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| - Sunday dim sum - "Better come early!" I thought. Only upon arrival did I realize they have totally spiffed up this place. I was already impressed upon entry, but not nearly as much as when I got to see more of it, and up close, when even blind-as-a-bat moi could only come to a singular conclusion: THIS PLACE IS GORGEOUS! There is enough wood here to satisfy all the peckers in the entire continent. Everything is hefty, fine-grained, and simply but tastefully appointed. To date, though, the hordes that haunted it for dim-sum on weekends have stayed away. It was almost tranquil, sitting in a quiet corner, with half the tables unoccupied, and no more hub-bub of dim-sum carts (Ricky L - your wish come true!).
Everything we sampled was delicately and deliciously prepared. As with many "finer" establishments, some Chinese restaurants are going the lighter route: low grease and low sodium. But freshness overcomes what might be otherwise perceived as blandness. Not much that we sampled missed the mark - their specialty har gow coming as a trio instead of the usual quartet dampened things a nudge, since there were 4 of us. And the char siu bau (steamed BBQ pork bun) was just pretty standard. Especially interesting is their take on the beef tseung fun, or the stuffed canneloni-like large rice noodle that's usually done with shrimp or char siu or beef, with a sweetened soya sauce poured over it. THEIR version of it is done with a chunk of steak (sirloin, which I believe was really the striploin or New York cut) in each of the 3 noodles! At 8 bucks, it's not your usual tseung fun in more ways than one. But when you figure there's a good 4 ounces of steak in it, perhaps it's not THAT pricey. This is the one dish where I wish they would have gone a little bolder - steak calls for that; spice it up with traditional steak spices, or do a full-blown Chinese ginger/scallion version. Small quibble.
You saw the tea cup picture. Here's something that's clearly fancy beyond words, these double-walled perfectly-formed half globules. We were sitting there wondering if these are hand-washed, or do they "throw" these in the dish washer, and in any case, how do you manage either. These go along with the spoiled-brat clear glass teapots, set over a warming candle. Their tea charge is $1.80, which I don't mind at all if it's good tea. They also offer "extra special" ones that are $2.80, or $4.00. But I find the teapot hard to hold and awkward to pour. No accidents today, but I'm feeling like taking out some insurance before I come next time. They give you a pot of hot water in a thermos as a refill. But instead of warming the brewed tea (which could change its flavor), the right way (as I've always maintained) is the keep the BREWED tea in a thermos, and to refill the teapot with boiling water, which is the proper way of brewing tea. Service was more deferential and attentive than usual Chinese restaurants.
Over in the other dining area, they have 2 HUGE TVs, and various large tables in intriguing formations. I understand that at night they have a buffet, with what appears to be pretty impressive fare (traditional Chinese, including Peking duck, and sushi). We might do that the next time we come up.
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