On my last day, we hit went to dim sum at Xiao Nan Guo in the Times Square Mall. It was probably a good sign that Doug, Kenwyn and Esme were the only gweilo (white people) in the restaurant.
I let Doug and Kenwyn do the ordering, and they didn't let me down. I've learned that eating a sitdown meal with an 8-year old and a 4-year old can be an unpleasant situation, but they did a masterful of bribing them. The older child needed to eat from three of the dishes and the younger one had to eat two. In return? They got to play with their Nintendo DS's. Genius parenting! If I ever have children, I'll remember this.
OK, the food. Awesome.
My favorite dish was the soup dumplings. I haven't had these since living in New York and eating at Joe's Shanghai (a place I frequented often). At the end of the day, soup dumplings, dumplings filled with so much juice, you eat them by placing them on a ramen spoon, nibble a bit of the casing away to suck down the juice, before swallowing down the rest, are probably my favorite Chinese dish. I have yet to find them in Seattle. If anyone knows where I can get them, please let me know!
Here's a quick rundown of the other food we sucked down:
Not sure what to call this other than "crispy little fish." This is some sort of deep fried little fish, served like potato chips. Up close, they kind of look like little sperm. Kenwyn was a little off-put by the eyes, but I kind of like them. Gives them personality, you know?
Bok Choy. I have to admit, I have a really hard time eating bok choy. When eating it in a restaurant, I often preface my first bite by saying "just so know, at some point while eating this, I may stick my fingers down my throat to remove the stringiness before it chokes me." I enjoy the taste of bok choy, but Lord do I have problems eating it.
These barbecue pork buns were really good. The barbecue pork itself was excellent, but what really set them apart was the bun. Moist, yet flaky, they were topped with a sugar to provide some crunch and offset the saltiness of the meat. However, some may find the sugar a little strange or off-putting.
Roast Pork. As you know from my Kau Kau addiction, I love roast pork. From the salty crisp skin to the succulent, juicy pork itself, I can't get enough of it. Kau Kau is probably my favorite International District restaurant because of the roast pork. But, this roast pork is even better for one reason: it's not as salty. This was perfect roast pork.
The shrimp dumplings and chicken dumplings get a dual post. I love dumplings. Again, I haven't really excellent dumplings here in Seattle. You would think it wouldn't be an issue, so I think I just haven't searched hard enough. It's not like I live in Chinatown, or anything. The dumplings served here, like the rest of the food, were really good.
Shrimp Shumai. Shumai is kind of a staple in Hawaii. You can pick it up at 7-11 from the 'hot box' like you would a hot dog here on the mainland. But this shumai is on a completely different level. It's like comparing an AM/PM hamburger with Shake Shack. Lightly fried, to provide a crisp bottom, and juicy and moist in the middle, the dumpling is then topped with caviar to provide a little saltiness. It's a perfect little bite.
I'm so glad I didn't escape Hong Kong without experiencing a first class dim sum meal.
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