Jiecel and Thea's Refreshment proclaims they have the best mami, sio pao and sio mai in town, and many definitely agree. Now I know why this little snack shop survived, they give you your money's worth. This little snackshop was even mentioned in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, together with other sio pao and sio mai "greats" in the country, in an article written by Micky Fenix, Editor of Food Magazine. Read full article.
A platito consisting of 4 pieces costs PhP30 and it's a well spent amount at the Jiecel and Thea's. I like it from the moment it came to my table until the time my last bite dipped in the soy sauce-chili-calamansi concoction. It was so good that I ordered another platito and devoured it in a minute. Not that I have tasted all sio mais here in Iloilo City, but it's an expression of approving of a general perception. Now I'm hungry for more!
Now their famous sio pao. Having this one last had my expectations raised a little higher based on what I've read and heard. It was good but not as good as what I expected it to be. The "pao" was dry (and spongy) and so was the filling, but there was a bottle of sauce to make up for it.. The filling was a bit salty and sort of like "corned beef " made with chicken. But it was very flavourful.I think my taste buds were distorted by the chili I put on my sio mai (lol). Of course, this is my personal take on this dim sum. Definitely, I'll be visiting it again not only for it's sio mai, but also for their mamis and a second shot at their sio pao, which I'll be eating first!