Why do things always seem to catch on more quickly on the west coast?
According to LA Times writers Charles Perry and Linda Burum, Bitter Melon is a new, hot, not to miss food fad at several Los Angeles dim sum cafes. Read on!
....
Don't miss these Chinese nibbles
Navigating dim sum menus at restaurants without carts can seem
tricky for those accustomed to simply pointing to what looks good and
continuing to order and eat until satisfied. If there is a menu, is it
best to order in flights? Or should you order everything at once but
count on the restaurant to handle the pacing? Though it's tempting to
order all at once (these places can be so frantically busy), if you do,
you risk having all the dishes appear at the same time, in which case
they'll get cold. Instead, order maybe a third of what you want, then
summon the waiter when you're almost ready for more. Save the sweets
for last.
Here are some new-style dim sum not to miss:
Bitter melon ball. The faintly bitter green wrapper
contrasts with a sweet sesame filling. Beguiling, sophisticated and
even faintly addictive. Sea Harbour Seafood, $3.20.
Hollow stem vegetables (water spinach). On their own, these earthy-tasting greens are good, but dipped in the silky fermented bean curd
sauce that accompanies them, they're outstanding. New Concept, $4.98.
Scallops and shrimp in spinach pastry. A delicate seafood shiu mai with a bright green wrapper and a topping of shark's fin and crunchy masago (capelin) roe. A gorgeous symphony of textures. New Concept, $3.98.
Shrimp balls in spring roll pastry. The seafood is rolled in strips of paper-thin pastry, which fry up as crisp "hair." The texture is lovely. Ocean Star, $2.90.
Three-layer squares. A light, refined dessert of
orange-strawberry gelatin dotted with tart wolfberries and layered with
coconut. Sea Harbour, $1.98.
Almond-crusted taro balls. A luscious, creamy lotus
seed filling flows out of a baked taro pastry when you bite into it;
it's all covered in toasted almond slices. Ocean Star, $2.90.
Tofu custard topped with dried scallops. Mounds of
tofu are so luxuriously soft, it's hard to pick this up with
chopsticks. Contrasted with the intensely flavored dried scallop on
top, it's spectacular. 888 Seafood, $2.80.
...
Excerpt from the article "Real Fireworks," January 26, 2005. To read the entire article, go to:
http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/food/la-fo-dimsum26jan26,1,6167620.story?page=1&coll=la-headlines-pe-food
Recent Comments