Saturday, November 29, 2008

Dim Sum Delights



It seems to me that few things in life are finer than discovering new foods that are delicious. Such was the case for Peter and I when we tried Dim Sum in Hong Kong. I'd had Dim Sum before- a long time ago I admit- and all I really remember is chicken feet. And chicken feet that tasted weird at that.

Nevertheless, Peter and I decided to give this thing a shot. And holy cow, I'm glad we did! It was an absolute revelation. However, like most good things in life, it took some work to find it. We were looking for a particular place called Maxim's. The guide book put us close, but failed to mention that this restaurant was INSIDE City Hall on the THIRD floor and didn't open until 11am. We managed to walk the entire way around the building before asking a security guard where it was. We then found our way inside and eventually figured out it was upstairs. Only then did we find out it didn't open for another half hour. At this point, I was so hungry that I was about ready to eat my own arm off and was ready to bail on this whole deal. However, Peter wisely suggested that we stay and at least check it out.

A half hour later we sit down and immediately ladies pushing carts piled full of small, piping hot bamboo boxes descend upon us. They open up the little boxes for us, revealing their mysterious and delectable contents. We point, not really knowing at what. She lifts a plate of pale, slimy looking noodle pockets with shrimp inside onto our table and pours two different dark sauces on them. We have nothing left to do but try them. After the first bite, Peter and I look at each other with excited, incredulous grins. This tastes AMAZING! More carts, more little dumplings, more delicious flavors. We even try some fried squid tentacles (which aren't too bad) and continue to stuff ourselves with little bits of Chinese goodness. Pork buns, shrimp pockets, stir fried pork, sesame-covered donuts filled with sweet red bean and tasty tea to wash it all down! And did I mention the views of Hong Kong harbor? Yeah, it was fun.


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2 comments:

Red CANARY said...

This sounds amazing. I am jealous. Don't forget to tell someone. "Ni baba mama shenti hao ma."

Rod Hugen said...

Dim Sum is a favorite. I used to go to a place on Alvernon and enjoy it years ago when I would visit Tucson and still lived in Phoenix. The problem was that those nice people who spoke really poor English would tell you what you were eating and how much it cost, but not in a way that you could actually understand so you couldn't order it again and when you got the bill, you would be amazed at what it had all cost. Despite the price, I always went back...