Located at: 1 Galle Face, Colombo 02, Sri Lanka

Visited on: 23rd October, 2023

This visit to Shang Palace happened to be exactly six years after our last visit. And if you’re wondering why (apart from the COVID-19 lockdown) it’s taken us so long to return, it’s because our last visit was far from impressive. We’ve been hearing good things about the food at Shang Palace lately, though, and thought we’d give the place another shot. I’m glad we did.

From the beverage menu, we ordered a Mango Berry Smash mocktail (LKR 1,100) which was thick and juicy, with a subtly rich sweetness from the fresh, ripe mango. The fresh Pineapple Juice (LKR 800) was lovely, made from perfectly ripe pineapple that gave the juice a beautiful mellow sweetness. Unfortunately, Shang Palace was out of both tomato juice and orange juice. So, for our third choice of beverage, we had to settle for a Shang Old Fashioned cocktail (LKR 3,800) which, I am told, was pretty decent, too. Of course, in true Chinese fashion, Shang Palace kept their light Chinese green tea flowing throughout the evening.

To start with, we ordered some Imperial Hot and Sour Soup with Chicken (LKR 1,900; other available options are prawn LKR 2,200 and Tofu LKR 1,600). This was really good! Plenty of chicken and veggies that included mushroom and carrot, and the broth itself was viscous, full of flavour, and had just the right amount of heat. A great start to the meal.

From their dim sum menu, we ordered a portion each of Shrimp and Pork Siu Mai with Fish Roe (LKR 1,500) and Chicken, Scallop and Chives Dumpling (LKR 1,500). The portions came with three dumplings each. The shrimp and pork dumplings were excellent in terms of both taste and texture. The roe was a bit mushy from the steam but, apart from that, it was delicious. The chicken and scallop dumpling tasted really good, too. Perhaps a thin sauce on the side would have helped to soften the shell which was a little less soft in texture after it’s time on the pan. But taste-wise, it was enjoyable.

We were planning on going with their Steamed Whole Garoupa in Light Soy with Ginger and Baby Leeks as part of the mains. However, our waiter kindly suggested that we try the Malaysian-style Boon Fried Garoupa (LKR 6,900) and we decided to give it a shot. It turned out to be a pretty good recommendation as the vibrant, coconut milk-infused yellow sauce was quite something – a charming, aromatic rice puller that was packed with the flavours of the Far East. The fish itself was fried to have a bit of a crisp bite to it, while also having most of the fleshy meat intact. The dish had some aubergine and long beans in it.

The Tiger Prawn Kung Pao with Cashew Nut, Dry Chilli and Onion (LKR 3,900) from their list of Sichuan Delights was a scrumptious affair with its beautiful, sweet-savoury sauce and a generous serving of crunchy roasted cashew. The tiger prawns – six of them – were cooked to perfection to have a nice bite and good flavour.

Their Stir-fried Bok Choy with Garlic (LKR 2,200) was nicely prepared, too. Again, cooked just right with the vegetable still having a fair bit of its crunch despite being mellowed down on the wok. It was, however, outdone by the fish and prawn dishes that worked their magic with the sticky Steamed Rice (LKR 900) that we ordered.

Mango was the theme of our dessert round, with Mango Sago (LKR 1,800) being the first sweet dish that we picked. This was nicely done, with the softened sago pearls presented in a delectable mango-coconut milk soup. As you can see below, the presentation, too, was quite eye-catching.

If Mango Mochi with Cream (LKR 1,300) sounds like an intriguing dessert, rest assured, it did not disappoint! The dish came in the form of three small mochis, garnished with fresh mango and a butterfly pea flower. The glutinous shell of each mochi was soft and thin, gently encasing an absolutely delightful core that was a smooth mix of light cream and fresh mango purée. It was joy on the palate, and a perfect finish to the evening.

Yummy rating: 4.5 / 5.0