May 03, 2019

Paradise Dynasty in SM Aura: The Home of the Legendary 8 Flavored Xiao Long Bao

Dine in at one of the most luxurious fine Chinese restaurants you’ll find in Metro Manila that offers a legendary collection of Xiao Long Bao—Paradise Dynasty. Embodying opulence and grace, Paradise Dynasty in SM Aura Premier takes you to imperial China with their legendary Chinese cuisines.

Branded as a world-class restaurant, Paradise Dynasty’s restaurant concept originated from Singapore boasting not only sophistication but also exquisite flavors from the northern and southern parts of China.

Here, diners are in for a surreal food experience as they serve refreshing Chinese delicacies you never knew about before.

Fancy Chinese sophistication that boasts a colorful aura

Standing true to its tag line, Paradise Dynasty is home to the legendary Xiao Long Bao, especially that they are the first restaurant to ever introduce 8 colorful flavors of Xiao Long Bao.

Fit for queens and kings, they have created a basket full of colorful and scrumptious soup dumplings bursting with different flavors. Their Specialty Dynasty Xiao Long Bao (Php 388) has eight flavors. It is recommended that you eat them accordingly, by following a clockwise direction starting from the Original (white), Ginseng (green), Garlic (brown), Black Truffle (black), Cheese (yellow), Crab Roe (Orange), Foie Gras (Gold), and up to the last flavor the spicy Szechuan (red).

Specialty Dynasty Xiao Long Bao (Php 388/8pcs)

Each flavor of these soup dumpling is so unique that when you reach your fourth dumpling, you’ll taste the vibrancy and intensity of the broth. Once you tasted all of them, you may have made up your mind on which flavor you liked the most as you can order a single flavor basket for your second (or third) round of dumplings.

Of course, you will never go wrong with the classic flavor of the Signature Original Xiao Long Bao (Php 188/6 pieces; Php 298/10 pieces).

Signature Xiao Long Bao (Php 188/6pcs and Php 298/10pcs)

Next on their line up of dishes is the dim sum. One of the most recommended dim sums is the Pork Dumpling in Hot Chili Vinaigrette (Php 168/6 pcs). For this one, you can easily expect that each dumpling is full of flavor and spiciness, not just because of its name but with the spice sprinkled on top and the hot-chili color of its sauce.

However, you do not have to worry about burning your tongue as it’s not actually too spicy. It has a mild level of spiciness but it may still differ to others.

Pork Dumpling in Hot Chili Vinaigrette (Php 168/6pcs)

To lessen the spice, try their Charcoal Custard Lava Bun (Php 188/3 pieces), a sweet charcoal bun filled with salted-egg yolk custard. It has a perfect softness and sweetness that washes off any spice from the previous dishes you’ve tasted.

Charcoal Custard Lava Bun (Php 188/3 pieces)

These Xiao Long Bao and Dimsums are a good meal starter but if you like a different starter, you may want to taste their Steamed Glutinous Rice Stuffed in Red Dates (Php 238). This plate of sweet and chewy rice balls is what you need to get your palates ready for a savory round of main dishes.

Steamed Glutinous Rice Stuffed in Red Dates (Php 238)

Moving on to the main dishes, start off with the usual pork servings. Get the Stir-fried Shredded Pork in Black Bean Sauce served with Chinese Crepes (Php 388) and make yourself some instant and unique pork crepe. The shredded pork strips are soft and chewy and are not too salty to taste.

Stir-fried Shredded Pork in Black Bean Sauce served with Chinese Crepes (Php 388)

If there is something that you should not miss in Paradise Dynasty, it’s their array of Szechuan cuisine perfect for those who seek extreme spiciness in their meals. First up is their Spicy Szechuan Fried Chicken (Php 298), a tender and crispy bite-size chicken slices rich with lots of chili spices.

Spicy Szechuan Crispy Chicken (Php 298)

Add a little bit of saltiness to your meal with the Crispy Fried Crystal Prawns tossed with Salted Egg Yolk (Php 588). This dish can be eaten with a bowl of fried rice such as the Egg Fried Rice (P238), and will actually work as something to munch after all the spiciness.

Crispy Fried Crystal Prawns tossed with Salted Egg Yolk (Php 588)

Egg Fried Rice (P238)

For those who don’t want rice as their main course, try the Scrambled Egg White with Fish and Conpoy (Php 328). At first, you might not want the taste of this creamy soup-like dish by the looks of its mushy bowl of egg whites and yolk but this is actually pretty good once you mixed them all together.

Scrambled Egg White with Fish and Conpoy (Php 328)

A must taste in their noodle menu is their La Mian with Scallion (Dry) (Php 200). This hand-pulled noodles are served dry and then poured with a flavorful pork broth that’s very light to the taste.

La Mian with Scallion (Dry) (Php 200)

To finish off a wonderful meal, take a bite of their Chilled Glutinous Rice Roll with Red Bean Paste (Php 168/3 pieces), a mildly sweet and soft rice roll topped with grated nuts. Or if you’re not really into dessert, the Radish Pastry (Php 138/3 pieces) can pass off as something you can eat to finish your meal with.

Chilled Glutinous Rice Roll with Red Bean Paste (Php 168/3 pieces)

Radish Pastry (Php 138/3 pieces)

How to get here:

From Bonifacio High Street, drive straight along 32nd Street. Make a right turn at LFV-Market-Market passing by Market! Market!. SM Aura Premier is located beside Market! Market!.

This also appears in the April 2018 issue of the Philippine Primer Japanese magazine.
Updated as of April 30, 2019