Li Li

Date of visit: February 2020

Had a Valentine's dinner at Li Li. We had the following: har gao, salted egg squid, e-fu noodles with assorted mushrooms and vegetables and chilled mango pudding. Presentation-wise, the E-fu noodles were underwhelming. It looks like basic pancit canton. But it tastes so good. I can't stop eating it. If ever we get to dine there again, I'd definitely order this. For desserts, I really wanted to try the steamed piggy buns because they're so cute but sadly, it's already sold out. We just got the chilled mango pudding which is also good. Bonus: I got a complimentary heart-shaped chocolate since it was Valentine's day.

Price is steep especially for some of their dishes. When we ate there, there were just a few customers and we we seated far from each other. They also have a private dining hall and the one near our table is called 'Library'. Too bad I can't take a peek inside as it was occupied at that time.

One of the best chinese restaurants in Manila. Their unlimited dim sum buffet is also amazing and super worth every single cent! Great food!

I've dined at Li Li before but it was my first time to try their Dimsum Buffet for P1,088 nett per person. The price is really worth it because it comes with my favorite hakao and over 30 dimsum items to choose from. The Scallop Dumpling and the Steamed Dumpling with Crab Meat and Shrimp were some of the new items we really liked as well. It also comes with a few main dishes like Sweet & Sour Pork and Braised Pork Belly, plus fried rice and desserts, so it's a great deal! It's even available for Sunday brunch at the same price.

When I received an invite to dine at Li Li - New World Manila Bay Hotel, I was dreading the day because of traffic but it was a surprisingly not so frenetic Friday. I arrived at Li Li calm and collected and the place exudes that old world opulence of yesteryears with the well furnished interiors. We had the Dim sum All You Can for a budget friendly 1,088pesos considering you have a choice of over 50 plus dim sum, appetizers, roast dishes, soup, main course and dessert, and what a surprise even the drinks are included on the price! It is like having more than what was advertised! It is Dim sum and More - All You Can Eat!

We had to pace ourselves with all the delicious choices, some of the items rotate seasonally depending on the availability of the products, so expect each visit to be unique from the last. We enjoyed more than half of what is on the menu and here is a small peek of it: Honey Glazed Pork BBQ - roasted char sui style pork in a sweet honey glaze, this goes perfectly well with their man tao bread. The Roasted Pork has the perfect ratio of meat : fat. The skin was crisp, and had a glistening glow. The tender meat had a clean taste, dip in a bit of hoisin sauce for that great salty contrast. The Shrimp Dumplings was just great! Plump, whole juicy tiny shrimps covered and packed the dumpling. Dip in a bit of chili sauce to bring out more flavor. The steamed pumpkin dumpling had a unique taste because the wrap itself was made of pumpkin. Mashed and thick wrap that melts in your mouth. The grainy texture is still there as well as the nutty flavor of the pumpkin. The Baked Pastry Puff Pork Buns was a combination of sweet, flaky and butter pastry encasing a savory pork barbeque filling. It was so addicting, eating one is a travesty! The Spinach Scallop dumplings is another unique creation, putting together healthy and nutritious spinach with soft scallops in a dumpling, this i dip in a bit of light soy.

Apart from the roasts and dim sum they also have mains, tried the crispy sweet and sour pork which i enjoyed very much even with its rather overly crisp batter. The sauce was too bright for orange but had great sour taste. The soft tofu with century egg was refreshing because of the light and creamy tofu complimented by the gelatinous century egg. The fried rice was equally good but one cup is enough to make room for more dim sum. Out of all the desserts we tried, the Peanut Roll was delicious because of the ground, almost powdered nuts paired with a soft warm rice cake. For drinks, their signature Guava Iced Tea is a must order. Service was impeccable, they engage in small talk and was very knowledgeable about the menu items.

When in Manila, a visit to Li Li is in order, to try out their amazing Dim Sum All You and More! Buffet. Recommended.

Very classy place. Food was quite expensive but it was definitely worth every centavo. Enjoyed our dinner here. We will surely come back here soon.