Reviews Sha Tin Courtyard Chinese Bistro

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This is one of the BEST Chinese restaurants that I have been to.
Food ✅
Service ✅
Ambiance ✅
Will definitely come back with my family and recommend this to my friends!

[2019-Sep-20] I was expecting some sort of compound and/or ‘food park’ because of the ‘courtyard’ in the name of this place and did not expect such an imposing facade. Sha Tin Facade 1. Sha Tin Facade 2. The interiors were not too shabby too!. Sha Tin Interiors 1. Sha Tin Interiors 2

I am proud to have Chinese ancestry from my mother’s side. I may be 1/3 Chinese only, but my palate and mind is definitely tuned in the intricacies of Chinese food art. I am proud to present to you Sha Tin Courtyard Chinese Bistro.

Located along Sto. Domingo Ave and Del Monte Ave, yes it is a crossroad area; just across Sienna College QC, you definitely will not miss this two-story eating establishment. With ample parking area, finding a spot for your car is not a challenge. From the façade alone, you are sure that you came to a real, honest-to-goodness, Chinese restaurant. With a round frame front door, it already tells you a story on how your food experience shall be – a complete circle of visual and palate experience that you will never forget for some time. May it be a simple lunch or dinner to a celebration of an event, Sha Tin Courtyard is sure to deliver a spread of palate delight to all ages.

The experience

It was quite wonderful!

If that liner is enough to describe and make you comprehend my experience of the place then I will stop here BUT I know it is not enough so let me tell you why.

What I was just expecting was a few dishes to be tasted but what was presented was a 30 course meal with 6 types of drinks not counting the tea that is always made available to those who would ask. Yes, 30 dishes – 10 of their dimsum line, 2 rice dishes, 4 seafood dishes, 11 from their meat dishes line including their specialty which is pigeon and 3 appetizer-dessert dish. With this type of spread, the technique is to pace your eating and simply take what you can without over indulging; though I need to change plate. Was I able to taste all? Yes on all that the meat dishes. To those with shrimps no. I don’t want to be rushed to the hospital despite the fact that there is a Watson Drugstore just across the street. Yes, I have an allergic reaction to crustaceans.

Here are my favorites in no particular order (Yes, this is my beaucon mode):

Sizzling Stuffed Pan Fried Tofu

Hot Pot Beef Brisket

Fried Intestine

Scallop Tofu

Fresh Shrimp Ball with Water Cress * (Yes I tried it)

Seamoss Soup

Pipa Duck

Fookien Rice

Fried Setzuan Dumpling

Malay Ko

The two versions of radish cake

Fish Fillet Mango Sauce

Mango Crepe

** one I forgot the name but you will see it later in the pics with a caption underneath

15 dishes out of 30 became palate catchers for me. Not bad! To think I didn’t took a bite of those dishes with shrimps except for one.

How about the house specialty? The pigeon?

It was good in terms of flavor but since it is a small bird, the meat is also small thus you really have to pick it clean. Right down the bones so to speak. I think it is best be eaten with friends and family and not with strangers. 

All the dishes were presented in the way it should be, with style. The steamed dimsums were in a box type steamer case instead of the common round bamboo steamer cases. The meat dishes were served on plates that are not only decorated but also denoting a feast is served. Each plate served is used in its full potential by holding the dish and the decorations (carved vegetables and such) in its full beauty without crowding or unnecessary empty spots. The duck was presented beautifully! I was hoping it to be presented as a bird in flight but still it was visually appealing and definitely mouth watering.

The fried intestine was a delight! Alone or dipped in vinegar as they suggested, it was a dish quite interesting in terms of texture and taste. Hands down to the two version of the radish cake! It was both classical in texture notes but quite distinct in flavor. Malay ko is a love for me! This bread/cake type is a perfect companion to all the rich dishes served for it help erase the last flavor in your palate making it ready for more dishes to taste. The fookien rice comes with sauce that makes it a meal by itself! With vegetable bits and meat + the sauce makes it one topper when it comes to having your fill. Scallop is wonderful. Tofu is a delight. Together, they are a wonder. Such was the case of Sha Tin’s Scallop Tofu. It was silky smooth in texture with a rich sauce served hot making it a real palate stopper for me. If there are food ingredients that I truly love, then that would be tofu and mangoes and they (the bistro), served it that day in spades! I love the mango crepe! From the soft yet sturdy mango cream flan center to the orange colored crepe to its dusting of coconut meat, it is a sure winner for me! (I have the feeling that the crepe is colored by natural means – by a vegetable. For the color is so rich and natural.)

Of all the drinks presented for tasting, I strongly recommend the Carrot Shake even if I am a fan of the Guyabano Shake and Yellow/Green Mango Shake. The Carrot Shake taste not like any vegetable shake there is. It is refreshing and a delight to drink. A perfect palate cleanser after all the dishes served. You can even have the kids try it and I am sure, you won’t get your glass back. Of all those present that day for the food review event, I am the only one who was able to try out all the cold drinks served. The drinks served were the following:

Honey Cucumber Shake        Yellow/Green Mango Shake

Guyabano Shake                    Matcha

HK Milk Tea                            Carrot Shake

How about the staff?

I love them for they were attentive and know how to offer the dish being served for your convenience and ease. They ask the one who knows the right answer when presented with a query that they are unsure of and is politely charming in their own way. And they are attentive. Did I mention it already? It only means that they are truly attentive for it stuck in my conscience.

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Big or small group, private party or a simple dining experience, all has a spot in Sha Tin Courtyard. With a second floor dining area, a private dining event may take place without compromising the common room at the ground area. Never mind the vine decorations; it all boils down to the food served. Food matters most and that is evident with the people going in and out of the place on the day that food review was held.

Sha Tin Courtyard – Chinese Bistro is your short trip in the whole of China via the food that they serve. 

Such a beautiful place inside and out. The interior were really good and has this authentic Chinese vibes. They say— A good Chinese restaurant is where you'll see a lot of Chinese peeps. I must say this is a perfect example to it as we were sorounded by them. Lol actually the person next to me is a Chinese.

Food was good. Duck meat is something hard to prepare but I must say they really did a good job on it as it tasted really good, so as with the pigeon.

Run down of what was served—
Dimsum:
Fried Sichuan Dumplings
Pork Siomai
Hakaw
Malay Ko
Lu Mai Ko
Crystal Prawns
Seafood Sotanghon Rolls
Ma Sa Chi
Birds Eye
Raddish Cake

Appetizer:
Mango Pomalo
Vanilla Cookies
Red Bean Curd
Mango Crepe

Rice:
Fookien Rice
Dried Scallop Egg White Garlic
Fried Rice

Seafood:
Scallop Tofu
Fish Fillet Mango Sauce
Seamoss Soup
Fresh Shrimp Ball with Water Cress

Chicken/Pork:
Cold Cuts
Pigeon
Lechon Macau
Fried Intestine
Fried Chicken with Lohanzhai
Pata Bihon
Sizzling Stuffed Pan Fried Tofu
Hot Pot Beef Brisket
Stir Fried Pork Soy Sauce
Duck Fruit
Pipa Duck

📍Location: 133 Sto Domingo corner Del Monte Ave, Manresa, Banawe, Quezon City

Nice food. Specially the pigeon. It's so tender and juicy. We also ordered eel. It was also great. For me this is one of the best chinese restaturant.

The ambiance here is very nice and cozy, perfect for that chill afternoon tea time. The dimsum here is really good (come here by 2pm-5pm they have a 25% discount) Overall, the experience was nice (and they have live seafood here BTW)

I highly recommend Sha Tin Courtyard if you're looking for authentic Chinese food. The food is so delicious. My favorite dishes are the Suckling Pig Platter and the Fried Pigeon.

Actual rating: 3.7

People would disagree with me. I have always heard people saying that they don’t like the food here, but I still gave it a chance. And the verdict is: maybe they are just getting the wrong dishes. Haha! I enjoyed most of their dishes here.

We had the roasted duck. Though it was slightly overcooked, the duck meat was still juicy and tasty with its sweet and salty marinade juices. The skin was also crispy and the duck as a whole was not fatty at all. It also had a kick of ginger tasting aroma to add balance to the dish.

The yang chow fried rice was yummy! Nothing extraordinary, but it had this eggy and salty taste that best compliments the other main dishes we had.

There were two slightly disappointing dishes though. First would be the crispy oysters with XO sauce, I think. It was way too oily in my opinion, plus it lacks crisp. Same comment would go for their salt and pepper squid. The latter even was a little overcooked.

We also had the taro puff. It was yummy! Crunchy and airy, it was savory and delicious. We also had seafood noodles which was great! There were generous amount of seafood, plus the noodles were moist and delicious. 

Salted egg shrimp was underwhelming also. It wasn’t crispy. It wasn’t salty as well, it was nothing special at all. I won’t get this dish again.

I think most of their dishes are hit or miss, so generally, we had some dishes right, some wrong. So, perhaps trial and error is the key.

Really like the dimsum, food are served well, Authentic Chinese taste. Very relaxing ambience, the place is like an enchanted garden inside. Waiters and servers are very polite and accommodating.

The food is tasty and good; however, it is a bit on the expensive side. It is on par with lugang cafe and xiu. Good place to dine to celebrate special occasions. Love the chicken with purple yam claypot and their eggplant claypot.

There has always been a massive following for Chinese food. From siomai to pata tim and everything in between, Filipinos grew up with oriental flavors. I like eating Chinese food... but the margin between liking something and loving it is worlds apart. Restaurants of the same cuisine will always have similarities with each other. Sha Tin knows how to separate itself from the others to have its own tier. It combines the traditional with the modern and produces dishes that are just different, even in the slightest elements.

(In the four times I’ve eaten here, I have ordered hakaw and scallops tofu.)

We discovered Sha Tin by accident.

Food - 4. Based on taste, serving size and presentation
Ambiance - 5. Authentic high-end Chinese restaurant vibes
Service - 4. Serving is fast (except for the taro puffs). Our server is very lively.

Orders: Taro Puff, Lemon Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork, Birthday Noodles, Choy Sum and Yang Chow Fried Rice.

All in Medium size (except the Pork which is small)

I live in the Banawe area so naturally, I’ve tried almost all restaurants here but this rises above the rest. Though it is on the pricier side, every penny you spend is worth it. My favorites are the taosi spareribs, and their special siopao. I love how they serve the food hot, not just warm. You could also really taste how their food is different because it is tastier not because of the added msg but because of the quality of the ingredients they use. Also, other than the food, this place is definitely a winner because of its interior design and the crew’s attentiveness as well.

If you will drop by to Quezon City particularly in Banawe area; many Chinese Restaurants are established now but one of them that takes my breath away 😁 Authentic Chinese cuisine and rate are affordable. oh, by the way their ambiance is relaxing!

Foods you may choose from solo, for two or even a set or 5 or more. Big catch for fresh crab, prawn and fish are here too.

I love their dimsun, sparebibs and vegetable and meat platter. You should try here.

Was pleasantly surprised with this new Chinese restaurant. Contrary to the very limited review, I found the food and service quite good despite the restaurant just opening last Dec 2017. A bit salty so no need to add soy sauce. Soy fish and 2 way duck were yum!

Not gonna lie, but we went here to take advantage of their 20% discount soft opening promo. Discount would be less though because of the service charge.

Sha Tin Courtyard's first impression is really good! You will be welcomed by a garden-style interior which reminds me of Hole in the Wall in Century City Mall. It's very Instagramable and different from most Chinese restaurants in the area.

The food selection is vast! Maybe because they are still testing out what their specialty would be. There's a lot of items in the menu and some being in their dry run phase may not be always available, so don't commit yourself to a dish immediately. We ordered a couple of unusual dishes like the White Pata for appetizer. It's a bit expensive at P300 an for an appetizer, but it was good with sauce that it came with. Other items we ordered are: Fish Lip Soup (P380), Oyster XO Sauce (P350), Birthday Noodles (P280), Beef Ribs in Black Pepper Sauce (P580).

Sha Tin Courtyard is definitely for those special occassions. They have rice toppings too (should try this next time) and dimsums that are comparable to the more popular ones in the area for normal everyday cravings.

Expect a little shaky service for now though as their staff are still settling in and can be a little bit all over the place at some point. But nothing a good old training can't fix.