Dim Summing

Yesterday, I finally made the trek up to Daly City and got some Dim Sum at Koi Palace, much touted as the best dim sum in the Bay Area. We called beforehand to get a number, then got there around 2pm and got ourselves...another number, and about 25 minutes of waiting. Not bad, considering there is usually a 1.5 hour wait time. I spent most of the time totally riveted by the older Chinese gentleman making Dragon Beard Candy in the foyer.

We ordered some of the usuals: Har Gow (shrimp dumplings), Wu Kok (flaky fried taro dumplings stuffed with minced pork), Chang Fen (shrimp wrapped in sheets of rice noodle and drizzled with soy sauce), jellyfish and seaweed salad, along with a few unusual Northern Chinese picks... mostly squidgy vegetarian tofu stuff.

Was it good? For the dim sum staples, sure; the rice noodles were fresh, the Har Gow tender and tasty. The Northern dishes, maybe because I'm more used to southern Chinese cuisine, were less exciting. Was it worth driving an hour and then waiting again? I'd say not.

For those in the South Bay, we found a much better dim sum option at Dynasty in the Vallco shopping center in Cupertino: fewer crowds, closer, fresher and more traditional dim sum. Overall, a solid, decent dim sum experience on par with the better LA dim sum restaurants (I'm not sure why people on Yelp seem to hate this place--are they really suggesting that dump Mayflower in Milpitas is better? I haven't been impressed with most of the Bay Area dim sum choices, including Joy Luck Place in Cupertino Village). Also, and this is a huge plus--the service at Dynasty is quick and attentive, and the restaurant is much newer than the usual dingy-grand Chinese palaces you might be used to. I can see why a lot of people choose this place for traditional wedding receptions.

Above: Har Gow at Dynasty
Below: Busy Dynasty waiters.