Pan-Fried Dumplings

In 2017, we took my cousins out to Din Ding Dumpling House and introduced their kiddies to Xiao Long Bao.  Well, apparently, it was such a big hit, they kept requesting for them after we returned to Vancouver (we were back in 2019, but didn't have any dumplings).  Since then, they have discovered a place called Pan-Fried Dumplings out in Newark that boasts some pretty good XLBs.  Now that we are able to travel again, we made the trek back out to the East Bay to visit family.  However, instead of meeting up with them for some XLBs, we met up with Areta (who happened to be vacationing nearby) instead!

Predictably, we over-ordered and ended up with 5 steamers of Xiao Long Bao including the 3 pork, 1 chicken and 1 shrimp.  This is the picture of the pork and really, the chicken and shrimp looked almost exactly like this except a bit lighter in color.  All of them featured a fairly thin dumpling skin that was delicate with some elasticity.  There was plenty of soup that was sweet but the pork XLBs were pretty greasy.  The meat was tender and bouncy though.  I found the chicken to be lighter in texture and also easier on the greasiness.  The shrimp had a sweet briny taste while also being not as greasy.

Of course we had to order the Snow-Flake Pan Fried Fried Dumplings (kinda the restaurant's name) and it came out golden brown with a considerable skirt.  Both the bottom of the dumplings and the skirt were crispy and nutty.  The overall dumpling skin was medium-thick and not dense.  I found the filling inside to be, you guessed it, greasy.  However, using such fatty pork also ensured that the meat was tender and moist.

Continuing on with the dumplings, we also had the Soup Pan Fried Buns (Sang Jeen Bao).  These sported crunchy tops that had been pan fried in a good amount of oil.  The bun itself was light where they kept the dough to a minimum.  Hence these did not eat heavy despite the ample soup inside being, once again, greasy.  Like I said, this is a double-edged sword, because for the meat to be juicy and tender, the fattiest mix is the necessary.

Now the greasiness wasn't exclusive to the dumplings.  I found the Ground Three Delight (featuring eggplant, green and red peppers) to be pretty much coated in oil (lots on the bottom of the plate too).  Beyond that, the dish was good though with plenty of wok hei that gave the dish delicious caramelization.  Texturally, the eggplant was perfect, being cooked through without being mushy.  There was plenty of seasoning that was balanced between sweet and salty.

Even though the Beef Wrap looked appealingly flaky, I wasn't a huge fan of it.  The pancake was thin and not overly heavy, but I found it dry and overly flaky.  I would've preferred it to be chewier.  The sliced beef shank inside was tender and flavourful, but that was partly negated by the lettuce.  I know there are versions that have lettuce, yet I'm not a big fan.  It takes away from the beef and the hoisin sauce in my opinion.

I did enjoy the Spicy Red Oil Wontons though as there was a good amount of spiciness that was balanced.  What I mean is that I could taste the savoriness of the pork filling while also the nuttiness of the oil in addition to the spice.  It wasn't one-note.  Furthermore, the wontons themselves were pretty good since they were cooked just right with a tender wrapper with juicy (and surprisingly less greasy, but they were sitting in oil...) pork filling.

Now onto the noodle portion of our meal, we first got served the Tomato Beef Noodle Soup.  I wasn't a really big fan of this as the broth was a bit bland and lacking depth.  I have to give it to them that I could taste tomato though.  I also wasn't too fond of the thick noodles as they reminded me of udon.  We should have chosen the regular noodles instead.  As for the beef, it was okay as it was tender and fairly moist.  

One noodle that I really enjoyed was the Pork Dan Dan Noodles.  Now it didn't look anything close to the picture in the online menu (as there is a brothy sauce).  This was served dry with only the minced meat topping and veggies.  However, when mixed together, the spicy and numbing flavors were super tasty and impactful.  Due to the lack of moisture, the noodles remained al dente and the flavors were more concentrated.

Now the Old Peking Minced Noodles were not as impactful, yet they aren't supposed to be either.  This was more for the kiddies, but it wasn't super popular either.  Not that there was anything particularly wrong with it.  Once again, the noodles were al dente and there was just enough sauce to coat them.  I found the sauce to be not as salty as I would've liked, but there was still flavor.  Maybe there was just a tad too many veggies that watered it down.  Would've just liked the cucumber rather than also including carrots and sprouts.  In the end, the thing we enjoyed the most was the Xiao Long Bao.  Other items were hit and miss.  Prices were on the higher side but portions were generous.  Prepare yourself for some oily lips as things are really greasy here.

The Good:

- Excellent XLBs

- Large portions

- Other dumplings are good too

The Bad:

- Very greasy

- Dishes are hit and miss

Gourmet House

Guess what?  While in Fremont with relatives, we had...  wait for it...  Chinese food again!  No surprise here.  This time, we made it out to Gourmet House, tucked in a corner of a shopping complex.  It has changed hands a few times, but apparently, it continues to serve solid Chinese food at reasonable prices.  Despite having a big menu with all sorts of Cantonese dishes, we decided to mainly go for Dim Sum, especially it was lunchtime.

Since my daughter was longing for some congee (porridge on this menu), we decided to order both the Minced Beef & Egg and the HK Chiterlings.  The bowls in the pictures were regular-sized portions (wonder how big the large is?).  I thought the congee base was decently thick while having that home-cooking feel to it.  Now it was seasoned enough to make it "restaurant-tasting" though.  The beef congee was actually more like loosely hand-chopped beef, so it was quite meaty and naturally textured.  The chiterlings congee featured pork blood, liver and kidney that was generally cooked well.

Keeping with pale-colored foods, we also had the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll.  This featured a fairly thick noodle which wasn't exactly dense, but it was a bit heavier than most I've had recently.  Despite the thickness, there was still some elasticity which meant it wasn't floury.  Hidden inside, the shrimp were of a good size and nicely seasoned.  They were cooked just enough that they still retained a moist snap texture.

Yes, the pale-theme didn't end with the rice noodle roll as we also had the Steamed BBQ Pork Buns.  These were pretty textbook with the cracks in the dough thanks to the strategic pleating process in the formation of the bun.  The bun itself was fluffy and fairly light.  Inside, the ample amount of BBQ pork was generally lean.  It wasn't as saucy as I would've liked, but it was still appealingly sweet.

Let's keep this pale-train going with the Ha Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings), albeit with some translucency.  Therefore, we could see the slightly pink/orange color from the shrimp filling.  These were decent with a relatively thin dumpling wrapper with good elasticity.  The filling was generally moist with a meaty snap.  It was slightly overdone where the shrimp could've been more buttery.

Of course we had to have the Siu Mai (Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumpling) as well since it is the yin to the yang of the ha gau.  Similar to the ones at Pearl Bay, these featured cooked tobiko on top.  I much prefer raw tobiko on top, mostly for the aesthetics and crunch.  Despite this, the dumpling itself was decent with a rebound texture and tenderized pork.  It was juicy and also had some shrimp that had a good snap.

Back to an off-white dumpling, the Xiao Long Bao (Juicy Soup Dumplings) were served in little metal tart tins.  This theoretically keeps the soup from spilling all over the place if the dumpling punctures.  However, there was no soup to be found in these XLBs though.  Moreover, the dumpling skin was extremely thick and doughy.  Even the meat filling was loose and didn't have much texture.  To be fair, we didn't expect much out of XLBs at a Cantonese restaurant (this is a Shanghainese dish).

Moving away from dumplings, we had the classic Steamed Pork Spareribs with black bean sauce.  Unfortunately, the pieces of spareribs were not very good.  As you can clearly see in the picture, most of the pieces were cut too large and were of the fatty cartilage variety.  In terms of texture, the desirable rib pieces were decent with a rebound texture.  However, the other pieces were tough and chewy.  The dish was seasoned enough though.

Okay, after 2 consecutive below average dishes, we found the much better Bean Curd Skin Rolls.  Although looking oversauced, these were on point with tender fried bean curd skin that still had a nice chew.  Despite the appearance of too much sauce, it was actually welcomed since it helped soften the bean curd skin.  Moreover, the sauce was decently thick and flavorful.  Inside, the pork filling was tender and moist with the crunch from wood ear mushrooms and shrimp.

Now we were on a roll because the Steamed Chicken Feet with black bean sauce were also quite good.  The chicken feet were generally plump with skin that had a bite but was still tender.  The trick is to fry the chicken feet enough so that the skin doesn't break when subsequently braised and then steamed.  Underneath the skin, the cartilage and fat was intact while soft.  There was a good garlicky saltiness to the dish.

Apparently shrimp spring rolls aren't a thing here in Fremont, so we were forced to order the Vegetable Spring Rolls ones instead.  Also, we much prefer Worcestershire sauce rather than sweet n' sour, so we asked for that after the fact.  These were not bad with a crunchy wrapper that was slightly greasy.  Inside, the veggies were still slightly crunchy while not overly wet.

To get some more filling dishes into the meal, we included the Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf) as well.  However, it took quite awhile to arrive (near the end of the meal).  It was pretty typical with sticky rice, sauced ground pork and cured sausage.  This was also textbook with the rice being soft yet glutinous.  I found the pork to be tender with enough starch-thicken sauce for both moisture and flavor.

Another starchy dish was the Pan Fried Rice Roll with XO Sauce, but it was not really what we were expecting.  This looked more like broken rice noodles than the typical tubes of plain rice noodle rolls.  Furthermore, the dish was really greasy (partially forgivable due to the addition of XO sauce) and ate as such.  There was good spice to the dish though but not much brininess.

For our one sweeter item, we selected the Steamed Golden Egg Yolk Buns.  As you can see, they arrived with the initial round of dishes.  No matter, these were pretty good with a fluffy bun encasing a liquid egg yolk center.  It was sweet, nutty and had the umaminess of salted egg yolk.  So overall, the Dim Sum here at Gourmet House was acceptable, yet not as good at Pearl Bay.  Yes, this is a smaller spot and less expensive, so that needs to be taken into consideration.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Reasonably-priced
- Friendly staff

The Bad:
- Not enough staff, so service is lacking
- Some duds, be careful what you order  

 

Full House Dumpling

Originally, we were going to hit up some eats in Berkeley once we made it to the Bay Area.  However, with an SUV full of our precious belongings, we weren't too confident in leaving it parked for a few hours on the street.  Hence, we decided to head straight to my aunt's house in Fremont.  That way, we could drop off our valuables and then go for some eats.  As always, we ended up going for Chinese in the form of Full House Dumpling (at least we weren't going to eat here 3x straight like Pearl Bay).

The thing to get here is, of course, the dumplings.  Specifically, we are talking about their Xiao Long Bao (Juicy Pork Dumplings).  We got both the regular ones and the Crab Xiao Long Bao.  I thought these were excellent featuring fairly thin dumpling skin that had some elasticity.  There was plenty of soup to be found inside which was clean and sweet.  I thought the essence of crab was apparent.  The pork filling for both was tender and moist while not crumbly.

Sticking with dumplings, we also ordered the Shrimp Pork Siu Mai.  Somehow I was thinking Din Tai Fung when I saw this on the menu.  However, it really was just Cantonese-style shrimp siu mai.  So no, these were not XLBs with a shrimp plugging up an open top (maybe it was something else on this menu).  These were okay with a fairly loose, yet tender pork filling.  There was a bit too much green onion in it, which didn't make much sense.  The shrimp had a nice sweet snap though.

Moving away from dumplings, we tried their Water-Boiled Fish served in a clay pot.  Typically, this is a Szechuan dish, but it appears the Full House serves a variety of Chinese cuisines (including their main focus - Taiwanese).  Although not particularly Szechuan-like, their version was quite delicious regardless.  It had good spice while not being burning hot.  There was no shortage of tender fish fillets (probably basa) that were flaky.  

One of the more under-the-radar items was the Salted Egg Yolk Silken Tofu.  Each cube of tofu was fried just enough to retain its shape while still being silky in texture.  It was carefully wok-tossed (so nothing broke apart) in salted egg yolk, garlic, green onions and peppers.  Although not really all that salty, the aroma and essence of salted egg yolk did come through.  The nuttiness and also the rest of the ingredients were evident.

I wasn't really sure why I was ordering Spicy Stir-Fried Cabbage but it was a pretty solid dish.  Despite some moisture at the bottom of the plate, there was still decent caramelization due to ample "wok hei".  Hence, the spice from the chilis did announce itself throughout the dish.  However, there was still the natural sweetness of the cabbage coming through.  Also, the cabbage was still crunchy despite being cooked through.

One of the more average items was the Braised Beef Noodles.  Now by looks alone, this was quite good with lots of braised beef and wide thick noodles.  Indeed the noodles were al dente and well-portioned.  However, the beef was a bit chewy and lacking impact.  The soup itself was a bit too mild for my liking as it lacked depth and was rather one note.  Possibly if this was the spicy version, it would've been better.

Now on the other hand, the Garlic Pork was very impactful.  That garlic sauce on top was potent and I wouldn't go near anyone with that garlic breath after eating it.  I personally thought it was fantastic despite some thinking it was too garlicky.  There was enough salt and sweetness to make the sauce complete.  As for the sliced pork belly, it was a touch chewy given that there was a decent amount of fat.  However, it was still easy to eat.

I'm not particularly fond of the Green Onion Pancake, but Viv loves it, so yes we had that too.  Turns out that she should've not ordered it because it was also rather average.  On the positive side, it as nicely browned with a crispy exterior.  There was also a balanced amount of green onion.  However, the pancake itself was rather dense and chewy.  Furthermore, it was pretty much soaked with oil, so every bite was far too greasy.  

For no other reason than we didn't have any rice dishes, we ordered the Shrimp Fried Rice.  I would say this was an okay plate of fried rice.  There was decent caramelization, but the rice itself was more fluffy than nutty and chewy.  It was also rather bland needing salt.  At the very least, the shrimp were done right with a sweet snap.  Overall, the food at Full House was decent with some highlights, in particular, the soup dumplings.  Stick with those and you can't go wrong.

The Good:

- Soup dumplings are legit

- Reasonable-pricing

- Spacious seating

The Bad:

- Other dishes are hit and miss

- Service is hit and miss

Pearl Bay Restaurant (Dim Sum Service)

Yes, back-to-back posts on Pearl Bay in Fremont because well, we only ate at one restaurant while we were here for 2 days.  Actually, we weren't supposed to go here for Dim Sum before our flight since we didn't have that much time.  However, I was alerted that our flight was delayed by an hour, hence, let's go for Dim Sum!  Of course during our meal, I got a notification that our flight was on time once again and that sent us scrambling to the airport.  Then we discovered it was delayed by 2 hours.  Sigh...  At least we got some good food prior.

About that food, we started strong with the classic Siu Mai (Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumplings).  Interesting that they steamed the dumplings with the tobiko.  For visuals, I much prefer they add it on raw after the fact.  But that is nitpicking as the dumplings were pretty good.  Texturally, the pork filling was buttery, airy and bouncy.  Furthermore, these were pretty juicy, so they were bursting with moisture.  Seasoning was on the milder side, but it wasn't bland.

With a brush of gold, the Ha Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumpling) were also good.  It featured a medium-thick and somewhat translucent dumpling wrapper.  It had plenty of elasticity, yet was a bit on the firmer side.  Inside, the whole shrimp filling was moist with the desired snap texture.  There was enough pork fat mixed in to give it some aroma in addition to the other seasonings.  There was a nice natural sweetness to the shrimp.

Over to one of my must order dishes for Dim Sum - the Bean Curd Skin Roll.  I just love the chewy, yet tender texture of the fried, then steamed bean curd skin.  This one was perfect with an initial chewiness giving way to soft layers of bean curd skin.  The filling was a good mixture of tenderized pork and crunchy wood ear mushroom.  Although the sauce was a bit watered down (could've used more starch), it was flavorful and not in overabundance.

Maybe a bit too pale and inundated with too much green onion, the Beef Meatballs ate better than they appeared.  Besides, the color could be corrected with just a bit more dark soy.  In terms of texture, the beef was processed enough to whip in air to create that classic light rebound texture.  As mentioned, the plethora of green onions did dominate the flavor profile.  However, when dunked into Worcestershire, it was quickly erased.

Even though the Steamed Chicken Feet could've been fried longer during the preparation process, it still was quite good.  Usually, the skin would have a bit more resistance, but that wasn't a big issue.  The chicken feet were super plump and steamed just enough. Hence, the skin, fat and cartilage were super tender and moist.  I could eat off all of it clean from the bone.  It was also seasoned well with equal parts sweet, savory and spice.

I personally love the Deep Fried Taro Dumplings even though they are some of the greasiest items on a Dim Sum menu.  However, these were easy on the grease even though the mashed taro underneath soaks up a good amount of oil.  Therefore, the dumplings were crispy on the outside yielding to soft creamy mashed taro underneath.  The filling was featured tender ground pork that was mildly seasoned.

We ended up with two types of Rice Noodle Rolls including prawn and mixed mushroom.  I was impressed at how thin the rice noodle sheets were and that they didn't tear.  That was because the elasticity kept it from doing so.  Although, the rice noodle sheets were still soft and delicate.  The large prawns were meaty and had a buttery snap.  For the mushroom, there was plenty of it and I didn't even miss the meat.

Another Dim Sum staple is the Steamed Pork Spareribs with black beans.  This one also contained peppers which added another layer of flavor to compliment the salty black beans.  Most of the pork rib pieces were meaty and lacking in cartilage and fat.  The meat had been tenderized enough so it was easy to chew while still retaining a good meaty bite.  As you can see, it was also a good portion size.

Probably the best dish of the meal was the surprising Pan-Fried Taro Cake.  The considerable amount of shredded taro added both aroma and texture to the cake.  Usually, there is much more pudding cake than taro.  Also, the way they fried it up made it extra tasty and texturally appealing.  As you can clearly see, the exterior was beautifully browned and subsequently crunchy and nutty.

So of course I had to dabble in the offal because that is my favorite part of Dim Sum!  Hence, we ordered the Steamed Beef Belly with Satay Sauce.  Not only was this stacked full of tripe, the dish was also on point.  The large strips of tripe were super tender and soft with a slight chew.  The texture couldn't have been any better.  As for the satay sauce, it was sweet and salty with a bit of background spice.

So the fried rice we had for dinner at Pearl Bay was pretty darn good, but the Wok-Fried Vermicelli with with dried scallop, crab and egg whites was even better.  Loved how they separated the whites from the yolks, nice texture and color contrast.  The noodles were chewy and caramelized while the plethora of ingredients made this hearty with lots of texture.  Loved the addition of pine nuts as there was more aroma.

Typically, when on thinks about BBQ Pork Pineapple Buns, there is actually no pineapple in them.  Rather, the topping looks like a pineapple, hence the name.  However, they buck the trend here and add actual pineapple into the BBQ pork filling.  As a result, there was added natural sweetness to the pork inside.  The bun itself was soft and fluffy while the topping was crunchy, sweet and aromatic.

The Black Steamed Buns with salted egg yolk filling were striking with its color and also the gold streak on top.  It ate well too with a soft airy bun that didn't taste like the exterior color.  Inside, the liquid sweetened salted egg yolk center was nutty and sweet with only the slightest amount of saltiness.  It flowed up quickly, so one must eat this carefully or otherwise it will be all over the table or the person eating it. 

Lastly, we had the Coconut Pudding Bunnies.  These were cute and I really didn't want to eat them!  They were quite creamy and only mildly sweet.  Lots of coconut aroma and the gelatin wasn't overused.  So as I mentioned in my previous post, I'm from Vancouver, so I'm pretty picky when it comes to Dim Sum.  However, Pearl Bay does a good job and I enjoyed my meal.  Definitely better than the ol' spots such as Mayflower and Koi Palace in my opinion.

The Good:
- Solid food
- Well-portioned
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Still don't like that video wall