Desperately Seeking Dim Sum
Monday, June 8, 2009As featured in Bay Area Bites, June 3, 2009.
Dim Sum at Asian Pearl, Richmond
Ever since I’ve relocated to this lovely city by the bay, I’ve been asking every local denizen that enjoys good food (and yes, there are quite a few of you) the hard question:
In a perfect world, I would find the ultimate dim sum spot where the food is exceptional, the wait not frightening, and the prices so low they incur giggles of disbelief and delight at the end of the meal. I know, it’s a tall order, but somewhere out there I know…it awaits me.
And, I must admit, the quest is not a painful one (usually). I have stumbled upon some tasty discoveries worth sharing, such as these star dishes at Asian Pearl in Richmond.
Steamed Egg Custard Bun (Lau Sah Bao)
Not your run of the mill dim sum dish, these Steamed Egg Custard Buns are hard to come by. It takes a master dim sum chef to create these treasures of molten, buttery, yolky sweetness, encased in fluffy white steamed buns.
Yom!
The golden lava filling is a shock to the senses, and utterly delicious.
Marinated Tofu (Lo Sui Dao Fu)
The silky fine texture of the tofu is unreal, and seems even more so highlighted by the contrasting crunchiness of the thin fried casing around it. Light as air, but tons more flavorful. This will turn any tofu-sneerer into a believer with one bite.
Crispy Stuffed Rice Noodle Roll (Ja Leung)
A common dim sum dish done exceptionally well, Asian Pearl’s Crispy Stuffed Rice Noodle Rolls were executed perfectly. The fried dough inside was freshly fried and extra crispy, and the rice noodle wrapped around it was thin, smooth, and slippery.
YOM!
Mmm you just can’t beat carb on carb.
Pan Fried Rice Rolls (See Yao Wong Cheung Fun)
These Pan Fried Rice Rolls were a crowd pleaser. The noodles had a nice chew to them, and were fried fragrant. Like an appetizer version of your typical chow fun, with an amped up seared crispy dimension.
Ranch 99, Asian Market
And with dishes priced from $2.60 – $6.50 (with a majority of them at $3.30 for “medium” plates), you can take all that money you’ve saved and head over to the Ranch 99 just a few doors down. Stock up on Asian delicacies and condiments before heading home with your satiated self.
All in all, Asian Pearl, thumbs up. But is it “the one”?
Afraid not.
True, the variety and specialty dishes wooed me, but 1) I was sorely disappointed by their BBQ Pork Bun, one of my old standbys, botched up by too much cooking wine in the mixture; and 2) it’s in Richmond. And I’m in SF with only a ZipCar to my name.
Maybe my dream is a pipedream, but this girl’s not ready to give it up. So, my dear readers, where can I find some good dim sum around here?
Yours truly,
Desperately Seeking Dim Sum
3288 Pierce St. (Pacific East Mall)
Richmond, CA 94804
510-526-6800
No related posts.
I WANT SOME YUMMY DIM SUM……UMMMMMM
i love the idea of “reviewing” dimsum. as if we’ve never had it before.
Have you tried Good Luck Dim Sum @ 736 Clement Street San Francisco, CA 94118, Tel: (415) 386-3388?? GOOD and INEXPENSIVE, Great Cha Siu Bao. Give me your thoughts, lots of chinese patrons on line with me… if you see lots of fellow Asianites on the line is gotta be good. They are known to be most super critical of their own food.
ooh thanks for the reco! good and cheap — sounds promising! and cha siu bao are my FAVORITE!
Oh, this is a hot button – everyone has an opinion on Dim Sum. There is a place on Noriega that is very good, I think its called Hong Kong Sea Food.
haha yes i know! it’s so fantastic…i have my dim sum excursions planned out for the next few months now thanks to all your recos
Oh Dear, I was in San francisco this weekend and we tried the Yank Sing restaurant. We are used to NY style dim sum places, so we ordered a lot, (usually in NY you eat almost everything they have and the bill is ridiculously cheap) so we got exited specially because everything was so tasty. But the check knocked our socks off….It was more then 100 dollars with tip. And I thought NY was an expensive city. But it was really good so I can’t complain.
Anna: yes…Yank Sing costs a pretty penny. totally hear you on the ny joints — my ultimate fave is Chatham Restaurant. So cheap you feel like you’re stealing.
Oh, I love the Ranch Market shopping center. My mom loves picking up fresh, delicious bakery treats. Yes, I’ve had these tasty steamed egg custard buns at Asian Pearl and they are tasty!
I like Yank Sing and the place that Oysterculture mentioned above on Noriega..it’s very good. Nice post!
Yes, Ranch 99 is fun
mmmm that melty egg custard filling is just unreal.
Gosh I haven’t had dim sum in so long. It’s been about 6 months actually when I was in NYC last and had dim sum in Chinatown. I think I’ll make my friends go this weekend after seeing those pictures.
do. it. do it.
We ask the same for LA all the time. Seems like the Bay area has much better dim sum.
I love Asian Pearl! It’s my family’s favorite place to get dim sum in the East Bay. Plus, its only 15 minutes from our home. The place that Oysterculture mentioned is actually called S&T Hong Kong Seafood Restaurant and its on Noriega between 32nd Ave. and 33rd Ave. Supposedly, it’s the best in SF
thanks for the dets Sasha! have you tried the tofu? it is soooo gooood!!!
OK…. So I am totally there with you… I just moved to Orlando and I am desperately seeking a Dim Sum in my area….
Oh how I miss my dim sum so much
Your blog is fabulous, Steph! I am now caught up in a vicious whirlpool of nostalgia and desire to eat Bay Area dim sum.
Dim Sum in Japan? Not so hot, and expensive to boot.
Regarding the best dim sum places: I have always judged them (imperfectly) by their ability to deliver stock-y, soupy soup dumplings, partially because so few places manage to get them to your table with any liquid left in them.
I’ll be heading to the Bay in August, so let me know if you find Dim Sum Xanadu by then.
Much love.
boootyama!! so nice to see you here
are you in tokyo? just saw crystal at sonia’s wedding.
mmm soup dumplings! i do hear that yank sing has the best for dim sum. however, my old staple is The Shanghai Dumpling King in the outer richmond. so. good.
hit me up when you’re in town — we shall dim sum it up!
Wow! Awesome articles. I think I become your constant loyal fan. Keep on going.
Thank the lord baby jesus I found your blog!!
It will definitely be a fixture of where to eat once I move to the bay area in August
hahaha thanks, gabe! cool site you have there
yesss goonies. if you like curry, you will enjoy the magic curry cart here in sf.
I agree with the dim sum in the bay, I’ve been to numerous and so far I keep returning to my fave Koi Palace. Just came back from Asian Pearl in Millbrae, touted by so many as the best, sorely disappointed.
ahh thanks for the recos! will have to get to koi soon.
[...] Desperately Seeking Dim Sum As featured in Bay Area Bites, June 3, 2009. [caption… [...]
[...] in a bunch. I mean, how exciting can tofu get? That was before I tasted the Marinated Tofu at Asian Pearl Seafood Restaurant. In Cantonese, this dish is called Lo Sui Dao Fu, which literally translated, means “old [...]