Dim Sum – mmm-yoso

$5.99 Dim Sum at Hong Kong Kitchen & Dimsum

June 30, 2026 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum

I was driving past Hong Kong Kitchen & Dimsum a couple of weeks ago, when I noticed a new banner posted. Apparently, they now feature $5.99 Dim Sum during weekdays. Now, if you had mentioned $5.99 Dim Sum to me, say two years ago I would have laughed……but with prices these days…well, it’s now a relatively good price.

So, when the Missus was wanting some Chinese food recently; I talked Her into a revisit.

We arrived a bit after the 10am opening time and the place was quite empty….but it did fill up pretty quickly.

We were provided several menus, along with the dim sum laminated one, where you indicated what dishes you wanted. I quickly noticed that the dim sum item I thought was the best, the Scallop Dumplings were….I guess obviously not listed. We marked off the items we wanted to try.

We also got the Two Item Chinese BBQ ($24) as well.

And soon enough, items started arriving.

First off, the Jellyfish Salad.

This was nice and crunchy, rather refreshing, but was severely under-seasoned. After a few bites we ended up taking this home, chilling it well, than added black vinegar, chili crisp, and sesame oil which helped it a lot.

The Shrimp Cheong Fun was on the chewy side.

And the sauce seemed watered down. The shrimp was plump and tender though.

The Missus was looking forward to the chicken feet.

And you can tell by the color, right? While the texture, decently tender with crunchy cartlidgey parts, was fine, it was also quite bland.

Other than the now defunct Scallop Dumplings, the Pork and Shrimp Siu Mai were our favorite dim sum item we had on previous visits. And while it was on the chewier side, this was still the best dim sum item we had on this visit.

You could actually make out a light shrimp flavor, good porkiness as well. Pretty dense overall and the wrapper was a bit chewy, but the overall umami reigned supreme.

What was probably our least favorite item was the Shrimp Har Gow, which had also shrunk in size from we’d had before.

The wrapper was really thick and chewy and the flavor was on the fishy side as well.

We had made our way thru all the dim sum and even had to wait a bit longer for the two item barbeque plate. The woman working was very nice and apologetic, telling the Missus that we’d be getting the roast duck made “fresh”.

We tried the Char Siu first. Man, it was so hard, dry, and chewy….almost like jerky.

You can tell by the photo. It was also lacking in flavor, just a bit of sweetness, no five spice tones, weak savory flavor. Not good.

The woman working wasn’t lying when she said we’d enjoy the roast duck though. As the fat had been nicely rendered, the skin crisp, great flavors.

Nicely aromatic, decent anise and savory tones.

The meat was quite tender, full of that duck flavor. This was a nice surprise and as far as we’re concerned was worth the wait. We only regretted that we didn’t order a a half duck!

So, this was an interesting visit. The dim sum was, as a whole, meh…..but that roast duck was probably the best we’ve had in a while! So, we’ll probably return to have the regular menu and some duck. It’ll be interesting to see if having it just done fresh makes a difference if we come later in the day!

Hong Kong Kitchen & Dim Sum
5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Daily 10am – 9pm

Dim Sum from Diamond Palace in Photos

March 29, 2026 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum

We’re currently out on the road with JJ, but I thought I’d share some photos from a recent visit to Diamond Palace with the Missus. While DP is our current favorite Dim Sum in San Diego; it comes with a matching price tag…even more expensive than the recently opened Hong Kong Kitchen & Dim Sum which is in Kearny Mesa! Since I’d done a pretty recent post; I’ll keep the verbiage to a minimum.

Anyway, as before, it was all the stuffs with shrimp that hit the spot…in fact, most everything we ordered had shrimp.

The Pan Fried Shrimp and Chive Cake was much better this time around. The wrapper was tender with a bit of crunch and pull, but wasn’t overly chewy. Great shrimp and light pungency-oniony tones.

For us, the Shrimp Siu Mai is a favorite.

Lot’s of plump, oceany-savory-sweet shrimp. Mild crunch……the wrapper was fairly tender.

The wrapper on the Har Gow is still a bit too thick, but the shrimp makes up for it.

A new favorite is the Shrimp and Chive Crystal Dumplings.

Now, the 64,000 dollar question……what did this cost? Can you guess? I guess this is where they would cue up the countdown song in Jeopardy?

Well, can you imagine…$75 for dim sum? Ouch! I mean, this is Diamond Palace, not Sea Harbour? But such are prices these days!

Diamond Palace
3993 54th St.
San Diego, CA 92105

I know “FOY” Dereck was interested in checking this place out. I’m wondering if you made it here yet?

Hong Kong Kitchen & Dimsum Opens Part 2

March 8, 2026 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum

So, in part 1 of my posts on the newly opened Hong Kong Kitchen & Dim Sum, I went over two visits, that were basically solo because the Missus just didn’t think the place was worth a visit. So, after some not so bad food, I thought the Missus would be all for a visit. Well, She was not! Calvin however, whom I hadn’t had lunch with in a while was up for it! So we met right at the 10am opening time. Seems that Calvin, who lives in Scripps Ranch and has roots in the SGV has been down on the d-sum North of the 8 in town for a while. So, I thought we’d have some fun….he’d pick 4 dim sum items and I’d go with two mains and we’d have some fun.

So, in terms of the dim sum, in ranking from first to worst.

Scallop Dumplings ($9.50). These were by far the best items I’ve had at HK Kitchen thus far.

The wrappers were adequately thick, with a nice mild stretch to them. The scallops were tender and sweet; this was quite good.

Second was the Siu Mai, which I covered in my previous post. This was even better as you can clearly see….

The filling much more tender, decent savory-porky tones, the wrapper tender as well.

Took a bit into the Cheong Fun ($8.50) that Calvin ordered and went “what the heck”? Calvin had ordered the Char Siu version. I guess I expected the shrimp version.

So this was a bit too sweet for my taste. The rice roll was fine; perhaps a bit too brittle. The sauce was overly salty for my taste.

The Turnip Cake with XO Sauce ($14) was a fail. Both of us lamented the lack of the savory-umami tones and mild spice provided by XO sauce.

In fact, there seemed to be a total lack of the savory punch needed for this. The turnip cakes interior was mushy and this was a bit on the greasy side. Which reminds me that the Missus wants me to make my own XO sauce and it’s been a while since I’ve made turnip cake at home.

As for the two mains.

The Black Pepper Beef ($28) was fine, though not as good as what I get from Eastern Dynasty.

It was fairly tender; though the sauce was on the sweeter side. The sugar snap peas were nice and crisp.

Of only I knew about the XO Sauce when I ordered the Shrimp with XO Sauce ($25).

While the shrimp was adequately cooked, fairly tender, with a slight sweet-savoriness; there was a lack of XO in this dish. Thus not fulfilling the umami potential of the dish.

Still, this was a decent meal. Calvin mentioned that he’d definitely return for the dim sum here….looking out into the parking lot, we noticed that it had filled by 1115! So, if you’re thinking of going for dim sum; I’d suggest getting there early. You can read about Soo’s recent visit here.

Hong Kong Kitchen & Dim Sum
5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Daily 10am – 9pm

Hong Kong Kitchen & Dimsum Opens Part 1

February 18, 2026 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum

Back at the end of December, I noticed the signage for the restaurant taking the place of the long standing Golden City. It was going to be Hong Kong Kitchen & Dim Sum. A few weeks back, I noticed the Grand Opening sign was up and I drove over to check the hours. The place opens at 10am!

So, I tried to talk the Missus into visiting; but She wanted me to check the place out first. Sigh…so of course, I headed on over.

The place was empty when I arrived and was seated. Soon after a couple of larger parties drifted in.

The interior looks basically the same; though they’ve tried to spiff it up a bit. Still, the tell-tale signs of Golden City were quite obvious to me….

The woman running the place was very nice and told me they had just been open for a couple of days. She gave me two menus. Since I was here during “lunch”, I also got the dim sum menu. Dim Sum is served between 10am and 3pm daily.

So, I decided to try a couple of dim sum dishes; which run from $7.50 to $11….such are prices these days as well as two regular menu items.

I started with some Har Gow and Siu Mai, both priced at $9.50.

Some tea arrived soon after.

Of the two sets of dim sum; the Har Gow was the weaker one.

The shrimp filling was decent; a bit on the chewy side; but the shrimpiness came thru quite nicely. These were quite large.

I didn’t care for the wrappers which were too thick, chewy, and rubbery.

I did enjoy the Siu Mai.

While the filling was still on the chewier side; both the flavor of the pork and the shrimp came thru nicely…a good savory-mildly sweet flavor and also quite fragrant.

The wrapper was fine; at least it wasn’t as bad as what I’d last had at the reopened China Max…..this actually had the taste and texture of dim sum!

Both the Har Gow and Siu Mai were quite large and I only had two of each and took the rest home. I reheated using the Microwave “steam” technique which works fairly well. The Missus ate both of the siu mai and had half of a har gow….’nuff said!

As for the menu dishes….well, I wanted to see how the Sauteed Intestines with Chinese Pickles ($22) here fared against my current favorite.

Well, not bad at all; though a bit on the sweeter side in terms of flavor. The pork intestine was definitely not as good as it was really chewy. Good amount of suan cai, adding a nice sour tone to things. Still, I probably won’t be getting this again.

And I just needed to get a half roast duck; which priced at $20, is even cheaper than Eastern Dynasty!

The subcutaneous fat had been nicely rendered and the skin decently caramelized and crisp. However, the meat was on the drier side and the flavor was lacking in anise-five spice tones and was pretty bland. The jus was good in a dry pot that the Missus made the next day.

But this was definitely not as good as Noble Chef or Eastern Dynasty to us.

Still, it was a promising visit. So, I tried to talk the Missus into visiting, but She told me to check things out one more time first. And then gave me some items She wanted me to order???? Say what????

Anyway, I arrived at a quarter after 10 and on this weekend morning the place was already packed!

I guess word had gotten out?

I decided not to order dim sum this time around and tried to order several items from the menu. Unfortunately, they were out of two of them.

So, instead of the West Lake Beed Soup, I got the Crab and Fish Maw Soup (small – $24). Man, even the small portion of this was quite sizeable.

There was some real crab in the soup, which was nice and thick. There was quite bit of fish maw (the air sac) which was fairly spongy in texture as well as egg white.

There’s a bit of oceany-savory “funk”. I thought it was fine; but the Missus really didn’t care for the slight fishiness in flavor.

They did have the Mei Cai Ko Rou ($26).

Some of the slices of pork belly were so melt-in-your-mouth tender. This version was a bit more salty than other versions, which the Missus enjoyed. She also strangely enjoyed the chunks of sauteed lettuce…..which was quite crunchy. A bit less preserved vegetable than other versions. Overall, not a bad dish. If you prefer your MCKR more on the savory side, with less sour-sweet tones, this one is for you. I do think we’ll have this again.

They didn’t have the Minced Pork with Salted Fish on this day either. So I got the Salted Fish, Chicken, and Eggplant Claypot ($21).

And while the Eggplant was a bit more mushy than we prefer, the chicken was pleasantly tender. I know you can’t really see it in the photo, but there was an abundance of small diced pieces off salted fish, which was a nice surprise as most versions of this dish in SD lacks the strong, savory-salty flavor in this dish. The Missus now really wants to try the Minced Pork with Salted Fish.

So, overall not too bad. Perhaps a level down from Eastern Dynasty and Noble Chef, though Hong Kong Kitchen does have dim sum during lunch service. It was also much better than what we’d had during our last visits to Golden City.

I was looking forward to returning and actually trying some of my favorites on my next visit….

So stay tuned for part 2!

Hong Kong Kitchen & Dim Sum
5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Diamond Palace Revisited

October 2, 2025 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum

Recently, the Missus was craving some chicken feet. So after going thru some of the options for dim sum…..San Diego just doesn’t seem to cut with regards to dim sum….at least to the Missus and I. In the end, because we thought the shrimp based items were decent we decided to return to Diamond Palace.

We arrived at around 1030 and found the place empty.

Which might be great for other restaurants….but since DP still utilizes carts….well, it could mean many items aren’t available or you’d have to wait until they are.

Luckily, there was only one item we wanted that we had to wait for. And the Missus got Her Chicken Feet.

Which She said was better than what we had here before. Much more savory-soy sauce flavor. She enjoyed gnawing on these.

We saw an item not featured on the regular menu, the Shrimp-Fish Ball with Dried Scallop Sauce.

I’m usually not a fan of fishballs, but the addition of tender-sweet-succulent shrimp, along with the intense sweet-oceany and rich dried scallop potage, this was delici-yoso! The sort of sui mai-ish wrapper was fine and didn’t interfere with the dish. This was our favorite item of the meal.

Speaking of Siu Mai. We got the shrimp version. As with many DS places these days, all the items tend to be on the large side.

Like before; tender, sweet, and savory shrimp. Quite good.

I still think the wrappers on the Shrimp Har Gow are a bit too thick.

The filling was a bit too rubbery and on the dry side; though the “shrimpy” flavors came thru nicely.

The one item we were interested in trying was the Pan Fried Shrimp and Chive Cake. This one we had to order off the menu. These were quite large as well.

The wrapper was a bit too chewy for us. But I really enjoyed the full on “chivey – shrimpness” of the filling. If you like the grassy-pungency of chives along with plump, sweet-savory shrimp, this one is for you.

Overall, an enjoyable dim sum meal. Like I mentioned earlier; we stick with the shrimp based items at Diamond Palace. Though if you find other items we should try; please let me know.

As for the prices……well, even after having the “Har Gow price shock” at China Max, I was still a bit taken aback at current dim sum prices here.

Diamond Palace
3993 54th St.
San Diego, CA 92105
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 10am – 9pm
Sat – Sun 930am – 9pm

Post #5571 – Back to the Beginning Redux, China Max, Sandwich Emporium, and Bay Park Fish Company

July 28, 2025 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum, Dog Friendly, Seafood

I was going thru my "Big List" page recently and came across an interesting post from back in 2018, where I was asked if I'd hit 5,000 posts yet….well, I wasn't even close at that point! But, I ended up going back to places that were among the first I posted open from back in May of 2005 and did revisits. Well, I quickly checked my current post status and it was now over 5,000….go figure! And those three places from post #3951 were still open…well, one had reopened after a fire with a change of ownership, but I thought it would be fun to just do a couple of revisits and it was easy because two of the places are in my 'hood. And it just so happens that this is post #5571…so here goes.

Post #1 May 26, 2005; China Max:

Of course China Max isn't quite the same place I had enjoyed with the late, great, Ed from Yuma. There was the fire in April of 2020, which shut down China Max. The rebuilding took almost 5 years! At which time the original owners decided to retire and CM was sold to the owners of Taste of Hong Kong. I visited during the soft reopening back in March and was really disappointed as it seems China Max wanted to be DTF "light"…..the meal was a disappointment….they no longer really did Cantonese fare. But heck, it was time for me to check in, right? And thinking about doing this post gave me a reason to return.

China Max Circle 01a

Based on what I'd read about the AYCE dim sum and fluffed up posts on "influencer land", I expected the place to be rather busy when I arrived at opening on a Wednesday. But it was empty; I was the first customer of the day it seems.

China Max Circle 02

While my previous meal had been mediocre; I found the young folks working to be really nice and kind. And on this visit it was no different; really nice folks working.

On this visit, I was not going to order any second rate XLB….I was actually going to try the $8.95 Har Gow and the $8.95 Shu Mai, no matter how much my wallet screamed for mercy.

China Max Circle 03

Of course, one of the items that Ed and I enjoyed at the original iteration of China Max was the Peking Duck. The only Peking Duck item on the menu was something called "Peking Duck Tacos"…..well, going against my better judgement, I ordered that as well.

China Max Circle 04

First to arrive were the Peking Duck "Tacos", which were basically duck already places in the dan bing…..

China Max Circle 05 China Max Circle 06 This was pretty bad. The dan bing was rubbery…speaking of rubbery, the skin of the duck was not crisp, the fat hadn't been rendered from the duck properly and it had way too much sauce. This is what happens when you can't "do your own thing" with Peking Duck.

Next to arrive were the har gow.

China Max Circle 07 China Max Circle 08 I quickly noticed something about these almost $3 a piece shumai…..do you see it? Well, the wrappers were really too thick, but all of them had "puka pants"….suffering from severe leakage. Decent shrimp – savory – sesame flavors, but because of the holes in the wrapper, the filling was too hard and dry.

Last up; the Shu Mai. I could tell just by looking at it, that in terms of texture it wasn't going to be my cup of tea.

China Max Circle 09 First off, look how these lack uniformity, second, how haphazardly the wrappers are placed. Third, the filling was hard and dry. It was also overly salty. The shape was like someone rolled a meatball and just threw wrappers over it.

To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I was hoping that my visit in March was just a fluke….but, after spending almost $30 (w/o tip) on this…..well, I think I'm done with China Max. Quite sad, because CM was the subject of my first post on this blog over 20 years ago.

China Max
4698 Convoy Street #C101
San Diego, CA 92111

Post #3 May 28, 2005 Sandwich Emporium:

Yes, Sandwich Emporium was my third post way back when. Even though it's just a few blocks from home, I haven't been visiting as much as I used to. As indicated in my last post on SE last year, it seems like things have changed in terms of how SE constructed their sandwiches. Well, I needed to take my car for a wash after a recent road trip and decided to head on over to SE.

S Emporium Circling 01

I walked on in and placed my order.

S Emporium Circling 02

And placed an order for my "usual"; the Spicy Julio ($13.50)….I know after my last visit I said it was time to start ordering something different, but old habits die hard……

Anyway, here's my sandwich.

S Emporium Circling 03

It was, unfortunately, a mayo heavy mess, with less pickled jalapenos than it used to have. Kind of a soggy mess, with just a smear of avocado and for some strange reason, the tomatoes were MIA.

S Emporium Circling 04

As a point of reference; here's what it used to look like when I did post #3951.

3951 SE 03

You know, I haven't seen the Twins who own the place since before Covid. At one point in time, SE had expanded to locations in Rancho Penasquitos, Escondido, and Mira Mesa. All of which have closed. I'm wondering if they've lost interest in the place or what as there seems to be a lack of QC here. Kind of a bummer.

Sandwich Emporium
3054 1/2 Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA

And finally……

Post #5 May 30, 2005 Bay Park Fish Company:

The reason I actually started this post was the sign on Bay Park Fish.

Bay Park Fish Circling 01

Yes, just like our little blog, Bay Park Fish is celebrating 20 years!

Anyway, since they have a nice little patio, I decided to take JJ for a light lunch.

Bay Park Fish Circling 02

Bay Park Fish Circling 03

As I've mentioned in previous posts, the only thing I order from BPF is the Smoked Fish Stack, which is now $16. Now, the last time I visited BPF was during Covid, so I didn't know what to expect.

To my immense satisfaction, the smoked fish was quite good. And I wasn't able to finish it.

Bay Park Fish Circling 04

This seemed a bit larger than I recalled. Smoky-savory-oceany flavors without being too fishy. I took the remainder home for the Missus to sample. She was a bit hesitant to try it, but once She sampled it….well, it was gone in the blink of an eye. I wish there was something else on the menu we enjoy as we'd visit more often……well, perhaps we'll be back soon with JJ to try and find another menu item we enjoy.

Bay Park Fish Company
4121 Ashton St
San Diego, CA 92110

Well, at least one of the three "oldies" delivered…..

Bay Park Fish Circling 00

And now I'm wondering….for folks who have been long time residents of San Diego……if you've recently visited an "old time" favorite, how was it?

Hope everyone has a great week!

Diamond Palace (Rolando)

February 20, 2025 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum

In those days when; other than fine dining and out of town places, I did my best to do multiple visits before doing a post, I had tons of "one-and-done" photos that ended up in the recycle folder. But since around 2022, I've been doing some single visits. As to how many visits; well, it depends on price, and possibly if I'm on the fence about a place. Also, with JJ around, many of those meals will be single visit based as well. And in some cases; like Diamond Palace (and a few more), so much time elapsed between visits, that I decided to start "the clock over again".

I first noticed Diamond Palace was taking the place of Lucky Star back in May of 2022. Back at the beginning of 2023, the Missus and I paid a visit….and then just kinda forgot about things. Here are some photos from that visit.

Diamond P Old 01

Diamond P Old 02

Diamond P Old 03

Diamond P Old 04

While it was nice seeing Michael, the former manager of Golden Island, we really weren't impressed. Though I did tell myself to revisit in the couple of months; which became two years! So, those photos were headed for the junk pile…..but…..the Missus was asking about some dim sum. So, we went and (re)visited Diamond Palace and while I did delete most of the photos from that first visit, I had kept a few…which you see above.

And so, it was on a recent weekend morning that we headed to Diamond Palace arriving at around 1030. The place was pretty busy!

Diamond Palace 01

The dining room space is large, but only takes up a part of the huge building. DP serves Dim Sum all day, but we quickly noticed that there was only two carts hovering around and the offerings were limited.

We got some of the Tripe, which was undercooked, super hard, and had not absorbed any flavor.

Diamond Palace 02

Our favorite item by far were the Shrimp Siu Mai; while the wrapper was quite typical; the shrimp filling was tender, sweet, nicely flavored.

Diamond Palace 03b Diamond Palace 04 These seemed a bit over-stuffed, but heck, that shrimp was so good, I ain't complaining about proportion this time around.

The Bean Curd Roll with Abalone Sauce was a disappointment. Mushy and other than being super salty, lacking in flavor.

Diamond Palace 06

As was the Chicken Feet, which the Missus said was too hard and lacking in flavor as well.

Diamond Palace 05

The Roast Duck was pretty good.

Diamond Palace 07

The skin was on the rubbery side; but the fat had been nicely rendered. The flavor on the milder side, the flesh nice and tender. This did well as leftovers, brushed with the duck fat-sauce and put into the air fryer.

We saw Salted Fish and Chicken with Eggplant under the "Chef's Signature" portion of the menu so we ordered it.

Diamond Palace 09

We took a taste and the first thing both the Missus and I said was "where's the salted fish?" The dish lacked the umami-savoriness and the eggplant was undercooked; as we enjoy versions where the eggplant holds it's shape, but then melts as it hits your tongue. This was one of the blandest versions we've had.

So, a mixed bag, but the siu mai was quite good. We returned with a slight "strategy" in mind. This time the place was empty when we arrived. And based on how things were; there was only one cart at a time patrolling the dining room.

Diamond Palace 10

What was our strategy? Well, we'd try to stick with mostly shrimp-seafood dim sum items.

And while it was rather lean pickins' at least the basics were available.

The Shrimp Siu Mai was just as good this time around.

Diamond Palace 11

We also got the Har Gow.

Diamond Palace 13 (2)

While the wrapper was on the thicker and rubbery side of the scale; the shrimp in this was also plump and tasty.

With seafood in mind, we decided to get the Seafood Pan Fried Noodle. The shrimp was perfectly cooked, sweet, and tender. The fish had been nicely velveted and almost melted in one's mount.

Diamond Palace 14

The sauce as quite mild, with just a touch of white pepper and savoriness, but that really helped to make seafood the headliner. Unfortunately, the noodles were undercooked, almost plastic like. Too bad, because this dish was "so close".

What wasn't even "close" was the House Special Roast Chicken. Looking at the photo on the menu, I got serious "Fat Fat Chicken vibes".

Diamond Palace 15

Sadly, the skin was on the rubbery side, the seasoning very mild, not much going on, and worst of all, the flesh was dry and stringy.

Not a great way to end the meal.

I do think we'll return to Diamond Palace for the Siu Mai, Har Gow, and related dishes. Maybe they'll have a better variety of items available. And perhaps some duck. But as a whole, stick with seafood items.

You can read Soo's post on Diamond Palace here.

Diamond Palace 16b

Diamond Palace
3993 54th St.
San Diego, CA 92105
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 10am – 9pm
Sat – Sun 930am – 9pm

Milan – Dinner at Hekfan

December 8, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum, Italy, Milan, Travel

After our nice Aperitvo, we walked basically 50 meters to our dinner destination. Another recommendation from "FOY" Candice. A Hong Kong style restaurant named Hekfan, which also served Dim Sum for dinner.

It was a tiny, cute little restaurant.

But the menu belied the rather quaint surroundings, with items like Foie Gras Siu Mai and Crystal Dumplings of Mushroom and Truffle! The Missus also appreciated the tea selection as well. Ordering was a breeze and the folks actually spoke Mandarin and English as well!

We placed our order, not a huge amount of food; but some pretty rich stuff.

First to arrive were the Crystal Dumpling, basically Har Gow with a trio of mushroom and truffle.

We really didn't care for the har gow wrappers which were very glutinous; but the earthy-savory-sweet mushroom and the very fragrant truffle was very good. The addition of a tobiko garnish gave the dumpling a nice salty-briney touch.

A trio of Dim Sum followed.

IMG_2399a The weakest item were the Xiao Long Bao. The wrapper was decent if a bit too doughy; but there was barely any "soup" in the dumpling which was quite bland.

While we were still not big fans of the Har Gow wrapper; the Roasted Duck Har Gow was quite good. Great flavors, not overly sweet.

Mild anise-sweetness-savory tones. I had reservations about the skin being included but it actually added a nice texture.

In what seemed to be a recurring theme; the wrapper of the siu mai wasn't very good, kind of mushy; but man, the flavors of the Foie Gras, Shrimp, and Mushroom Siu Mai were really good.

Never thought the earthy flavor of foie gras would work here; but it added a nice earthy-creamy touch to the very sweet-oceany shrimp. The filling was so tender and moist, yet it held firm.

The Missus really loved the smokey-savoriness of the Pork on Smoked Boiled Eggs.

This arrived on a wooden plate covered by glass fed by one of those smoker-infuser guns. I might have to get one of those. The pork added porcine flavors and the five-spice based seasoning really made the dish.

Soon enough, the final item we ordered appeared. Arriving on a covered plate, which was soon set ablaze.

Quite a show for the Dong Po Rou.

Which was super rich and fatty, decently sweet, good sweet-soy flavors. Quite fragrant, served in tandem with some fancy "buns".

All in all, an enjoyable meal. While the wrappers weren't the best; I'm thinking that sourcing the right ingredients might be a challenge, the flavors were quite good.

Who knew; decent Hong Kong style Chinese in Brera…Milan!

Hekfan
Via Marco Formentini 2
20121 Milan, Italy

Please note that my sources have informed me that Hekfan is moving to a larger space.

And guess what? We'd have even better Dim Sum in Milan later on the trip.

Thanks as always for the recommendations Candice!

Happy AYCE Hot Pot (and Dim Sum) Rosemead

October 11, 2024 Cathy Dim Sum, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, this food blog, welcomes you back. Here's a little food adventure enjoyed by Cathy and Her Mister.

The Mister and I drove up to Irwindale in late June, thinking there would be the first 2025 Rose Parade float Road Test, but that wasn't happening. Since it was early (we get there by 7:15 a.m.), we started looking for a place to get breakfast. The Mister looked online for places open before 8, directing my driving. Soon, we saw this.

Happy AYCE Hot Pot has an AYCE Dim Sum breakfast from 7:30-11:30 a.m. daily. The price is $15.95 Mon-Th and $18.95 on Fri-Sat-Sun. Beverages are $1.50.

The chairs out front must be the waiting area for the lunch and dinner Hot Pot crowd.

Walking in, you pass some tables and can see the Hot Pot induction plates.

You then pay and are shown to a seat. The breakfast/Dim Sum process is explained.

This is the Hot Pot menu which looks interesting.

THIS is the view from where we were seated. There is appropriate accompanying music (Disco). Did I mention that our receipt was timed at 7:42 a.m.?

This "Self Service Area" to the side has beverages and so many side dishes. Not all photographed because…people.

The condiment bar had some wonderful choices.

Here is one of our plates of sides.

I grabbed a small bowl of jook, which had appropriately size fried dough available. The chili crisp was very good (and necessary).

Because it was so early and not very crowded (our receipt was number 6), there was only one dim sum cart for a while.

We chose a variety. Fresh and pretty good. Standard and no complaints.

There was also a small area of desserts at the far end of the Self Service/condiment area.

All in all, a nice breakfast.

Happy AYCE Hot Pot Restaurant 8772 Valley Boulevard Rosemead 91770 Open daily 7:30-11:00 breakfast (Hot Pot until midnight)

2024 Rose Parade float Road Test #3, breakfast at All That ‘N Dim Sum

September 6, 2023 Cathy Dim Sum, Festivals & Events, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is currently busy and Cathy is writing today's post.

Link to 2024 Road Test #1

Link to 2024 Road Test #2

Another Road Test of mechanics and maneuverability for some floats which will be participating in the 2024 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade was held on the last Saturday of August at Phoenix Decorating Company in Irwindale. We arrived here about 7 a.m. The Entry for Rotary International, "Clean Water, The Music of Life" was being tested with weight (people) onboard. You can see a rectangular slot at the front end of the 'keyboard'-that is where the 'Spotter' for the float will be watching for traffic and hazards during the parade. He or she will be communicating with the driver, who only looks down and follows the 'Rose Colored Line' painted on the street.
The entry by the City of Alhambra, "Celebrating the Year of the Dragon"was tested in its full open position.
But every float has a maximum height and width it must be able to collapse down to so it can proceed along the Parade Route. The doorway of the decorating barn is that maximum size.

"Chimes of Liberty Protecting Our Future" is the 2024 entry by the Fraternal Order of Elks, a Service Organization.
This detailed float will certainly be an eye catcher! You might notice the hands are missing from the Fife and Drum Corps- the faces as well as the hand flesh tones are being decorated with various spice blends/mixes by professionals (not us volunteers).
Lutheran Hour Ministries entry, "Make A Joyful Noise Unto The Lord" passed its third mechanics and maneuverability test and is ready to be decorated beginning on December 2. You can see the rectangular slot for the 'Spotter' in this photo.

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Following taking photos, The Mister and I headed South on Irwindale Avenue, (passing Portos) and He started looking for Dim Sum via his phone. All That 'N Dim Sum opened at 8 a.m.! Siri directed us. It wasn't very far past the multiple places cc and I visited last year following the 2023 Rose Parade Road Test #2.

Step inside, order and pay. We were directed to a table and soon enough, our orders were delivered.
Pretty much a standard first time order for us: Har Gow ($3.99), Shumai ($3.99), Crescent dumplings ($3.59) and egg tarts ($3.59) were brought out first. Fresh and warm, great flavors. The soup dumplings ($7.99) took a little longer and were steaming hot. (I took the photo before asking for a spoon, but there was no leakage) quite a bit of soup and a thin dumpling skin). Tasty.

There were utensils in the drawer under the tabletop-but no spoons. Tea was $1 each (so, one green and one oolong) and you could get more hot (as well as chilled) water at the counter.

All That ‘N Dim Sum 18518 E. Gale Ave Rowland Heights 91748 Open Mon, Wed-Th-Fri 9-5, Sat 8-5, Sun 8-4 (closed Tues) Website