IYKYK: Pasig's Great Oriental Dimsum House Has All Your Jade Palace Favorites

(SPOT.ph) If you were ever a fan of Jade Palace along Shaw Boulevard, or of Oriental Pearl Cantonese Cuisine which was also in Pasig, and you were heartbroken to find that both restaurants have closed, we’re here to tell you these beloved Chinese restaurants didn't really say goodbye. In fact, they both have been back since 2020 in the form of a newly-named restaurant: Great Oriental Dimsum House.

For over a decade since 2000, Jade Palace was a Pasig staple known for its homey Cantonese dishes. It closed its doors in 2013, and the same owners opened a new restaurant, Oriental Pearl Cantonese Cuisine, which remained open until the end of 2019. They closed for a couple of months, and in February 2020, they found a new home on Brixton Street in Pasig, plus a new name: Great Oriental Dimsum House. It’s a smaller venue than Jade Palace–and it’s tucked in with restaurants and cafes along Brixton that have more colorful facades. But don’t let its simple signage fool you. They still serve up the same big flavors that have become household favorites over the years, and their dishes remain affordable and generous, sacrificing neither quantity nor quality.

There’s another thing that’s changed in the last decade or so. We’ve dined at Great Oriental Dimsum House a couple of times by now and every time, a kindly older lady is always there to greet and welcome us in with a smile. Her name is Demy de la Paz, and she used to be a supervisor at Jade Palace. Now, she’s part-owner of Great Oriental Dimsum House—along with 12 other staff members, chefs, waitstaff, and supervisors who have stayed with the OG Jade Palace’s owners through the years.

While the original owners (who prefer not to disclose their names) are still active in the business, Demy and other staff partners have been empowered and given higher stakes in the restaurant. It’s refreshing to know their years of service have been awarded with not just sentimental value, but with something tangible and economic; it’s also easy to see the pride they have in their work as they bustle about, minding both regular and new customers alike with the congeniality you’d usually reserve for family.

But enough nostalgia; if you’re on the other side of the spectrum and have never heard of any of the Chinese restaurants mentioned, the best way to familiarize yourself with them—apart from having read up to here—is to try their dishes. Great Oriental Dimsum House boasts quite a few bestsellers, and we get why; in a few bites and a heartbeat, we’ve also classified the following as our personal favorites.

It’s hard to go to Great Oriental Dimsum House for only a snack; their comprehensive menu offers so many hearty dishes that you’re going to want to at least get a rice meal. Plus, the intimate space means mouthwatering smells from the kitchen can fill it up that much faster, and it’s hard to miss (and not also crave) what they might be serving to people next to you if they order up a feast.

However, if you’re adamant about only trying their dimsum, then go for the OG: their Shrimp Dumpling (Hakao) (P185), or their Kuchay Dumpling (P165)—which, if you like Chinese chives, is what we’d say is the superior version of their hakao. Their take on the hakao is classic in the best way: the delicately chewy and glistening translucent wrapper is filled with mildly sweet and garlicky shrimp that still has a bit of crunch. Take all that and add kuchay or Chinese chives, and you’re in dimsum heaven with the Kuchay Dumpling.

If you’re looking for something heartier, look no further than their misleadingly-named Dried Beancurd (P175). There’s nothing dry about this dimsum except the beancurd used to make the rolls, which has indeed been dried. The pork filling is tightly packed, but it’s tender with a bit of bite and it’s swimming in an umami-filled soy-based sauce that’s thick texture-wise but actually has a very mild flavor that elevates the rolls.

Pro tip: If you’ve ordered a rice meal, don’t let them bus out the beancurd sauce when you’re done with the rolls. Add it to your rice. You’re welcome.

Finding good taro puff is difficult as it’s not always on many Chinese restaurants’ menus, and the ones that do have it don’t always do this fried dimsum justice. But Great Oriental Dimsum House has really, really good Taro Puff (P190), and you’d be remiss not to try them. On the outside is the flaky “puff” part of this dimsum: crispy and delicate. This gives way to the velvety taro, which is wrapped around a minced pork filling that just oozes out when you slice it. Taro puffs are great as is, but it’s also the sweet and sour sauce that can make or break the experience and the one that they serve with theirs is perfectly balanced and plays well with the earthy flavors of the taro and the light but savory filling.

No respectable Chinese restaurant would whip out a menu that didn’t have birthday noodles (yes, of the long life lore), so of course we begin this list with their Birthday Noodles (P370).

It’s topped with tender chicken and shrimp, sweet and crunchy veggies, and the signature orange quail eggs that you just have to have on birthday noodles. It’s doused in a light, soy-based sauce that seems like a lot but is actually just the right amount, and the noodles are soft but still springy. The best part? They’ll give you a hearty serving that will easily feed 3-4 people if you’re only having that (but why would you), and about 5-6 if you’re having it on the side with other dishes on the menu.

According to Demy, one of the dishes that their customers can’t get enough of is their White Chicken (P375 for half, P750 for whole). And we get it. It doesn’t look like much when you look at it, but one bite reveals what the rave is all about: it’s tender and juicy, whether you’ve picked up the red or white meat, and it tastes so clean, there’s no trace of that sometimes gamey flavor you get when chicken is steamed.

It’s served with an impeccably balanced ginger sauce, which Demy boasts people sometimes order on its own for P45. The ginger is light but doesn’t overpower, and mixed with garlic and spring onions. By itself the chicken has a beautifully mild flavor, but the sauce adds a more aromatic dimension to it. Somehow–and I know this isn’t how it works–I could feel myself getting healthier with every bite.

From the seafood and pork categories of their menu, we found the Squid Salt and Pepper (P440) and the Pork Spareribs w/ Salt & Pepper (P440). You’d think that these two would taste more or less the same, but you’d be wrong.

The squid is deep-fried to golden crispy perfection, but the crunchy exterior gives way to mildly sweet, tender squid inside. Meanwhile, the pork spareribs are incredibly tender, and they’re topped with crispy garlic bits and seasoned in that signature fivespice-forward blend you’ve come to love of fried Chinese food. Both are served with a sharp, garlicky vinegar dip that  you only need a little of to get a long way in terms of a flavor boost.

We’re just barely scratching the surface here–talking with some of their regulars have revealed that there’s just no item on their menu that we can’t recommend. But if the above aren’t enough, their Roasted Honey Pork (Asado) (P470) is a solid entree which you can also get as a rice meal (P245) if you’re dining solo. And speaking of their rice meal menu, we think about their Pork Spare Ribs Rice (P240) about once a week (not to be confused with the salt and pepper variety; they’re just as tender but steamed and served with sauce, which you should also put on rice). Seafood lovers will love their Shrimp Fooyong (P440), and if you want something bit more indulgent from their chicken menu, their Fried Boneless Chicken w/ Lemon Sauce (P440) is also a must-try.

Jade Palace had a bigger space along Shaw Boulevard and could host birthday celebrations, but Great Oriental Dimsum House is located in a much smaller space–it’s more suited for casual meals. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate milestones without your favorites from their menu: they also have party trays available. The way it works: you can ask them to make you as many orders of a particular dish that you want, and then you only have to add on P100 for the tray. You can order in-store or message them on Viber (same number listed above). They also deliver, and are available via GrabFood.

The vibe inside Great Oriental Dimsum House is as different as a house might be from a (jade) palace–it’s quainter, quieter, and more intimate, but perhaps it’s the mom-and-pop-ness of the restaurant that makes it such a great place to eat. The staff is warm and welcoming, and the Cantonese food that you’ll tuck into is the very definition of what comfort food should be: an invitation to slow down and savor each delicious, nourishing bite.

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