Dim Sum in Seattle

[Terrasanct]

I'll be visiting Seattle in October and wanted to know the best place for dim sum. North of Seattle is fine, too. Thanks. I'm from that area but I haven't lived there for a long time, so I know things have changed.

[daves]

Is Richmond, BC too far north? Sorry to be the bearer of this news, but I've recently seen the light. Seattle dim sum just doesn't compare to what we just had in Richmond at Sun Sui Wai.

[Terrasanct]

BC is too far, but there must be some decent dim sum in Seattle. Remember, I live in Billings, Montana. My standards may not be as high as some.

[cupcakequeen]

is there any place in seattle that makes shanghai juicy buns or any kind of soup buns?

[kiliki]

Terrasanct, I'm not a dim sum expert but I've repeatedly heard that Imperial Garden, in the Great Wall Mall in Tukwila, is the place to go.

[tighe]

Imperial Garden is my 'go-to' place for dim sum as well. I haven't had better anywhere in Seattle.

[Terrasanct]

Thanks for the information. I'll be taking my mom, and neither of us has had dim sum. I've read a bit on how to order it, but would someone enlighten me just in case I've forgotten?

[cburnsi]

Imperial Garden is my 'go-to' place for dim sum as well.  I haven't had better anywhere in Seattle.

←

I work in Kent and go to Imperial Garden once a month or more. I was there last week with a group from work. I have to say, not the best or even in the running for the best I've had, even in Seattle. It used to be great and occasionally (but not at lunch) is still quite good, but overall I'd say the haven't been able to keep up with the crowds and they've fallen off quite a bit.

The food we could get was decently prepared, there isn't much that is unusual or much better than even the most mundane place in the ID. There not only isn't much selection at lunch time, there isn't much food. Only one cart at any given time and occasionally someone walking around with a tray. Definetely don't sit in the back right corner (looking into the rest. from the front door), anything on the carts except maybe sui mai and char sui bao will be gone by the time the carts reach you.

I'd sooner go to House of Hong, China Gate, Noble Court or Top Gun in Bellevue -because at Imperial Garden, I'm still waiting in hope of steamed lobster dumplings, garnished with fish roe, and small crocks of exotic seafood soup with shark's fin. (paraphrased from The Times). All this is making me homesick for Yank Sing back in San Francisco

[Terrasanct]

Do the places you mention have Dim Sum? I'm not sure if I'm a big fan of Bellevue, though...

[elicia]

Honey Court (Honey Court Seafood , (206) 292-8828, 516 Maynard Ave S, Seattle 98104 ) is our favorite for both dim sum and dinner. i've brought my visiting family here (we're chinese-american, and even my mom likes this place a lot!)

we've eaten at Imperial Garden, House of Hong for dim sum, its' "ok". we've driven all the way to BC, and was underwhelmed by the dimsum there. we've had dinner at many other restaurants in the ID, but wouldnt choose them for dim

sum.

you can order off the menu, but its much more fun to let the ladies with the carts show you what they have. dont be intimidated when they set items down you didnt ask for, just say NO, thank you! theres a pocket guide & flash cards to Dim Sum by Kit Shan Li if you're worried about what to order. i'm tempted to get the book, since my cantonese is so rusty, that the waitresses often just speak to me in english...

have fun!

[cburnsi]

Do the places you mention have Dim Sum?  I'm not sure if I'm a big fan of Bellevue, though...

←

No problem, you can find decent Dim Sum in the ID. I forgot about Honey Court, that is a good choice, too. The other two places I mentioned are also in that part of town, China Gate and House of Hong. Any would be good choices for you and your Mom. Although I don't tend to go there much myself, I've found House of Hong very convenient and easy. They have a parking lot (big plus) and the decorating is much nicer than the other two restaurants.

To answer your earlier question about ordering, they'll just bring carts of food around and you can point and smile if you find you're having a language barrier. The person pushing the cart should open all the tops on the containers that she thinks may interest you - you may never know the names. You can also order off of the regular menu, which is a good way to supplement your meal if you don't find the carts compelling.

Most everything is pork or shrimp - okay that is an exageration, but pretty close to the truth! Chronicle Books puts out a little book that is very helpful, especially for conversing with the women pushing the carts, as it has pictures, common american names and description, phonetic pronunciation of the chinese names, and the chinese spelling.

Good luck, I hope you have a good meal!

[BaconFat]

I'll be visiting Seattle in October and wanted to know the best place for dim sum.  North of Seattle is fine, too.  Thanks.  I'm from that area but I haven't lived there for a long time, so I know things have changed.

←

I've really enjoyed the dim sum at Jeem in the Overlake area in Bellevue. Excellent dumplings: Shark fin, Shu-mai, etc. They do fried squid like none I've ever had.

Jeem

[daves]

Wow -- haven't heard of Jeem 'til now. We liked Wild Ginger in the mid 90s (in the old location), and we've been disappointed with it afterwards. Perhaps coincidence that Jeem Lock left around that time?

We'll be heading to Jeem pretty soon to try it out.

[Placebo]

I'll have to give Honey Court a try as I now live across the street from it. Mm.. dim sum...

[SeaGal]

A group of us went to King's Chinese Restaurant (aka Ming's) in Bellevue awhile back and had a some really nice dim sum.

Here's a link to check out the responses: Dim Sum

Address is: 13200 Ne 20th St, Ste 4, Bellevue

[cburnsi]

Wow -- haven't heard of Jeem 'til now.  We liked Wild Ginger in the mid 90s (in the old location), and we've been disappointed with it afterwards.  Perhaps coincidence that Jeem Lock left around that time?

We'll be heading to Jeem pretty soon to try it out.

←

I've tried Jeem as well and liked it. It's the preferred choice for Dim Sum for one of my eastside chums.

If you ever get to China Gate for Dim Sum be sure to check out the salt and pepper prawns. The best prep around. Yum!

[seattlemary]

I would not recommend China Gate anymore - I used to enjoy that place, although not as much as Imperial Garden and places in Bellevue.

I took my father-in-law yesterday and it was pretty poor. It was a weekday and the place was almost empty. The Cheong Fun (long rice paper shaped almost like a eggroll but not fried around shrimp) was some of the worst I've had in a LONG time. The Chinese Broccoli was luke warm. The shrimp rolls tasted kind of gummy as did another steamed dumpling with rice paper.

We ordered a bowl of WonTon for my father in law who is not really into dim sum, and it was pretty flavorless and cost $8. The only good thing was the Hum Bow.

So....

Seattle Mary

[Susansea2003]

Don't be afraid of the Eastside - Noble Court and Top Gun are both favorites of ours for dim sum.

Closer to home, though, we like Honey Court and we're also fans of Jade Garden. Jade Garden is a bit on the shabby side decor-wise, and the waits for a table are long during prime dim sum hours on weekends. But if you go in on the early side (say 10:30ish) and then stay until the interesting stuff starts coming out (after 11), you can avoid some of the longest waits.

[Abra]

I'm another vote for Noble Court, and now I want to try Honey Court, since it's much closer for us.

Not that I do this myself, but it's traditional to first select and eat the steamed dishes, and then the fried. You'll notice that they're on different carts, steamed, and fried. Also, the thing to be careful of is not to order everything you see at first. They'll keep bringing more stuff, new and different stuff, and it's a shame to fill up at the beginning and then see something really enticing just when you have no more room.

[skyflyer3]

My vote's for Imperial Garden - I've always thought Honey Court was too greasy, as was China Gate, and Noble Court overpriced. I ate at Imperial Garden last Friday, and it was great. I've also heard good things about Top Gun in Bellevue. My go-to dim sum place, though, is Kirin in Vancouver.

[rockdoggydog]

Stay away from Top Gun in Bellevue for the love of Odin! The food is okay but the sanitation leaves so much to be desired. I feel like I need a shot to eat there, not that I would ever go there again. Too many dead floaters in the live tanks, dirty plate, dirty utensils, and sticky tables.

Rocky

[ScorchedPalate]

I second what Rocky said about Top Gun in Bellevue, right down to the last filthy plate.

Ditto SkyFlyer's rec on Kirin... I miss it so. <sigh>

Edited October 6, 2005 by ScorchedPalate (log)

[tighe]

Ditto SkyFlyer's rec on Kirin... I miss it so. <sigh>

←

Will everyone stop talking about Kirin before I have to get in my car and start driving!!

[jchoi]

Perhaps you've already completed your trip, but here's my two cents, anyway.

I, too, used to enjoy Imperial Garden for dim sum, but I have found that over the last year, the food at that restaurant in general has been very inconsistent. It used to be our first choice for chinese, but I can say with certainty that the last five times I've eaten there have been disappointing and unsatisfying meals.

My husband ended up sitting next to a man at lunch a week ago. He does fresh fish deliveries to restaurants, primarily Asian, I believe, and he said that the best dim sum is Jade Garden. I think I'm going to try it out myself this week.

[tighe]

I was actually referring to driving up to Vancouver to have dim sum at Kirin, unfortunately that didn't materialize.

Maybe my taste in Chinese food simply isn't discriminating enough, but I just haven't noticed a significant drop in quality at IG since the management change. Some things are different, but not necessarily worse. Both with dim sum and on the regular menu, there are dishes that weren't previously offered, that I have really enjoyed. Maybe I've just been lucky.