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Manila eats: This hotel's popular 'unli' dim sum lunch gets an update

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Joko Magalong-De Veyra

<p>MANILA -- Li Li, the highly praised Chinese outlet at the New World Manila Bay Hotel, reinvigorates its luxurious dim sum-all-you-can lunch offering with seafood and more.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D17BkNGXFLc?enablejsapi=1"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>Through the years, Li Li’s dim sum lunch has been synonymous to deliciously filled tummies. From endless gorging on perhaps the most delicate har gao in Manila, to being addicted to the taste of pristine roast pork delicately dabbed with mustard, or appeasing that craving for that unforgettable first bite of flaky crust in thei baked pastry puff filled with sweet-savory pork barbecue -- all these, together with its unerring drive to serve only authentic Cantonese cuisine, has enabled the restaurant to thrive through the years (even surviving a change of hotel management).</p><p>With celebrated bestsellers like honey glazed pork or chilled beancurd sticks; steamed favorites like xiao long bao and steamed spareribs; and fried and baked treats like deep fried spring rolls and pan-fried radish cake, this all-you-can-eat lunch offering has always had something for everyone.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/07/26/li-li1.jpg"/><figcaption>Honey Glazed Barbecue Pork. <em>Jeeves de Veyra</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>This 2019 though, Li Li surprises guests with new updates to its already expansive menu.</p><p>Seafood is something that Li Li is known for. For the new dishes, the steamed section gets a handful of new choices – all coming to the table steaming and gleaming, hiding delicious seafood delights.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/07/26/li-li2.jpg"/><figcaption>Steamed dumpling with wolfberry and scallop (front); and steamed dumpling with crabmeat and shrimp (back). <em>Jeeves de Veyra</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>The steamed shrimp dumpling presents another way to enjoy prawns, helped along with some crabstick for flavor, and celery for crunch.</p><p>Scallop makes a wonderful entrance in the menu with the steamed dumpling of scallop, delicately flavored by sweet-sour wolfberry and topped with fish roe for salt and umami.</p><p>The most indulgent of the lot (and this author’s top pick) is the steamed dumpling of crab meat and shrimp that’s crowned with fresh crab roe. Packed with seafood and enriched with the chutzpah that crab roe brings, one would be wise to order two orders of this dumpling first.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/07/26/li-li3.jpg"/><figcaption>Vegetarian dumplings. <em>Jeeves de Veyra</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Vegetarians, meanwhile, should be delighted with new steamed dishes like a sweet and earthy pumpkin and shitake mushroom dumpling that gets heft from potatoes, as well as a mixed vegetable dumpling enhanced by a hint of black truffle.</p><p>In Li Li, items are cooked only when you order, so steamed dim sum usually arrives before deep fried or baked options. The latter though is still very worth waiting for especially if you order the crispy shrimp wonton, or the deep-fried shrimp and spinach dumpling. Both options retained their crispness even after waiting a while (as we had to take pictures) and were generously stuffed.</p><p>The same could be said for the deep-fried taro puff which had a crisp and airy exterior hiding peppery beef and taro (also this author’s personal favorite).</p><p>And not to forget, the baked pastry puff with BBQ pork is a must-try.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/07/26/li-li4.jpg"/><figcaption>Fried and baked dumplings. <em>Jeeves de Veyra</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Sweet and sour pork is something that we judge Chinese restaurants by, and Li Li’s version ticks all the right elements of being crispy and sweet with a punch of acid.</p><p>This dish and a few main courses, including healthier options like braised fish fillet with a black bean sauce, are also a part of the lunch dim sum promotion, going well with carb options like yang chow style fried rice or vegetarian e-fu noodles, also available in the all-you-can-eat offering.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/07/26/li-li5.jpg"/><figcaption>For dessert, try the hot taro dumpling, and brown chocolate dumpling. <em>Jeeves de Veyra</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Dessert rounds off the meal with crowd-pleasing hot taro dumplings (buchi), or mochi dumplings filled with brown chocolate and covered with peanut, among others.</p><p>Coupled with elegant yet cozy with polished wood interiors tastefully accented with gold and red, Li Li&#x27;s award-winning dim sum selection lends itself equally well to power lunches or to family and group celebrations.</p><p>Lunch customers can enjoy unlimited dim sum from 12 noon to 2:30 p.m. daily for P1,088 per person. Ala carte options are still available during lunch.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/life/07/26/li-li6.jpg"/><figcaption>Ala carte lunch options include the crispy, sweet and spicy Taro Tower and Fried Tofu. <em>Jeeves de Veyra</em></figcaption></figure></div>

<p>Li Li at the New World Manila Bay Hotel reinvigorates its luxurious dim sum-all-you-can lunch offering with seafood and more.</p>

Li Li at the New World Manila Bay Hotel reinvigorates its luxurious dim sum-all-you-can lunch offering with seafood and more.