Dim Sum - Chinese dumplings, and other alacarte items

To the locals in Hawaii and the Chinese in the mainland, dim sum is a house hold word, but to my surprise for many its a mystery. When I was in Seattle majority of my cook friends haven't had the opportunity to try dim sum, so I figured it would be a good idea to post something about it (we eventually ate it by the way and they loved it).

To the outsider dim sum may seem intimidating because everyone is pushy and customer service, at least the last time I checked, is not the same as European/American customer service. Waiters in dim sum houses get straight to the point, or they tend to ignore you if your not assertive. To give you a better idea what its like here is a vid of Bourdain at a dim sum house in Hong Kong.

If you don't feel comfortable with the whole idea of dim sum, my best advice is to go with a friend that knows what to order and how to order it. If all of your friends don't know what is going on, stick with the basics, cha sui bow (steamed buns with pork) and pork shumai (pork dumplings), is a safe bet. You can never go wrong with these.

Seattle has a dim sum place I really liked, but at times it can be super crowded. It's called Jade Garden and located in Seattle's Chinatown, (aka International District).  As always, don't order things that you don't think look fresh or good. Ask the cart people what they have, they will show you and pick what you want, don't worry about telling them "no thank you" (they get a little pushy at times). I always liked the dumplings stuffed with shrimp or scallops, their cha sui bows, rice steamed in lotus leaves, shumai and chinese brocolli with oyster sauce.  Watch when things come out of the kitchen door, that's when items are at their peak of freshness.

If your adventure some, try the chicken feet, its super delicious. Don't eat the bones, just gnaw around them, it basically taste like chicken fat stewed in five spice and some kind of hosin/beancurd sauce. I know that it sounds bizzare, but if you like chewy bacon, you'll love this. 

Happy eating!

Jade garden in Seattle