Kon Chau

Duck Ramen

Duck Ramen, all gone

Shu Mai

BBQ Pork

Chinese Broccoli

Pork Dumplings

Duck Ramen half gone

Little hole in the wall place serving authentic Chinese food & dim sum near Tropical Park.

We visited on a Sunday afternoon for a dim sum feast with a friend.




What we had:

Shrimp in rice noodles--soft, pillowy, everything you want in shrimp noodles.

Duck ramen--fatty, with crispy skin and flavorful broth.

BBQ pork--tender slices of pork with the appropriate amount of sticky and sweet.

Chinese broccoli--not on the regular menu, but great. Broccolini cooked almost al dente with a nice garlic bath.

Fried taro--interesting pillowy fried balls coated with very thin bird's nest looking bits. Interesting texture; nice taste.

Pork shu mai--unexpectedly flavorful. Shu mai is usually dense and vaguely flavorless; these were bursting with Ginger and scallion.

Fried pork dumplings--always a favorite, these did not disappoint.

Fried pork and sticky rice dumplings--these came as a surprise, and were really good, albeit prone to becoming airborne. None of us were sure what they were at first (we had ordered the non-fried version but canceled the order because they were out), so I gamely took the first bite. Upon turning the dumpling around to show the table what it was, somehow my dumpling became airborne and landed with a thwack! on the table. Always good for comic relief, I am.


Décor:

Like I said, it's a hole in the wall, with minimal decor and a paneled ceiling.


Service:

Not bad. We never felt ignored, and got our food as it was prepared. You can tell that dim sum is what these guys do on the weekends and their typical clientele isn't going to put up with any crap.


Overall impressions:

This place was great, slightly better even than Tropical Chinese. We ate with a friend and the entire bill was under $40.

Also of note, though the main bulk of the clientele was Chinese with representations of other Asian cultures, we were not the only round eyes in attendance. We also didn't feel bullied or like the service was intentionally shoddy, like a few other caters-to-Asians-only dim sum houses I have been to (most notably, a little hole in the wall in New York City's China Town). Though I doubt they want to hold your hand through the menu, everyone is welcome.


Rating:

4 out of 5 salamanders