Restaurant Love: Summer Palace

Summer Palace is our go-to place whenever there’s a special occasion or if there’s a guest in town. I never really bother to visit this place before as I used to be not fond of Chinese food. R though was raving about this place and shared how much he loves some dishes served here. And one bite was all it took for me to fall in love with it too.

Hello, Summer Palace.

Summer Palace has been around for several years. As one of the successful dining establishments of Shangri-La Hotel, Summer Palace has garnered a lot of recognition under its belt all thanks to its top notch food and service.

We'd often get warmly greeted by the front hostess and quickly get ushered to our table. As patrons, we already have our favorite dishes but would at times ask Nancy, the restaurant's manager, for suggestions.

For our latest visit, we went with Birthday Noodles (PHP840, medium), Summer Palace Seafood Supreme Soup (PHP840 per bowl), Pan-Fried Codfish in Light Soy Sauce (PHP4,230, large), Braised Homemade Bean curd with Fresh Mushroom (PHP1,060, large), Fried King Prawn Balls Coated with Cornflakes (PHP1,760, medium), Braised Pumpkin and Taro in Coconut Milk (PHP470, small) and Buchi (PHP250).

R's favorite Pan-Fried Codfish was served first and it was just as good as the first time I had it. The light crisp batter gave way for the palate to better appreciate the fish fillet inside. Make sure to add a bit of soy sauce for added taste.

My favorite cereal prawn was served after and just like the codfish, it was still as good as I remember. The prawn balls' size never disappoint. I usually do not like dishes with mayonnaise or anything similar to it but this is an exception. Plus, the crunch from the cornflakes is just too addictive. 

I always find Summer Palace Seafood Supreme as the star of our meals. The stone bowl filled with premium seafood and vegetables would delight anyone! I loved the dish's various textures. But my ultimate favorite is the sea cucumber. Add black vinegar or red vinegar for that delectable tangy kick!

It was my first time to try Summer Palace's Braised Homemade Bean curd with Fresh Mushrooms. But it did not disappoint. The thick savory sauce and soft bean curd was nothing short of delicious. You can enjoy it as is (perhaps with less sauce to avoid it being too overwhelming on the palate) or with rice. 

We couldn't find the Braised Pumpkin and Taro in Coconut Milk so we simply described it to the staff who took our order. And it didn't really appear to be the same as the one we had before. But the taste was close. 

I was too full to take a bite of the Birthday Noodles which was our carb for the night. 

I did manage to save room for buchi which went well with the Chrysanthemum tea we had. 

If you plan to visit anytime soon, Summer Palace has an ongoing promo of 25% off if you dine with your Golden Circle card.

Summer Palace is located at 2nd Floor, EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, Mandaluyong City.