The portions were unexpectedly much larger compared to other dim sum places (the price is also proportionately high). The mistake that we made was the menu had two sides - one side with small, medium, large dishes and the other with fusion dishes. As there is no price anywhere on the menu, we did not realize that the "fusion dishes" were akin to entree size (~$15 each). I appreciated that each menu item had pictures (which made ordering a lot easier), but I would have liked smaller dishes for cheaper prices especially for dim sum.
Food I've tried:
- TEA ($1 per person): when you enter the restaurant, they ask you what type of tea you would like. I was surprised to see that on the bill they had charged us for the tea per person, as tea is usually complementary at dim sum restaurants and water was not a viable option (see my note below in the "service" section). The tea itself was very standard.
- STEAMED SHRIMP DUMLING ($6.25): very standard shrimp dumplings. The skin was thin, with the right amount of chewiness.
- PORK AND SHRIMP SHUMAI ($6.25): again, very standard shumai with the appropriate amount of seasoning.
- SPRING ROLLS WITH OYSTER SAUCE ($6.25): same as the shumai and dumpling, as expected flavors.
- STEAMED SHRIMP RICE ROLLS ($6.25): flavor wise it was delicious as expected, though the rice rolls were slightly thicker than I would have liked it to be.
- FRIED TURNIP CAKE ($5.25): good turnip cakes with a crispy shell and soft interior, well seasoned.
- CRISPY PORK INTESTINES ($15.95): I normally am a fan of intestines, but this dish was way too fatty. It basically felt like a crispy shell around a ball of pure fat. I could not eat more than 2 piece, which was unfortunate as this dish was very large.
- MARINATED JELLY FISH ($15.95): jellyfish was appropriately cooked, and the seasoning was well done.
- YO CHOY WITH OYSTER SAUCE ($11.95): standard yo choy dish, perfectly cooked with the right amount of seasoning.
Atmosphere:
- Very large hall with many tables. You order individually at the table rather than using the customary carts.
- Normally this restaurant is very, very busy. I visited during non peak times, so the hall was very quiet.
Service:
- Pretty sparce, and at times it was difficult to get the attention of the staff.
- Very minor point and perhaps I am being too picky, but when I asked for cold water (yes, it's not the conventional choice with dim sum) the staff looked very confused/almost horrified? I asked 3 waiters over the course of 1 hour for water and never got any. I had to settle for eating the extremely hot foods accompanied by the scalding tea.
Overall:
- Very standard dim sum flavors. As stated above, I would have preferred smaller quantities for a cheaper price.
