Dim Sum or Chinese/Vietnamese Restaurants

[Blue Heron]

The last couple of years we have celebrated new year's day with going out for dim sum in the International District.  Honey Court used to be our favorite place, but I no longer recommend that place.  Does any one have any other suggestions or favorites?  Dim sum would be nice, but if we don't find a good place, we'll probably head out for some Pho instead.  I've been wanting to try Saigon Bistro, anybody been there?

[mamster]

I want to give you a positive answer to this, but I haven't found any dim sum in the I-district that compares to what I've had in Vancouver or New York, or even Portland.  I've heard some of the suburban places are quite good but have never made it out there.  Anyone have an I-district tip I should know about?

[girl chow]

I went with my mother-in-law once to Top Gun in the ID and thought it was great, but I am by no means a dim sum expert. I am, however, a big fan of humboe and thought theirs was super.

And, being a south ender, of course I love the Imperial Garden at the Great Wall Shopping Mall for dim sum. They've got great lobster dumplings and humboe. On a visit last spring, the chef had shaped the dumplings into little chicks, they were almost too adorable to eat.

They also do great fresh fish preparations (plucked right out of the fish tanks in the dining room). One drawback to IG: it's quite a drive to Kent. You could always make a trip out of it and spend some time at the mall, which has a fantastic supermarket called the 99 Ranch that is very similar to Uwajimaya.

As for Saigon Bistro, are you talking about the Saigon Bistro in Uwajamiya Village? I'm pretty sure that's the name of the place I tried in UV. If that's the one, I think they've got great pho, but I was really disappointed in pretty much everything else (including the sandwiches).

[Blue Heron]

Saigon Bistro is up the hill in "Little Saigon" on Jackson St, next to Viet Wah, where I get some of my asian groceries.  Pho Bac is also up there, and I like their pho.  I like trying new places, though, so I'll probably get to Saigon Bistro one of these days and I'll let you know how it was.

I also haven't been to the Great Wall or even the Super Mall yet...I need to take a trip there sometime, I've heard the Imperial Garden is good.

I've also heard Top Gun is good in the ID, and is another place I still need to try.

For chinese barbeque (take out), I can recommend the Kau Kau.  It's one of those places with  ducks in the window.  Delicious barbeque duck, pork and chicken.  One can eat there, but I always order at the take out window.  Their lunch chicken special (chicken, broccoli, rice) is a good deal, and the chicken has a most wonderful flavor (maybe 5 spice, but I haven't been able to duplicate it).

I keep hearing Noble Court in Bellevue has the best dim sum in our area...so perhaps I'll just have to get over that way sometime, too.

[IslandMom]

I've been to Top Gun, and the food is good but the waiters are very surly.  They were semi-decent to us because one member of our party spoke Chinese, but otherwise, well..... I don't think I'd go there again.   I wish I could remember the name of the place I liked.  It's near Honey Court, in the middle of the block.  Something like Dragon Gate or a similar name.  Their food was really good!

[Blue Heron]

Welcome IslandMom.    There is a place called China Gate in the ID near Honey Court...could that be the place you are thinking of?  

On an  unrelated note..  did anyone notice egullet's newest (860) member (boudain)?  (see  mamster's thread on Food & News  re: boudain's new book).  Now I've really got to get that book!

[Blue Heron]

I've got to learn to spell... that should have been bourdain.

[mamster]

Unless you hear something from the Powers That Be, I'd assume it's probably just someone using the name.  I'm guessing the real Bourdain doesn't have time, but I could be wrong.

Oops, just noticed his post.  Guess it is him.

(Edited by mamster at 12:19 pm on Dec. 29, 2001)

[Blue Heron]

We ended up giving Top Gun a try on New Year's Day.  It turned out to be a good choice.  Not only was the Dim Sum excellent, we had good service, too.  There must have been 6 or 7 waitresses/waiters going around with carts and they were very patient with me as I asked what everything was, and gave me some recommendations.  One steered me away from tripe, which I wanted to try saying that the shrimp was much better, etc.  If you go, GC was right, the hum bow was great.   Actually everything we tried was good.  Our favorite was fried prawn sandwiched between 2 slices of fried eggplant, and wonderfully sauced, don't know what it was called.  Also the spareribs were a standout, also a dumpling thing with bay shrimp, pork and spinach (which was better than the dumpling with just shrimp in it).  I need to learn the names of these dim sums, that would be helpful.  I'd also love to try dim sum in SF or Portland sometime.  

[jeffjl]

I think Top Gun Seafood Restaurant is one of the better places, not just for dim sum, but Chinese food in general. Their dim sum is pretty consistently good. And you will find no better food value at 1:30 a.m. And as far as the waiters go, in my experience they've all been really nice and helpful -- they'll steer you away from the not-so-good dishes and toward the better ones. (Also, if you're a fan of Cantonese-style noodle soups, I would recommend you try theirs - they get their noodles from Vancouver (they're made with duck eggs) and they don't have that weird stink that the noodles at other places do.)

Also, according to a neighbor, Honey Court recently hired some hotshot chef from Hong Kong just for their dim sum. I went a couple weeks ago to check out if it was different, and it definitely is. It's very good, and worth checking out. Non-dim sum there, though, is a total crapshoot -- I think the guy was brought in only for dim sum.

I ate at Noble Court in Bellevue a while ago, and remember it being pretty good, if a bit on the pricey side.

Vietnamese food: Saigon Bistro (mentioned above) is pretty awesome, and I defy anyone to find a better value (Ŭ.95 for the coconut chicken? rockin'!). Saigon Pearl, in the Rainier Valley area, has also been suggested to me by more than one of my friends of Vietnamese descent -- I haven't been there myself, though, so I can't say.

[mamster]

I'll have to try the born-again dim sum at Honey Court.  And Jeffjl, welcome to the Pacific Northwest board!  Glad to have you.

If anyone's looking for a good dim sum cookbook, I highly recommend Eileen Yin-Fei Lo's The Dim Sum Dumpling Book, which also serves as a handy reference for the Cantonese names of your favorite pieces--although you'll always end up seeing something at dim sum that isn't in the book.  Her potsticker recipe has made me many friends, including one person who kept scarfing them down while assuring everyone that he didn't really eat pork.

Unfortunately, it's out of print.

[tighe]

...And, being a south ender, of course I love the Imperial Garden at the Great Wall Shopping Mall for dim sum....

Another south end winner from gc! My wife and I had dinner at Imperial Garden on Friday night (though not dim sum) and were very impressed. I don't have a lot of history with Peking Duck, but compared to what I've had, this was far and away the best. In addition to the duck skin, they served a stir-fry dish made with the remaining meat that was excellent. Shrimp spring rolls and fried squid rounded out the meal...

[MsRamsey]

Also, according to a neighbor, Honey Court recently hired some hotshot chef from Hong Kong just for their dim sum. I went a couple weeks ago to check out if it was different, and it definitely is. It's very good, and worth checking out. Non-dim sum there, though, is a total crapshoot -- I think the guy was brought in only for dim sum.

I heard that China Gate got a new hotshot chef as well. Did both places get new hotshot chefs??

mamster, is the book you refer to entitled, "The Dim Sum Book: Classic Recipes from the Chinese Teahouse"? I was just looking at alibris.com for used copies. Unfortunately, bookfinder is down right now.

Edit: I did find the one called "The Dim Sum Dumpling Book." I wish they would put it back in print.