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| - Who doesn't enjoy a lazy Sunday morning? I love spending time leisurely reading the Sunday news while getting caught up on a weeks worth of cooking shows. After a few hours hunger finally sets in and its time to find something cheap and easy. While that might sound more like a lifestyle choice than a way of eating, cheap and easy to me means dim sum, and lots of it. With a fistful of cash and my growing appetite I head over to my default dim sum house, Golden Buddha.
Located in the Chinese Cultural Center, Golden Buddha has been pushing carts every weekend for the past few years. Over those years they've become a destination for steamy delights and have built quite a following with groups usually packing the lobby. Here's some advice, for a lesser selection with no waiting, go early. If you want more selection and don't mind the wait, go after noon.
Ranging in price from $2.35-$6.50, Golden Buddha pretty much offers mainstream selections from dumplings and chicken feet to rice and noodles. Most of the cart pushers don't speak much English but know this; most items are either made with pork or shrimp.
Within minutes of being sat the first smiling server rolls up her cart and begins pimping her wares. As she lifts the steel lid from the first steam basket, the mist dissipates to reveal 3 white fluffy hidden treasures beneath. Know as char siu bao, or steamed BBQ pork buns, these are pretty standard for any dim sum brunch. Pulling apart one of the doughy pillows reveals its sweet porky center, add some chile oil for added depth. Probably the most typical offering is the pork dumplings or sui mai, a wonton wrapper filled with ground pork and black mushrooms. These meaty bites have an enjoyable earthiness that left me wanting to ask for another basket.
The next cart to come along is absolutely filled with fried items. I love the crispy crunch of egg rolls and while the GB version was crisp, the inside was filled with oil that tasted like last nights fish. After only a single bite the rest remained untouched. Seemingly fried in the same oil, the salt and pepper shrimp were not only super fishy but the shells were also left on. Shell on shrimp isn't usually a problem when the shrimp in question is cooked really well. Not the case with these, they were ruined before they even hit the table, greasy and salty.
On a lighter note, wrapped in translucent rice paper, the spring rolls were large, filled with chewy rice noodles and 3 plump shrimp, unfortunately these were also flavorless.
A new one for me was the Zhaliang, a long tubular Chinese doughnut that is tightly cocooned in a sheet of rice noodle. The end result is more about texture than bold flavor; I can see how so many people seek these out for breakfast being chewy and crispy at the same time.
Dim sum brunch isn't complete without at least one Chinese dessert. Pointing at a plate of pineapple buns or bo lo yau from the dessert cart, these pastries actually contain no pineapple. Instead the name refers to its crunchy checkered top crust. Inside the bun you'll get a sweet surprise of satisfyingly sweet custard filling.
While I left satisfied, overall Golden Buddha doesn't quite have the chops they used to, but in a pinch or on a lazy Sunday morning, they'll do just fine.
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