Monday, November 21, 2005
Mother Nature 大 自 然
I recently mentioned 順 峰 魚 村 (seun6 fung1 yu4 chun1) Asian Pearl, a restaurant located in 東 太 市 場 (dung1 taai3 si5 cheung4) Pacific East Mall in Richmond. It specializes in abalone, shark's fin, and distinctive cuisine from Guangdong Province and other places in China. Last week, while running the Turkey Trot, I saw my friend R from HK and, as usual, compared notes about restaurants. R said that he had gone to Asian Pearl for 飲 茶 (yam2 cha4) dim sum and that it was good. So I decided to give it a try on Saturday.
Two things impressed me about 飲 茶 at Asian Pearl. First, the overall quality of the 點 心 (dim2 sam1) dim sum was excellent--fresh and tasty, no duds. Second, the service was even better than the dim sum. Sometimes, it can be a hassle at teahouses to catch the waiter's attention to order things or to get 豉 油 (si6 yau4) soya sauce, 辣 椒 醬 (laat6 jiu1 jeung3) hot sauce, and other condiments. But this was no problem at Asian Pearl. Service was attentive the whole time. Anything I requested was soon brought to the table.
While all the dim sum was good, I was especially impressed by the 灌 湯 餃 (gun3 tong1 gaau2) shark's fin dumpling in broth and the 炸 奶 黃 包 (ja3 laai2 wong4 baau1) deep-fried custard buns. The deep-fried custard buns are difficult to find in the Bay Area. I hope that they'll be easier to find when I go to HK in May.
Most Cantonese teahouses don't do a very good job of making 北 方 點 心 (bak1 fong1 dim2 sam1) Northern Chinese dim sum. Asian Pearl definitely is an exception. Their 小 籠 包 (siu2 lung4 baau1) were excellent--quality filling wrapped in thin dough. As I left the restaurant, I noticed a chef in the kitchen who was making 東 北 餡 餅 (dung1 bak1 haam2 beng2) Northeast stuffed cakes and 家 鄉 蔥 油 餅 (ga1 heung1 chung1 yau4 beng2) home-style fried onion cakes. It wouldn't surprise me if he is a 北 方 師 傅 (bak1 fong1 si1 fu2) a Northern Chinese chef who specializes in making Northern Chinese cuisine.
My deer streak is still alive. Today, while jogging, I saw a doe with her tiny fawn, probably born a few months ago. And while biking a couple of weeks ago, I came across a large buck with two-pronged horns. One thing that I like most about exercising over lunch is the wild animals that I often see up in the hills. They make me feel like a part of 大 自 然 (daai6 ji6 yin4) Mother Nature. ¶ 8:20 PM
Two things impressed me about 飲 茶 at Asian Pearl. First, the overall quality of the 點 心 (dim2 sam1) dim sum was excellent--fresh and tasty, no duds. Second, the service was even better than the dim sum. Sometimes, it can be a hassle at teahouses to catch the waiter's attention to order things or to get 豉 油 (si6 yau4) soya sauce, 辣 椒 醬 (laat6 jiu1 jeung3) hot sauce, and other condiments. But this was no problem at Asian Pearl. Service was attentive the whole time. Anything I requested was soon brought to the table.
While all the dim sum was good, I was especially impressed by the 灌 湯 餃 (gun3 tong1 gaau2) shark's fin dumpling in broth and the 炸 奶 黃 包 (ja3 laai2 wong4 baau1) deep-fried custard buns. The deep-fried custard buns are difficult to find in the Bay Area. I hope that they'll be easier to find when I go to HK in May.
Most Cantonese teahouses don't do a very good job of making 北 方 點 心 (bak1 fong1 dim2 sam1) Northern Chinese dim sum. Asian Pearl definitely is an exception. Their 小 籠 包 (siu2 lung4 baau1) were excellent--quality filling wrapped in thin dough. As I left the restaurant, I noticed a chef in the kitchen who was making 東 北 餡 餅 (dung1 bak1 haam2 beng2) Northeast stuffed cakes and 家 鄉 蔥 油 餅 (ga1 heung1 chung1 yau4 beng2) home-style fried onion cakes. It wouldn't surprise me if he is a 北 方 師 傅 (bak1 fong1 si1 fu2) a Northern Chinese chef who specializes in making Northern Chinese cuisine.
My deer streak is still alive. Today, while jogging, I saw a doe with her tiny fawn, probably born a few months ago. And while biking a couple of weeks ago, I came across a large buck with two-pronged horns. One thing that I like most about exercising over lunch is the wild animals that I often see up in the hills. They make me feel like a part of 大 自 然 (daai6 ji6 yin4) Mother Nature. ¶ 8:20 PM
