Charlotte Chowdown - Dim Sum - Big Fun!
Saturday we had our 2nd Charlotte chowdown. This time we had lunch at Dim Sum Restaurant on Central Ave. We had a big group, 17 of us, and it was great food and conversation.
I think we tried just about everything they had to offer - minus the tripe. Ha! A local dim sum expert emailed me her favorite dishes (see below):
"Ha Gow - Shrimp dumplings
Shiu Mai - open faced steamed pork dumplings
Seeu Lung Bao - Steamed "soup" dumplings - pork dumplings with a bit of soup enclosed
Cha Shiu Bao - roast pork buns, available baked or steamed. We prefer the baked although the steamed is good but doughier. Some people say this is the Chinese equivalent of a hamburger.
Crispy Taro Shreds with Shrimp Paste Stuffing
Sliced Roast Pork
Leek Dumplings - Pan-fried leek and shrimp dumplings
Steamed Leek Dumplings - Steamed shrimp and leek dumplings
Stuffed Eggplants - Steamed eggplant with shrimp stuffing
"Shark Fin" Dumplings (no longer made with shark fins) - Dumplings with pork stuffing
Lo Bot Go - steamed turnip and rice powder "cake" which are then pan fried. We usually ask for these to be fried extra crisp
I don't know your tastes or how adventurous you are but the only two really exotic items I can think of right now are the chicken feet and tripe - both are very good if you are into such exotic fare."
Chinese are not known for their desserts. The only two I order once in a while are the coconut peanut butter baked buns or the steamed egg sponge cakes.
My personal faves were the shrimp-stuffed eggplant, the baked roast pork buns and the sticky rice with duck. And the coconut peanut butter buns were so good too.
We were getting stuffed and relaxing and then I realized they never brought any chicken feet! We quickly asked a server and a moment later she rolled a cart over and dished out some chicken feet. Several of us tried them, but ickymettle takes the cake for finished his foot! Godfather hadn't intended to try them I think, but once he saw me go for them he couldn't be "shown up" by a girl - ha! They were good, but too difficult to eat. There are lots of tiny bones. I had watched a youtube video the night before and learned that you bite off the toes at the knuckles and spit the bones back out. There is no meat, only cartilage and skin, batter and sweet sauce (they are fried - see pic below). I almost forgot to mention Friek shared a jellyfish dish with us. It was long, rubbery flat strands of jellyfish tossed in a sweet dressing with veggies. It was actually pretty tasty and I'd eat it again.
It was a great time and we're all looking forward to our next chowdown. Please email me (lynnlato@gmail.com)where you think we should go and we'll narrow it down to three and do a final vote. Some of us hope to try more adventurous fare, rather than pizza, burgers, etc. One chowhound suggested we look into visiting one of the local culinary schools for lunch if they offer it. I thought that was an interesting idea. But majority rules so bring it on!
By lynnlato
on Feb 9, 2009 07:42 AM
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Oops, forgot to attach the photo.
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We had a great time! Definitely my two favorites were the Shiu Mai and the steamed leek dumplings. I hadn't planned on the chicken feet but after GFL and lynnlato accepted my offering of jellyfish (despite me saying the consistency was like tripe, but snappier) I really couldn't say no when they offered the feet. Not much to say about the feet but I was really surprised by how much I liked the jellyfish. As my wife said "I really hate them in the ocean, so I might as well eat them!"
We will definitely be there for the next chowdown, no matter where it takes place.
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The jellyfish mostly tasted like the sesame oil it was dressed with, so I liked it! I love tripe so the jelly fish did not scare me. The nice crunch was a bonus. The chicken feet on the other hand, this I never aspired to eat. What can I say? I don't have a foot fetish, but Lynnlato is right, if she could "man up" I guess I had to bite the bullet or foot as the case mat be. Turns out not a bad taste at all, just very boney and not much to eat. I have to admit now that I have tried it I don't need to have any more chicken feet. Now the jellyfish on the other hand may become a part of my dim sum repertoire.
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Jellyfish has no taste so they always mix it with soy and sesame oil, I like it too....like chewing on rubber bands.
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I found it crunchy like a crisp vegetable, not at all chewy. It was my first time having this so I have no point of comparison. Would the preparation effect chewiness?
I find Escargot similar as far as they have no taste themselves, rather the taste comes from the sauce (garlic butter) used in the preparation.
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When you say crunchy and crisp celery comes to mind. I tell people who are afraid to eat it, it's like chewing on a rubber band. There's nothing like that texture though. I love the nutty taste of sesame oil, so anything it's on is great to me. I never had jellyfish that didn't have that texture, and I'm sure there's room for error in overcooking.
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Yea, I didn't mind the texture at all. I didn't find it off-putting. But, tripe - ugh. That texture is enough to send me over the edge.
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Nice to know they serve soup dumplings now at Dim Sum. Pretty sure that was not the case many years ago when I visited.
Dessert-wise, the thing I learned to crave on a visit to China was a steamed bun filled with yellow egg custard. My second favorite Chinese dessert is fried sesame balls with red bean filling. I'd be interested in knowing if Dim Sum serves either of these.
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Hi Jon, the "expert" that I referred to in the OP said that they do have egg custard tarts but that Dim Sum Restaurant adds coconut flavoring to theirs which is not to her liking. She prefers the basic egg custard like those that they have at Tin-Tin.
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Yes, they do have the sesame balls with the bean paste. We were all so stuffed no one ordered any deserts, but they always do serve it.
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GFL, we had the coconut-peanutbutter buns. I don't think u tried them, but Mrs. GFL did. They were yummy. :)
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Hey, ya know, In the heat of battle I got confused. You are absolutely correct, in fact I had and enjoyed these coconut peanutbutter buns. It was the sesame buns we did not have. Usually these are a Mrs. G. favorite. Maybe next time. :)
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