Reviews Suzhou Tea House

Their soy steamed beef is to die for! The dishes are really tasty though the prices of some dishes are a bit pricey for its serving. Overall, su zhou is a great restaurant hidden in the noisy and bust streets of ermita.

#go-tochineseresto

This is unlike the usual chinese food you know like Dimsum. This is Su Zhou style of chinese food. And I love almost all of their dishes. My all time favorites are Pan fried Xiao Long Pao and vegetable fried rice. Aside from the food, the place is clean and simple. Moreover, there is a parking lot nearby so no need to worry.

We always go back to this place whenever we miss their xiao long bao and kuchay dumplings. Their foods are cheap but very tasty. Once you get to taste their kuchay and xiao long bao dipped in black vinegar with ginger, I assure you, you will be back for another experience. Their taiwan beef noodle is also something you should try coz its authentic and very much a signature dish of su zhou. Its 4 stars only because of the ambiance and parking can be difficult, but it is somehow don't pose as a hindrance for us whenever we crave for their food.

Photos: Xiao Long Bao, Kuchay Dumpling, Taiwan Beef Noodle and Spicy Tito

FOOD ORDERED: 
Steamed Xiao Long Bao (4 pieces) P120.00
Steamed Cuchay Dumpling (8 pieces) P150.00
Taiwan Beef Noodle Soup P180.00

ICONICS REVIEW (1-5 Scale):
Menu Selection 🍳🍳🍳🍳
Food Flavor 👅👅👅👅👅
Price Level 💰💰
Customer Service 🎩🎩🎩
Spatial Environment 📷📷
Overall Score ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SPECIAL REMARKS:
I've usually frequented Su Zhou during my high school days before they even moved to their bigger and current location in Malate. Since its now located under Red Planet Hotel Building, street parking isn't accessible anymore and you would have to visit the nearest parking lot paying P50.00 for the 3 hour minimum.

Regardless, Su Zhou for me is still the best Philippine restaurant serving authentic Taiwanese cuisine, even better than Shilin, Mey Lin and the pre-acquired Tien Ma combined. I love the flavor and spiciness of their beef noodle broth (although its most likely full of MSG) but its my go to remedy for the occasional sniffles. Their Xiao Long Bao is still one of the Top 10 in the country. Large, juicy, flavorful and economically priced little art pieces that bursts in your mouth. Skip the Steamed Cuchay Dumplings since its quite a bit bland and order something else like their Fried Rice or Fried Noodles.

One of the best xiao long baos I've tasted ❤❤ me and my bf always go here or do a takeout here when we have xiao long bao cravings. we also like the C14 (noodles with beef).

Definitely our go-to dimsum place. Their xiao long baos are to die for. I'm also a fan of their kutchay dumplings (just make sure your friends aren't allergic to grass!)

I love this restaurant! We always come here everytime with my Chinese friends to eat dinner. I like almost everything, but mostly the pork strips with green pepper. Just now, writing this made me crave Chinese food 😩 Will absolutely be back soon when have free time!

Suzhou's Mustard Rice and Salt and Pepper squid is amazing!

They sell frozen stuff too.

Doesn't have parking unless Red planet hotels allows their diners to park in their building.

Had a midnight snack here we ordered xiao long pao, beef mami, dumplings etc. Its our 1st time.to try it food tasted good. Service is good. Maybe need some minor renovation.

xiao long bao is perfect!!! foods are served in big servings that 2-3 people could actually share. price is not too costly and the foods are good!!

Since they opened in 2001 I have been a regular from there Steam and Fried Kuchay dumpling, Steam and Fried Pork Dumpling, xiao long bao, pork siomai, Mustard Rice - This is what I usually order either I am alone or with a friend or two.  Service is ok , they are attentive. Food you can't complain because being there for some time they have mastered the trade. Wifi is great at this place.What I like about them is this. If we do not sell it then bring it we won't charge you corkage. So usually we buy a bottle  of scotch or vodka from the 711 next door and we just make the dimsum the best pairing to what we are drinking. Price is average of 100 to 180 for dimsum. Very competitive and They have xiao long bao that is at par with DTF.

Best xiao long bao ever! 100pesos for 4 pieces. Sulit👌 this is the place to get your authentic chinese food. Simple yet tasty. Try their taiwan beef noodle (good for 2), shallot pancakes, sliced spicy beef, mustasa fried rice and frief beef noodles. Definitely you'll come back

Su Zhou Dimsum is located along Mabini street near (around 200 meters away from) the historic Malate Church. 

Before we proceed, just a friendly reminder. This review was copied from my original blog foodspotsinmanila.blogspot.com. Please visit me there for pictures. For some reason zomato won't upload my pics.

Worth mentioning first is their house tea which they readily serve in a hot teapot while you are waiting for your dine in order. Unlike many japanese or chinese restaurants here in Manila where you would have to ask for it. For people not familiar with it, the house tea is most often for free and it is perfectly okay to ask for them if you are in such a place if they do not serve it to you at the onset.

My first order from Su Zhou which I shared with Page were the famous Xia Long Pao Dumplings (4 pcs for 100 pesos), Beef Noodle Soup (155 pesos) and the Fried Noodles with Beef (180 pesos). The noodle soup here comes in a big bowl. Good enough for two. I love the way the noodles snap whenever you bite it. The noodles here are never soggy. They are always perky! Somewhat like al dente because I think they are using a mix of rice and wheat flour. And if you are lucky, they might include a big piece of braised beef chewy tendon in your bowl, just what I got in my last visit before posting this article! Yummy!

Now the dumplings are something else. They use the same dough from their noodles so you get that "snap" in each bite. It is quite addicting. I'm not sure if everyone else experience the snap. Maybe it is just me, haha! For the xiao long pao, do not wait for the dumpling to cool down because you will just get an icky jelly instead of hot soup when you proceed to bite and slurp the hot filling inside. I usually eat xia long paos by picking it up with a chopstick and caressing it with the ceramic spoon. The idea is that when I begin eating the dumpling, all the juice that I'll miss will go to the spoon thereby avoiding wastage of good food. Instead of putting the whole thing in your mouth as there is a good chance the soup inside will be too hot and will just burn your taste buds. I also order Steamed Kuchay Dumplings (8 pcs for 130 pesos) when I have company. The kuchay dumplings which are actually made from ground pork and what have you (hehe) and a very generous portion of minced kuchay (like green onion) are pretty straight forward when it comes to devouring those dumplings.

Make sure to dip them in their vinegar wine-ginger sauce, which is my fave, to add another dimension to the dumplings' taste or the chili oil if you prefer spicy food. Although I see some people who are used in eating siomai with the usual soy sauce and calamansi can request these items from the servers.

We wash it down with Su Zhou's house tea which I believe consists of a jasmine and oolong mix. That's so fun! That was one of the few moments that my tummy was so happy! Hot tea does wonder to our digestive system. And the tea will help you from not feeling too heavy nor dizzy from all those food. So we went home very happy on my first trip to Su Zhou.

My favorite noodle dish there are the beef noodle soup and the mixed meat fried noodles.They have their noodles swimming in a hearthy beef broth which includes chunks of braised beef, slivers of vegetables and seaweed for an extra umami kick. The fried noodles are delightful, recommended for those looking for delicious, greasy, affordable comfort food. I also tried the Spareribs Noodle Soup (155 pesos) and Goto Noodle Soup (160 pesos) . I recommend it if you are fan of pork ribs or beef tripe.

Next on my list is the dimsum dishes. You can order them by sets of four pieces (some dimsums come with 8 pcs). They also come as soup dishes. What always get me is the way they serve the vinegar wine-ginger sauce. The ginger slivers always seem to evoke a zen like random arrangement everytime the servers garnish the sauce. I also tried the Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (4 pcs for 130 pesos)

I also tried a few varieties of their fried rice: Su Zhou, Seafood, and Mustard (150 pesos per order). Which is good for two if you have ordered other carb items on the menu. One of the characteristics that I am looking for in a good fried rice is if they smell and taste like they were fried in a very hot cast iron wok or skillet. And the fried rice here taste like that. Awesome!

If you like the idea of a cartilagenous beer food dish, I recommend the Beef Tendon dish (I forgot the price, will update this). They serve you a plate full of beef tendons drizzled with their braise sauce. Perfect with beer!

They also have congee dishes. I tried the Goto Congee and Pork with Century Egg Congee (Not sure if that is the name in the menu and I forgot the details will update). The goto is very much like the porridge with beef tripe (tuwalya) that you can eat at most lugawan joints. While the pork and century egg congee is self explanatory. They serve it in a big bowl, so if you are eating alone, you will be in trouble if you order more than 2 side dishes to go with their congee haha.

When there are days that I just want to have a light meal, I either order the Dumpling Soup (will update also) or the Dumpling Noodle Soup (150 pesos) or Wanton Noodle Soup (155 pesos). They are kuchay and shrimp dumplings or wantons served in a clear soup and fresh noodles. They are light tasting but fills you up.

Also a must try is their Mapo Tofu. One order is good for 2 to 3. We like to jack up the hotness level of this dish with a few spoonfull of the house chili sauce available on the table.

And there are too many items in their menu that I haven't tried all of them haha. And I won't even attempt to, I have lots of places to visit. But I sure will come back to this place as long as they serve good noodles and dimsum. Looking forward to another late night gig or event in Malate so we can have an after party food trip here.

It was past midnight and was having some cravings for something hot and soupy so we went to this tea house in the midst of the red light district of Malate. The #spareribsnoodles serving is good for 2 and so is the #kinchaydumplings. All the best I should say. Broth is tasty and the meat is soft and juicy too. It awaken all my should-be-sleeping nerves that I finished my entire bowl happy and satisfied. Oh and the vinegar for the dumplings, I would really want to know where to get it. :)

The Xiao Long Bao is the best here, no other place can compare. Especially with the ginger vinegar sauce they give you, pair it with mustard fried rice and you're good to go... Service can be lacking and it seems run down, but you'll leave with a smile if you follow my suggestion and when you look at your bill.