I really like dim sum. I think it’s fun and it’s a meal where there’s a lot of variety. The problem with dim sum is that it’s something that you can’t do alone because you need additional eaters to be able to access that variety. However Grasshopper, one must choose wisely because those invitees better be open to things as squeamish people pretty much suck out the joy from the experience. Well, that happens irrespective of any outing, but probably worse here since you’re in need of them to be able to order the variety that’s nice to have. There’s also the question of how many additional eaters are necessary, but no more than five to not over-crowd the table.

There really isn’t any particular “set menu” as most restaurants offering dim sum will have many options available (depending on time of day and the day of the week). The older style restaurants will have people push food on carts whereas the newer ones will have you order from a menu as with regular service. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.

Carts allow you to see and smell things that may not have been tried in previous visits, but you can be stuck with the leftovers that have been circulating with the cart for an hour, or (worse still) be “strategically seated” so that the cart never gets to you. That latter scenario heightens the importance of getting to the restaurant at the right time to be able to stake out a piece of geography close to the kitchen, since no one wants the piece that’s been cooling down while doing laps around the restaurant.

So why not menu ordering? First of all, you better know how to either read or speak the dialect the restaurant operates with (I can’t do the former and my Mandarin and Taiwanese are unfortunately limited to ingredients and not complete dishes). The English versions of the menus are generally missing one or two items, or don’t have valid descriptors meaning that there is a tendency to fall for the same-old. However, everything that comes to the table is made to order and will be about as good as it will get.

I can go either way. Xin Jing Hua does the pushcart.

The Meal

As I said, whatever’s available depending on the strengths of a given restaurant. Xin Jing Hua serves all of the following:

• Assorted steamed dumplings (餃, Dumpling; 餃子 gau zi, Gow gee)
• Har gau (蝦餃 shrimp dumpling)
• Siu mai (燒賣 pork dumpling)
• Char siu bau (叉燒包, steamed bun)
• “Phoenix talons” (鳳爪 Fung zao alias chicken feet)
• Spare ribs (排骨 paai4 gwat1, páigǔ)
• Tofu skin roll (腐皮捲 fu pei guen)
• Shrimp and Chive Dumplings (韭菜虾饺)
• Crispy fried squid (魷魚鬚 yau yu sou)
• Spring roll (春捲 cheun gyun)

There are also special plates ($$$), as well as a variety of “organ meats” (I like the beef tripe steamed with green onions and ginger), congee, cold dishes (e.g. roast pork and jellyfish salad), and vegetables. Sort of depends on the luck of the draw I guess, since I didn’t see any steamed squid, cuttlefish or shrimp the last time out.

Dessert isn’t where this type of establishment shines and Xin Jing Hua isn’t an exception. Apart from the egg tart, about the only thing I would order if I was in the mood is silken tofu (豆腐花 Dou fu fa), which is served with a ginger-flavored simple syrup (theirs is a bit more caramel-y). Nice when it’s cool, not so hot an option when it’s hot.

Wine

You’ve got to be kidding. I saw a couple of people drinking beer but I’ve never seen anyone order wine or hard alcohols at this place. I kept with tea and ice water.

Photos

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Impressions

So, would I go back to Xin Jing Hua again? Sure – the food is generally very good with few misses (e.g. the duck feet) and they have plenty of parking unlike a lot of places in Chinatown. Is it the best dim sum that I’ve ever had? No; that would be reserved for a place in Taipei my maternal aunt took me to years ago where the cart attendants would berate you for being a troglodyte if you didn’t order whatever dish it was they were offering (it’s long gone as I would have liked to go back). Or the original Taipei branch of the Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐). For North America, the Yank Sing in San Franciso and Sun Siu Wah in Richmond BC both tower over the Xin Jing Hua, and it’s also got some serious competition in its own back yard from Foo Wor, the restaurant at the strip mall next door. But it’s got consistency, variety and there are just some things here that one can’t find elsewhere. So, sure, I’d go back. Need extra eaters though. 

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