Taipe Day 2: Zi Lin steamed dumplings

After the big breakfast/brunch, we went to.... a mall, and played at the arcade.  HAHAHAHA.  The boys played the basketball game at the arcade; my one and only task was to make sure they've got enough tokens to play.  What a life.   

We then decided it was time for us to re-fuel ourselves.  We split up with the rest of the gang because they went for hot pot and we wanted to try something else other than hot pot.  Off we went to a dumpling place that was highly rated on Yelp:  Zi Lin steamed dumplings, which was only about a 30 min walk from where we were!  

The restaurant's location, which is at the basement of a small shopping mall, is very unassuming.  We got there during the off hour (around 4:30pm) so the restaurant was empty.   The staff were super helpful; we had to do a lot of pointing at the menu, plus a lot of body language, and they were very patient with us.  

We ordered the dry noodle with minced meat, beef roll, and the pan fried dumplings.  I have to say, this was a very affordable meal!   Also, the side dishes and sauces are free and available buffet-style.  (We got the marinated firm tofu and bean sprouts for our sides.  And don't forget the chili oil).  

The verdict?  The meal was great and we were so stuffed!  Plus, as I mentioned below, it was super affordable.  Was the food amazing?  Food was great, but they probably weren't the best meals we've had so far.  The beef roll was nice and tender but the wrap was slightly on the softer side (it could probably use another couple of minutes on the pan) and the dish is lacking flavour.  I've had better beef rolls at Peaceful in Vancouver.   The same with the dumplings; the skin were nice and crispy, but I wish the filling was more flavourful.  

Having said that, I will repeat what I said before... for this price???  This was a great meal!  We left the restaurant and went for another long walk back to our AirBnb to take a quick nap before... more eating later in the evening with the rest of the gang!