
Phone: (62 21) 2922 9999 extension 6940, 6942, and 6943
Email: fbreservation.slj@shangri-la.com
Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/