Xin Hwa

Went to try out this restaurant with my family on a Sunday for late lunch. Restaurant was pretty quiet and empty around 2-ish. Empty tables, minim waitresses. Waitresses weren't giving good service either and the manager was giving an attitude, worse, couldn't give recommendation. Waitresses were not around to serve us. Overall, appetizers & main courses contained a lot of msg, and were too salty. Desserts were better. I Love Lyon, but Xinhwa should improve, as expected from a prestigious hotel such as MO.

It's a perfect place. The dimsum price is reasonable, but the other cuisine is another story. But maybe because they serve slightly different dimsum from the usual repertoire, my tongue got a little confused. But it's a nice place, nonetheless.

Xin Hwa is centrally located at Mandarin Oriental Hotel with executive chef Lie Wing Ping with 20 years experience in making dim sum in Malaysia and Singapore previously, and 6 years prior experience in indonesia which helped him understand his market well. Nevertheless, aside from the traditional Chinese cuisine, Xin Hwa is something you should check out for "Yum Cha" session. The setting in Xin Hwa is elegant and warm, complete with white linen table cloth. It is very suitable for big family gathering and entertaining business clients. The service is satisfying with polite and attentive waiters. The traditional menu was just okay. Lo Mai Kai, or Steamed Glutinous Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf (22k) has always been my must-order comfort food. Without being too soaked, it tasted good but could have been stuffed with more chicken and mushroom. The Custard Egg Yolk Bun (28k) was everybody's favorite with distinct sweet egg-y taste which is often lacking in many dimsum place in Jakarta. My favorite one would be the Oven Baked Fluffy Pastry with Black Pepper Fungus and Goose Liver Terrine (28k). Being a foiegras lover, it's really not hard to love this crispy yummy ball. The price is cheap for a foie gras dish! Other equally striking taste would be the Netted Rice Crispy Turnover, Stuffed with Prawns, Apple Slice and Mango (22k). Dominated with fresh sour mango slices, the dish offered a refreshing palate as compared to the rest. The Scallop and Shrimp Dumpling with XO Sauce (32k) provided a more memorable fragrant highlight. It is very noticeable that the presentation deserves a star for the vibrant colors used. Almost all the dim sum comes in three pieces per portion and very well worth it for the price tag being offered. Aside from the dim sum menu, make sure you save some space for the Wasabi Prawn: crunchy crystal prawns battered fried and smeared with sweet yet spicy wasabi-infused mayonaise. Addictive!