THE BEST: Chinatown Dim Sum

[Babiemindy]

Jing Fong is by far the best I've had in Chinatown (I prefer dim sum in Flushing much more). But if you're in the city, Jing Fong is big and spacious, not overpriced and their variety is not bad either. Otherwise I also like Golden Unicorn on East Broadway.

There's a place next to OTB on Bowery that has good, cheap dim sum. I go there once in a while to pick up breakfast before I go to work on the weekdays. Shrimp Dumplings and a few buns for under $3. You can order it from the lady at the counter for take out, the food is right behind them so you can look and point. Yummy.

[Pan]

Babiemindy, welcome to eGullet, and please give us some recommendations for dim sum in Flushing.

[mikeyrad]

Dim Sum a Go Go has very good dim sum, especially vegetarian offerings.

[Luckylies]

golden unicorn /e. bway(more interesting with very good selection and orginization) or hsf /bowery & canal (always hot, pretty good selection ) I also like mandarin court on mott. good quality but not a very big selection. I've never been to jing fong (never even heard of it) and consider eating dim sum practically a part of my religious structure (hmmm am i lapsed?)

I also tried to start a mongolian hot pot thread. any sinophiles know a good place in nyc for hot pot?

[Suzanne F]

. . . There's a place next to OTB on Bowery that has good, cheap dim sum.  I go there once in a while to pick up breakfast before I go to work on the weekdays.  Shrimp Dumplings and a few buns for under $3.  You can order it from the lady at the counter for take out, the food is right behind them so you can look and point.  Yummy.

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You mean Chatham? We haven't been there in a few years since it took that name (used to be Hop Shing??), but maybe we'll try it again.

HWOE was back at Dim Sum GoGo recently and said it was still very enjoyable. I agree with mikeyrad, the vegetarian dumplings are really good (and beautiful).

[sarashrugs]

We have friends from michigan visiting and dim sum seems like such a good idea but I've always just gone to chinatown and gone to the places that look good enough or i've been with friends who decided where we went. The only place whose name I remember is dum sum a go go and I really liked it but the atmosphere isn't as classic chinatown as i like. I figured this was a great place to find out someplaces that are known for being great.

[Luckylies]

Jing fong and

Golden unicorn

for that big banquet hall chinese dimsum feel

Oriental garden or

Hsf for a more cozy experiance. Perhaps cozy is not the best word, both places are still huge, but these two are too small to hold, say, the summer olympics in.

my personal favorite right now is Jing fong. great variety, never a wait, very good food.

[Pumpkin Lover]

I know this is total heresy here, but: while my folks are in town in May, they want dim sum. Problem is, the only time we'll have to do dim sum is at night. Besides Dim Sum Go Go, what restaurants would you guys recommend for a dumpling dinner at dusk?

[Phatlouie07]

maaan..i forgot the name of this dim sum restaurant in chinatown..all i remember was that it was on the second floor of a mall...they had the best snails in some kind of brown sauce and bbq and steamed chicken feet.

[HungryChris]

We went to Jing Fong on Saturday for a dim sum lunch. I knew it would be awkward because we didn't really know the protocall, but I figured we had to at least get our feet wet. We were seated and accosted (in a good way) by the 'cart people' even before we settled in. In a flash, we had agreed to a fish soup (pretty good, but not great) and 'Beef Balls' (even less tasty than they sound). About that time we were turning everything else away for fear things would get worse. Communication was a real problem, but not an unexpected one. I noticed that other tables had the necessities, like water and menus, but we did not. We left with the feeling that there was probably good food to be had there, but we just didn't know what it was.

Any reccomendations for what is good there?

Cheers,

HC

[Chris Amirault]

feels more "authentic" to me.

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Now there's a topic.

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I agree! Here's the thread.

[jan]

I'm curious what the more unusual dim sum in NY includes. Our best places in SF just keep getting better. Not just the typical dumplings and fried favorites, but carmelized sea bass, bacon wrapped prawns, assorted stuffed mushrooms, gaelic peashoots, scallop rolls, something new every week. Does NY compete with this these days?

[Eric_Malson]

a small, narrow place -- the name of which I've never known -- more or less across the street from Big Wong on Mott. 

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Shun Hop Sing?

I love that place! Sun Hop Sing happens to be my favorite place for dim sum, but not because I've tried all that many (I used to love that place on Doyers--forget the name, but it's got loads of Old New York character, and I'm told moviemakers, such as Woody Allen, shoot in there frequently--but the last time I was there the food I was served was pretty lousy), but because one day I happened across it, and three salient features were enough to win me over:

1) Their stuff just LOOKED good...it didn't apear to have been sitting around forever, and luckily this was borne out in the eating of it--quite tasty!

2) It wasn't ridiculously crowded, and was quite comfortable for perpetually-solo, crowd-hating old me. I've tried to go to Golden Unicorn and Oriental Palace (both of which I hear are quite good) in the past, and just couldn't deal with the teeming hordes of the unwashed masses.

3) It contains in its name the name of the Chinese cook from Gunsmoke (Hop Sing).

[Luckylies]

We went to Jing Fong on Saturday for a dim sum lunch. I knew it would be awkward because we didn't really know the protocall, but I figured we had to at least get our feet wet. We were seated and accosted (in a good way) by the 'cart people' even before we settled in. In a flash, we had agreed to a fish soup (pretty good, but not great) and 'Beef Balls' (even less tasty than they sound). About that time we were turning everything else away for fear things would get worse. Communication was a real problem, but not an unexpected one. I noticed that other tables had the necessities, like water and menus, but we did not. We left with the feeling that there was probably good food to be had there, but we just didn't know what it was.

Any reccomendations for what is good there?

Cheers,

HC

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at Jing Fong a lot of the meal must be taken in "seek and destroy" mode. you kind of have to have yor eyes peeled. Also, bother the cart ladies as they pass you to show you every single thing they have. Don't worry if you don't want there wares, they'll come with something you'll like. As you start to go more frequently you'll get to understand the combinations that the carts carry, adn be able to ask for what you want. I never order off the menu, but also I'm a bit lazy. For dim sum, that's really all I want. Some things that are nice at Jing Fong; the shrimp rice noodle (it's shrimp rolled in a white rice noodle, served in portions of three) it comes with a sauce closely related to worstcher sauce. ask for extra sauce, this is my favorite. Also good, the spare ribs. little mini rib bits in a silky fatty jalepeno sauce. not spicy, just excellent. spring rolls, these are some of the best in chinatown, just make sure they are not the last ones on the cart (that would mean they are cold) the "salt baked" shrimp really fried whole shrimp. also very good when hot. pork sui mai, dark greens in oyster sauce, chicken feet, bacon wrapped shrimp (with dipping mayo), shrimp dumplings, jook (or congee, same dif)

they really don't have alot of roast meats at dimsum perhaps on the menu. also unless you like turnip cakes skip the banquet table.

sorry for the spelling had some tequilla tonight. see you on sunday!

[Pan]

We went to Jing Fong on Saturday for a dim sum lunch. I knew it would be awkward because we didn't really know the protocall, but I figured we had to at least get our feet wet. We were seated and accosted (in a good way) by the 'cart people' even before we settled in. In a flash, we had agreed to a fish soup (pretty good, but not great) and 'Beef Balls' (even less tasty than they sound). About that time we were turning everything else away for fear things would get worse. Communication was a real problem, but not an unexpected one. I noticed that other tables had the necessities, like water and menus, but we did not. We left with the feeling that there was probably good food to be had there, but we just didn't know what it was.

Any reccomendations for what is good there?

Cheers,

HC

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I actually find the beef balls OK. I hope you had them with Worcestershire sauce.

Keeping in mind that this is by no means great food compared to what you can get in places like Malaysia and China, I like their spareribs with black bean sauce, fried scallop/shrimp/chives dumplings, the big plate of shrimps fried with strips of jalapenos, the fried agar agar with waterchestnuts when they have it, and the kaya buns and coconut gelatin for dessert. The vegetable dumplings also are fairly good. That's what occurs to me at the moment.

[Makan King]

I have to agree that the dim sum in Chinatown is tasty but not truly excellent. The dim sum at Jing Fong and Golden Unicorn is tasty and inexpensive, and it is great fun to go there with a big group of friends. But, apart from Dim Sum Go-Go, the dim sum at most of the places mentioned, including Jing Fong and Golden Unicorn, do not have the delicacy and absolute freshness required of dim sum, especially the steamed stuff.

My favorite dim sum place in New York is actually not anywhere near Chinatown. It's Henry's Evergreen on 1st Ave between 69th and 70th Streets.

Of course, I have been away from New York for two years now, so maybe things have changed!

[richw]

golden unicorn /e. bway(more interesting with very good selection and orginization) or hsf /bowery & canal (always hot, pretty good selection ) I also like mandarin court on mott. good quality but not a very big selection. I've never been to jing fong (never even heard of it) and consider eating dim sum practically a part of my religious structure (hmmm am i lapsed?)

I also tried to start a mongolian hot pot thread. any sinophiles know a good place in nyc for hot pot?

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As a tourist when visiting NYC I have found myself at Mandarin court a few times while trying to squeeze in some good food before leaving the city. It's pretty good and usually not packed.

[gaf]

Christmas Joy New York City Entry #46

This being Christmas in New York, orthodox tradition demanded dim sum. Last night we slept with visions of dancing dumplings and steamed buns. Tonight we spin our dreidels. With Jing Fong largely filled with a private party, we walked to Ping, the two-story Cantonese seafood restaurant on Mott Street. Ping is somewhat more sedate, elegant, quieter, and smaller than the larger Hong Kong dim sum halls, but its ambiance was just right.

Ping’s dim sum included suitable renditions of traditional choices (the larger seafood dishes seemed the more creative, but we preferred quantity of selections to quality). As might be expected from the expertise of the kitchen, the choices tended toward fish and shrimp away from pork dishes. Ping does not wheel carts between the closely spaced tables, servers bear trays. There was no disappointment among the buns, dumplings, and rolls, even if they didn’t redefine dim sum. The dish that I will recall was a dessert: coconut balls filled with a runny grey-black center of sweet sesame. The contrasts of rich sweetnesses was a splendid surprise for Christmas noon.

And a Merry Christmas and Hanukah to all. And, if Bill O’Reilly will forgive me, Happy Holidays as well.

Ping Seafood Restaurant

22 Mott Street (near Worth Street)

Manhattan (Chinatown)

212-602-9988

My Webpage: Vealcheeks

[oakapple]

Mario Batali said that there would be no losers when the Michelin New York guide came out—only winners. (His reasoning was that since this is the first guide, no one can "lose" by being de-listed or stripped of a star; there's only upside from being listed, or getting starred.)

Well, one of the winners—for me, at least—was Dim Sum Go Go (5 East Broadway, at Chatham Square), which I tried tonight, mainly because it was the closest Chinatown restaurant in the guide to where I live.

Dim Sum Go Go (originally named that way, because it offered Dim Sum to go) has a funky, but obviously on-the-cheap, interior that's a step above the usual Chinatown décor that comes out of a Hollywood backlot. Most of the people eating there are caucasian, and I'm not sure if that's a bad sign. The restaurant was fairly crowded, but I was seated immediately.

Your server presents two menus, one for dim sum, and one for everything else. The "everything else" menu looks like a typical Chinese menu, while the dim sum menu is a loose sheet of paper. You place your order by checking a box next to the items you want, and a pencil is provided for this purpose. Prices are indicated by Chinese symbols, and you have to find a code at the bottom of the page to interpret them. Individual dim sum orders (3 pieces) are mostly $2.50 or $2.90 at lunch, $3.45 or $3.95 at dinner. You can have a dim sum platter or vegetarian dim sum platter (10 pieces) for $9.95/$10.95. Dumpling soup with Shark Fin is $6.00/$6.95.

I suspected that a dim sum platter wouldn't be enough on its own, so I ordered that plus Duck Dumplings and Pumkin (sic) Cakes. The drawback of the dim sum platter is that you have no idea what you're getting. I recognized shrimp, duck, and stuffed mushroom dumplings. The others were a wild fantasy of colors and shapes, and they were all at least interesting. Several were a bit slippery, and given my mediocre chopstick skills, did not easily make the trip from plate to mouth.

I wouldn't recommend the pumkin cakes for a solo diner. You get three cakes about 4×2×½ inches. It's basically like eating the filling of a pumpkin pie, without the crust. About one of these is enough, before the cloying sweetness of the dish becomes overwhelming. The main menu describes this as a dessert (which I think is more appropriate), but the dim sum menu doesn't indicate this. I wasn't quite full yet, so I ordered a real dessert: Tapioca with Egg Yolk, and this was wonderful.

Service was just adequate. You don't have a server assigned to your table; you just need to flag down one of the "roving" servers. Water was offered only on request, and servers had trouble keeping water glasses full, both at my table and at others. The server who took my initial order was so busy that he didn't even think to ask if I wanted a beverage.

William Grimes awarded one star to Dim Sum Go Go in 2001, and in his view the main menu—which I did not try—is actually superior to the dim sum. I can't judge that, but I'll say that a meal of just dim sum is a bit cloying. Next time, I think I'll do dim sum as an appetizer, and then order another main course.

[philadining]

I had a really enjoyable lunch at Dim Sum Go Go yesterday. I've developed a few favorites over the last few years, so I stuck to those, although there were only two of us, so we didn't get everything I like... But as every time I've been so far, everything was wonderfully fresh and intensely flavorful, rarely needing any sauces, although I really like the ginger-scallion paste they have on the table, along with a sweet dipping sauce and some tiny dried fish. We stuck to the dim sum menu, although there's plenty of good stuff on the regular menu as well. DSGG makes the most elegantly delicate dumplings I've ever had, and they're pretty small, so I can see where they might not be everyone's favorite style, but they are mine...

We had:

Fried Pork Dumplings

Steamed Rice Rolls with Beef

Steamed Snowpea Shoot Dumplings

Steamed Duck Dumplings

Steamed "green" dumplings (filled with slightly sour green vegetables)

Steamed Barbeque Pork Buns

Everything was great, although the duck dumplings and peashoot dumplings were especially tasty.

Edited January 3, 2006 by philadining (log)

[richw]

Steamed Duck Dumplings

I also really enjoyed the duck dumplings I had at DSGG. The place really is spectacular. Kinda hard to find as visitors to NY but worth the trek.

[ulterior epicure]

I'm being semi-forced to tour Chinatown with a couple of friends on a weekend. I figure I best do it on Sunday morning when I could conveniently catch dim sum while I'm at it... any recommendations?

Thanks!

u.e.

[edited to add: I guess I should clarify - it need not be dim sum (it only seemed logical) - any other great (I'm assuming) Chinese restaurant recommendations would be welcomed]

Edited March 22, 2006 by ulterior epicure (log)

[HVRobinson]

I'm being semi-forced to tour Chinatown with a couple of friends on a weekend.  I figure I best do it on Sunday morning when I could conveniently catch dim sum while I'm at it... any recommendations?

Thanks!

u.e.

[edited to add: I guess I should clarify - it need not be dim sum (it only seemed logical) - any other great (I'm assuming) Chinese restaurant recommendations would be welcomed]

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Love to be of help, but-- WHICH Chinatown? San Francisco? New York? Los Angeles? Vancouver? HONG KONG? Lots of Chinatowns to go to...

hvr

[ulterior epicure]

I'm being semi-forced to tour Chinatown with a couple of friends on a weekend.  I figure I best do it on Sunday morning when I could conveniently catch dim sum while I'm at it... any recommendations?

Thanks!

u.e.

[edited to add: I guess I should clarify - it need not be dim sum (it only seemed logical) - any other great (I'm assuming) Chinese restaurant recommendations would be welcomed]

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Love to be of help, but-- WHICH Chinatown? San Francisco? New York? Los Angeles? Vancouver? HONG KONG? Lots of Chinatowns to go to...

hvr

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Sorry, I was assuming that since this was posted on the New York forum, it was understood that I meant Chinatown, New York City...

u.e.

[beayang]

Try Golden Unicorn on East Broadway or Jing Fong on Elizabeth. Get there early - 11 am would be ideal.