dimsumfan

Yeah, had a feeling there'd be at least early consensus on this. Smoked salmon doesn't need refrigeration? I'd be carrying the smoked salmon cross-country on a plane, and then it would sit a couple of days as I travel around the area. If smoked salmon, any recommendations on the best place for a good piece at a good price? If not smoked salmon, what other ideas? For example, I've read about chocolate covered figs at Fran's, but never tried them. Maybe regional jams from a farmer's market?

If you're traveling away from Seattle and want to give a gift of food from the region, what would you bring? I'm looking for ideas that can easily be transported, special to the city/area, non-liquid (want to be able to take on an airplane), non-perishable (don't want to have to worry about refrigeration), and not too heavy for carrying around. Looking forward to and appreciative of all ideas!

Saw three takoyaki stands and tried the one which looked best - and it was quite good! We make takoyaki at home, and also eat them a lot in Japan, so I like to think we're discerners of quality. A friend really liked the bing stand (made with red bean paste). The shape wasn't as perfect as it should be, the taste was good. Lots of stalls to see as you stroll through, so enjoy!

Oh, too bad about the closure! How's the food at the Flushing Mall food court?

Coming to Flushing soon, and would appreciate advice on the best Chinese restaurants to try. We'll likey have three dinners there, and maybe dim sum or other breakfast and possibly late-night snacks. Looking for places that are authentic, hole-in-the-wall, spicy, or otherwise unique. Leaning toward: Joe's Shanghai (yes, we love their xiao long bao) Spicy & Tasty Have heard decent things about Sichuan Dynasty, though maybe not better than the two above. Any other places you'd recommend? I've read the thread about the food stalls in the Flushing Food Court (or was it Flushing Mall?) and another one nearby. Any and all help appreciated - thanks!

Okay, hopefully I've learned how to post the photos correctly. Here, again, were the favorite dishes of the recent Chinese food frenzy: 1. Har gow at Shiang Garden. Loved them before, and love them now. Best of the best for shrimp and wrapper taste. Large! 2. Pickled Ginger with Century Egg and Prawn Roll at Jade, but also have had them at Shiang Garden. Great combination of flavors. 3. House Special Chicken at Golden Szechuan. We asked for chicken on the bone, as we thought it would have better flavor than boneless. And we made a special request for Szechuan peppercorn. I've been cooking a lot with it, and love the effect. 4. Dungeness Crab with Pumpkin and Black Bean Hotpot at Sea Harbour. Great flavors. Others in my group were even more enthusiastic about it than me. 5. Boiled Beef with Chili at Golden Szechuan. I love fiery food, and this dish makes me crave even spicier Hunanese food. Maybe that's got some mouths watering and stomachs crying (in a good way). I must have about 100 food photos from the trip, so perhaps with time I can post more in an album.

Maybe it was Burma Superstar on Clement (in the Richmond). I think that is the name of the place in SF that I alluded to earlier in this thread. ←

Any updates on the Flushing dim sum scene? Coming in for the U.S. Open and staying in the area, so hoping for some good eats. Open to overall recommendations, and also wondering if any restaurants serve early dim sum (like 9am) or offer early discounts (Vancouver is known for good early dim sum opportunities).

Any update on any Burmese restaurants in NY? Anyone been to Village Mingala lately and able to report back? I love Fermented Green Tea Leaf Salad, so I'm hoping to find a restaurant that serves a good version of it. BIG thanks if anyone can recommend a place to buy fermented tea leaves in NY, or anywhere in North America. I've struck out everywhere.

Will look forward to your findings. After trying a few places here, including Jade Garden, I just don't want to waste my money on dim sum in Seattle. In fact, I just returned from four days in Richmond stuffing myself silly with dim sum (you can see my report on the Vancouver board) and the trip only confirmed my beliefs. But maybe you'll find something that can change my mind?!?

I agree it's great to see photos. I guess I'll have to find a few minutes to research how to post a few to this site. Favorite items, in no particular order: 1. Har gow at Shiang Garden. Loved them before, and love them now. Best of the best for shrimp and wrapper taste. Large! 2. Pickled Ginger with Century Egg and Prawn Roll at Jade, but also have had them at Shiang Garden. Great combination of flavors. 3. House Special Chicken at Golden Szechuan. We asked for chicken on the bone, as we thought it would have better flavor than boneless. And we made a special request for Szechuan peppercorn. I've been cooking a lot with it, and love the effect. 4. Dungeness Crab with Pumpkin and Black Bean Hotpot at Sea Harbour. Great flavors. Others in my group were even more enthusiastic about it than me. 5. Boiled Beef with Chili at Golden Szechuan. I love fiery food, and this dish makes me crave even spicier Hunanese food.

I originally envisioned writing some creatively crafted story, complete with photos and fireworks, to tell the tale of my recent Chinese food frenzy. But time is slipping away from me—and I’m already preparing for the next food trip. So, some initial thoughts: 1. Chinese food in general: It’s far better in Richmond than anywhere else I’ve been in North America, and certainly better than my hometown of Seattle. (Chinese food in Seattle is generally bland and unimaginative; that said, our Sichuan scene is becoming something special.) When I say Richmond, I mean Richmond. We didn’t leave Lulu Island for three days! (That is, unless you count a failed attempt to cross the airport by bicycle.) What a thrill to know that Chinese food paradise is so close, without entailing trans-Pacific flights. 2. Xiao long bao: We tried them at five different places, and I’m still not sure which I liked best. Shanghai Wind’s and Shanghai River’s are such interesting contrasts. Top Shanghai was a nice compromise between the two, but I might have to bring my own black vinegar and ginger next time. Far better than what I can find in Seattle, but not as good as the ones at Joe’s Shanghai in New York (especially the Flushing location). I’ll be back at Joe’s in a few weeks for an update, but compared to xiao long bao I’ve had in Taipei and Shanghai recently, I like Joe’s best (even better than Din Tai Fung, though I really admire the delicate wrappers there). Now if I can only find some Zao ni xiao bao in Vancouver. They’re dumplings filled with plum paste—I only found them at a place called Jing Ding Xiao Guan in Taipei, and they’re amazing! 3. Wonton soup: Only tried a couple of places, but hard to imagine anything better than Mak’s. 4. Har gow: Like the xiao long bao, we tried this at five different restaurants, and the clear winner remains Shiang Garden’s version. Superb shrimp taste and delicate wrapper made Shiang Garden the overall winner. 5. Dim sum: As much as I love the experience of choosing from carts (it adds to the atmosphere, and it’s always fun to ask to see what’s hiding in the baskets), I’m a convert to ordering off the menu and getting the items fresh. We enjoyed the early morning discounts (going for breakfast enabled us to have more dim sum or something different for lunch!) and watching the restaurants slowly (sometimes not-so-slowly) but surely fill up, increasing in noise and excitement. Seems strange that some places charge for tea; I thought I read a discussion about this in another forum but I can’t find it now. 6. Vancouver: I’m jealous, but we’ll be back (perhaps for American Thanksgiving). Loved the spicy food at Golden Szechuan Restaurant, and want to increase the heat by going to the First Hunan Chinese Restaurant next time around. I appreciate all the incredibly helpful advice people offered in these forums. We ate a lot of great food, and our stomachs thank you! [Note: I have photos of just about all the dishes we ate, so if anyone wants a look at something, just let me know.] And some highlights: Thursday Shanghai Wind: A true hole-in-the-wall somewhat overcrowded (like the parking lot and the group assembled at the door) with tables topped by soiled tablecloths; it feels like you can reach out and help with the food preparation. Xiao Long Bao ($3.95 for 6): large, rustic with a thick wrapper and strong-tasting broth (sauce needs more ginger) Turnip Cake ($4.95 for 3): delicious taste and great pastry Pan Fried Rice Cake with Beef Roll ($4.25): enhanced by the crunch of the cucumber and a dip of the hoison sauce Wonton in Spicy Sauce ($3.95 for 12): fun dish of pork-filled wontons with a sesame-spicy sauce, topped with green onions Shanghai River: Elegant in its contrast to Shanghai Wind, with a showcase window where you can watch the dumplings and other delicacies get made. Xiao Long Bao ($5.80 for 8): smaller with a more delicate wrapper and less intense broth than Shanghai Wind Bean Curd with Celery ($6): excellent knife-work and good interplay between softer (yet firm) tofu and the crisp celery—nicely seasoned Goose Liver with Sticky Rice ($5): disappointing—trying for a foie gras appeal? Shredded Jelly Fish ($6): had as an after-thought upon seeing others ordering; better to have with meal Fried Dumplings with Red Bean ($7 for 6): yummy beignets with egg white texture and powdered pink sugar on top Tsim Chai Noodles: We gave the Fresh Prawn Wonton soup ($4.25) a try. Ten (I think?) large wontons in a slightly fish-tasting broth. Nice freshness to the shrimp in the wontons, but the soup cried out for some additional seasoning. Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant: Feels a bit like a royal banquet hall with nice place-settings and attentive service; it’s fun to watch the presentation of dishes at the nearby tables (or walk around and gawk at the food like we did). Dungeness Crab with Pumpkin and Black Bean Hotpot (market price): you get introduced to your future feast before it’s sent back to the kitchen for its final “bath,” this dish quiets the table as everyone savors every drop of food and then looks for other things to dip in the gingery, garlicky sauce—even if against etiquette (if the dish is not on the menu, impress your waiter by asking for it) Chayote with Minced Pork and Preserved Vegetable: a well-rounded dish featuring different textures and tastes, and a nice introduction to this lesser-known squash Beef with Garlic (and Chinese Broccoli): our mistake of the meal, as we asked the waiter for something to complement our other dishes; he assured us this couldn’t be made at home, and we decided it wouldn’t be, as it was nothing special Red Bean Soup: a nice finish to the meal with the usual application of azuki for dessert Friday Shiang Garden Seafood Restaurant: We discovered this restaurant during a previous visit and realized we didn’t really miss the cart service typical of dim sum. (20% off 9:30-11am) Har Gow (4): we try the shrimp dumplings at every dim sum restaurant as a test to the quality of the rest of the food; these large dumplings with delicate wrappers were as outstanding in freshness and taste as we remembered them to be Duck Tongue with Tofu: we also had positive memories of our last duck tongue dish (the first time we’d ever had duck tongue), and this preparation was also delicious and provided another excuse to make “quiet duck” jokes Crab Meat with Spinach Dumplings (3): nice, but far more shrimp than crab meat; we’d rather have one or the other instead of both Braised Oxtail with Wintermelon: enjoyed this combination Pork Siu Mai (4): above average, though nothing special Char Siu Bao (3): we always like to have steamed pork buns if there are more than two people to share them; they are filling and their sweetness always makes us wonder if we should save them for dessert Richmond Public Market: This second floor food court provides hit-and-miss cheap eats; we bypassed $6 tins of whole Dungeness crab and other pre-prepared dishes in favor of food cooked to order. Having come from a long bicycle ride, we forgot to bring the camera and failed to take good notes. Xian stall: lamb skewers with spicy cumin rub and wontons in spicy broth that were both fun eats Halal stall: “cool noodles” ($2.00) that were deceptively spicy but a small portion Stall next to Beijing Shanghai Delicacies: xiao long bao ($4.50 for 8) that were, well, not bad, but nothing special Golden Szechuan Restaurant: A kind host walked us through the menu and helped us pick out dishes that tempted us. Szechuan Tan Tan Noodles ($5.50): nice, somewhat spicier version of this dish Boiled Beef with Chili ($12.95): fiery and delicious, with napa cabbage, celery and bean sprouts Crispy Rice with Peanuts ($13.95): and prawns, but our least favorite dish of the night—though we enjoyed the variety of mushrooms Fried Green Beans Szechuan Style ($9.95): with onion, garlic and dried shrimp House Special Chicken ($16.95): requested meat with bone and extra Szechuan peppercorn—the favorite dish of the table Saturday Jade Restaurant: Ran the vacuum cleaner at the start of the meal and charged for tea; the place filled fast for Saturday morning dim sum. (20% off 9-11am) Har Gow ($4.68 for 4): good, but smaller and less tasty than Shiang Garden Steamed Pig Liver Dumpling ($4.38): actually pork liver served over a dumpling; always enjoy the texture and taste of liver, so this was fun to try Steamed Chicken Wrapped with Fish Maw ($4.38): tasty dish of blue chicken on the bone bundled with fish maw, and wrapped by bamboo pith Pickled Ginger with Century Egg and Prawn Roll ($4.28 for 4): loved this dish at Shiang Garden in the past and was just as delicious here—great spectrum of flavor and texture Mak’s Noodle Restaurant: The second restaurant of our wonton taste test, we again ate the Fresh Prawn Wonton soup ($3.80?). A smaller bowl with a slightly more golden broth, the 8 smaller wontons packed punch with better shrimp taste than Tsim’s, and the broth was more flavorful. Everyone else was eating noodles, but we didn’t try, as we wanted wontons. Kirin Restaurant: Fancy, fancy, fancy was our first reaction upon walking in. And packed. This looked like the hot spot for tourists and locals alike. Har Gow ($4.25 for 4): relatively small but very nice wrapper and excellent shrimp taste (still, we liked Shiang Garden’s better) Sticky Rice with Pork and Dried Scallop ($4.50): unwrapping the lotus leaf, we could see the quality even before tasting it—great preparation Steamed Sparerib in Black Bean Sauce ($4.25): succulent and suck-worthy Taro Gok: tasty! Steamed Dried Scallop, Diced Wintermelon and Scallop Dumpling ($4.75): nice Egg Custard: not as warm as we would have wanted them, but great pastry and custard taste Top Shanghai Cuisine Restaurant: A mess of a place as it was packed on a Saturday night and we had to be assertive to get our reservation honored—and then have hoards of people hovering nearby while we ate. Xiao Long Bao: high marks for wrapper, broth and meat content; maybe best of the trip but still falling a bit short overall compared to others we’ve had elsewhere in the world—and what’s up with the clear vinegar with almost no ginger? Hot and Sour Soup with Wontons: wontons were large and soup was flavorful, but could have been helped by a little more black vinegar (do they not have it at this restaurant?) Rice Cakes with Preserved Vegetable: nice texture, but needed more salt Eggplant with Garlic and Beef: found the eggplant to be too soft and overcooked Tofu Sheets with Edamame and Salty Vegetables: after failing to bring us this dish, they proceeded to get the order wrong and served us tofu cubes instead—very disappointing Richmond Night Market: We didn’t realize we could have made a meal out of the stalls here, as there were more than we expected. A bit high on the grease factor, but fun nevertheless. We enjoyed takoyaki from one of three such stalls. A friend drove in from Seattle just to sample the red bean “bing” (like a fried hockey puck) that he misses from his days in Taiwan. Sunday Empire Seafood Restaurant: One last dim sum meal; we got there just past 9am only to find the place completely crowded. We got the last table before lines started forming outside the door. Charged for tea. (20% off 9-11am) Har Gow ($3.95 for 4): shrimp taste and wrapper better than Seattle, but inferior to others sampled this trip Sauteed Duck Web with Abalone Mushroom ($3.95): after seeing duck web continually on the menus, we had to give it a try, and it was quite tasty Deep Fried Spring Rolls ($3.65): ordered by mistake, but had a nice crispiness and shrimp taste Sun Sui Wah: We stopped by simply to get Mango Packets (or what I call Mango Pillows, as they’re so fluffy and comfort-inducing—3 per order) to go—soft crepes with mango slices and cream inside. Yum! Granville Market: Bought items from Oyama Sausage and Terra Bread. Rangoli: Alas—a non-Chinese meal! Enjoyed our two curries and shared drink at this café next to the infamous Vij’s: Portobello Mushroom and Red Bell Pepper Curry on paneer with beet/daikon salad and naan ($11.50): salad provides a great texture change Lamb Stewed in Vij’s Masala with rice and naan ($13): salad of bitter greens with a strawberry Mango Pineapple Lassi ($4.50) Chocoatl: Loved the hot and cold chocolate drinks at this new chocolate shop in Yaletown. Tasty truffles pair chocolate with things like avocado, cucumber and chile. Before choosing my hot chocolate drink, Themis (one of the co-owners) encouraged me to sample various chocolates to detect notes like smokiness (Papua New Guinea), banana (Peruvian), etc. Azteca Hot Chocolate (made with 2% milk; $4.60 for a large): featured cinnamon and other spices—nice, exotic taste, but next time will want to try something that lets the chocolate stand out more Tropical Orange (cold; $5.00): great mandarin and orange flavors seemed perfect for an unusually hot day (might try Explossion next, featuring coconut and lavender) Northern Delicacy: One last meal in Richmond on the way back to Seattle. Xiao Long Bao ($4.50 for 5): good broth but not enough of it, so the wrapper (a little sticky at first touch) and meat dominate—again, better than what we can find in Seattle, but fell short compared to others we ate in Vancouver Dan Dan Noodles in Soup: nice spicy peanut taste with cucumber and black sesame seed, then found dried shrimp and salted vegetable at the bottom of the bowl Edited to add one forgotten dish at Shanghai Wind!

Ling, glad you got to Top Shanghai and enjoyed it. We made it there as part of our big weekend in Richmond last weekend. Still trying to figure out how I felt about the xiao long bao. Definitely good, but they still fell short of others I've tried outside of Vancouver/Richmond. And what's up with clear vinegar (and no ginger) instead of black? We loved the hot and sour soup with wontons (though I would have liked a little more black vinegar taste there, too - maybe this restaurant doesn't like black vinegar?!?), but this restaurant was perhaps the most disappointing/challenging place of all those we tried. Maybe it was an off-night, but the seating and service were bad. I'll try to write more when I finally finish my food report on the weekend, which I'll post back in the other topic area where I asked advice for my Chinese food frenzy. I'd like to give the place another try, though, as it sure seems to be a popular place! Dozens hovered near our table waiting for seating...

Hi all... Just a quick report from Richmond. It was a good first day of eating. Went to Shanghai Wind for lunch and enjoyed the xiao long bao plus other goodies. Then on to Shanghai River for lunch #2, which included a xiao long bao comparison and again a few other dishes. What contrasting restaurants! The xiao long bao is as described by others here: rustic at Shanghai Wind and smaller and more delicate at Shanghai River. Both good, but not as good as what we've had in Taiwan, and not as good as Joe's Shanghai in NYC. Just my humble opinion, of course. Then, a mid-afternoon bowl of prawn wontons at Tsim Chai Noodles, or Jeem Jai Gei (I think it's called both). Good prawn taste. This was after walking through the Richmond Public Market and hoping to eat more xiao long bao at the Beijing-Shanghai Delicacies Stall. But no xlb there - maybe we were supposed to try the ones at the adjoining stall? Lastly, a dinner at Sea Harbour which included the very delicious crab with kabocha. The upcoming days will likely include Shiang Garden, Kirin, Golden Szechuan, and Top Shanghai, Mak's, and the Richmond Night Market. We've scouted out a few more places should time allow. Mostly wanted to say "hello" from the field and thank everyone for all the great advice. I'll send a fuller report after returning to Seattle!

Thanks, Deborah. And I thought I was a great googler. You're an expert sleuther. And am glad to know I can cross it off my list. One less place to try!

Wow... great if you can find it! I leave early tomorrow morning for Richmond, but will likely have my computer and can check the forum. Thanks!

At this point, I myself am starting to wonder if I've simply imagined this place! Actually, I'm sure I read about it on one of the message boards here, but at this point "Yu" is a difficult search term. Might be easier to search for it in person in Richmond.

Interesting update on the dim sum situation: Shiang Garden, Gingeri, Jade and Empire all open at 9am (Shiang Garden actually 9:30) and offer a 20% discount for ordering by 11am. Kirin opens at 10am and offers no discount. Does that make Kirin the high-class king of dim sum??? And still no contact information for a place called "Yu."

Thanks for the helpful tips and addresses so far. We enjoy congee, but probably won't be seeking that for breakfast. Will check to see if any of the places on the list open especially early. Still looking for an address for Yu. Anyone have a more complete name for it? I read a few good reviews of the dim sum there, but no further info.

So, my partner and I (sometimes joined by a friend or two) are leaving later this week for our trip to Richmond/Vancouver. We primarily want to focus on Chinese food and will be staying in Richmond for four days/three nights. We can eat a lot, sometimes just sampling at restaurants (for example, we tried four xiao long bao restaurants in one day in Taipei to find the best!). With all the great comments in these message boards (thanks everyone!), here are our current picks: 1. Dim Sum (probably will have two dim sum meals) a) Kirin b) Shiang Garden (we've enjoyed it in the past) Back-ups: c) Yu d) Jade e) Gingeri 2. Lunch a) Shanghai Wind (especially for xiao long bao) b) Shanghai River (for xiao long bao comparison) c) Top Shanghai Cuisine Restaurant (more xlb and other items) d) Yaohan Plaza - for salmon sushi at Osaka Market (looked good last time, maybe as a snack?) and maybe Curry House e) Richmond Public Market - to try the Xian place, Singapore Gourmet, Beijing-Shanghai Delicacies, and deep-fried Dungeness crab if still available 3. Dinner (in order of preference) a) Sea Harbour (especially for crab w/pumpkin) b) Golden Szechuan (in Richmond) c) Traditional Taiwanese Cuisine d) Shanghai Shin Ya e) Ellie 4. Snacks a) Mak's for wonton soup b) Jeem Jai Gei for wonton soup c) Richmond Night Market (Friday or Saturday night) 5. Other a) Vij's (Sunday night - loved it in the past) b) Chocoatl for hot chocolate c) Westminster Quay We have ambitious goals, so I'm hoping for the following help: 1. Does anyone have addresses for Yu, Jade, and Golden Szechuan (in Richmond, but perhaps with a different name)? Having trouble locating these on the Internet. 2. I know I need reservations for dim sum on the weekend. Do these places serve dim sum during the week? Do any offer discounts for early seating? 3. Are any of the places on my list open for breakfast? That would help us get to more places! 4. Any suggestions on moving any of the choices from lunch to dinner, etc.? 5. Anything interesting food-wise at Westminster Quay? 6. Anything obvious missing from my list? Anything outdated? Opinions about the dim sum choices? Any and all opinions/feedback wanted, welcome - and greatly appreciated!

Are the items you mentioned available at lunch? Or do they do dim sum at lunch?

There's an organ meat restaurant (yakitori-style) I'm anxious to try in Osaka next time I'm traveling there, but for now my search is limited to North America! Anyone with recommendations of any restaurants specializing in organ meats in Vancouver or Richmond? Or, short of that, any organ meat dishes at a particular restaurant that has blown you away? Not looking for high-end dining, but all suggestions welcome - especially Chinese food. Thanks! [For example, Szechuan Chef in Seattle (actually Bellevue) has an amazing dish that has pork blood and intestines, fish, tofu, and vegetables in a fiery red broth that is simply incredible!]

I ate this at Empire about 3 weeks ago. ← I admittedly haven't checked the forum for comments on this restaurant, but how is the rest of the food at Empire?

Glad you went and thanks so much for reporting back - and with photos! Disappointed to hear about the xiao long bao, but thrilled to hear they have that rice cake dish, as it's a favorite of ours. Will still give the xlb a try as we compare it to others in the area. Will post my findings after returning at the end of next week.