For the food lover, every day is a new adventure that goes
something like this: “I cannot live without Thai green curry right
now.” “I will die if I do not get Ethiopian food.” “I can’t bear this
hangover without huevos rancheros.” “I don’t give a shit how fat I am,
I’m ordering the corned beef hash.” “I am so sick I cannot go on
without that miso soup.” “If I don’t eat a salad I will keel over dead
from malnourishment.”
Okay, I speak in hyperbole, but you know what I mean. Sometimes
you’re willing to sit in an hour of traffic for the perfect sushi roll.
Or you’ll brave the outside world for a bowl of pho, even though you’ve
got the DTs so bad that you’d rather poke your eye out than be in
public. Okay, whatever, the hyperbole continues, but what I mean is
that for food folk, there really is a meal for every mood.
The dim sum mood is something like, “I’m starving, but I want to eat
a giant pile of something warm and healthy, then go home and take a
nap.” Dim sum feels like an indulgence because it comes at you so
quickly in so many different forms, but it’s food you don’t have to
feel guilty about eating. At Wong Kee—a spectacular new dim sum
restaurant in Old Town—you’ll be savoring a healthy rice dumpling
filled with shrimp, crisp corn and peas, and cilantro just moments
after you take your seat. Or try the savory pork wrapped in bean curd,
or a rice dumpling filled with saucy beef. Each delight that comes to
you off the wandering dim sum cart is an exciting combination of pork,
beef, and/or shrimp, and an array of tasty vegetables. For example, the
Chinese sushi is a mix of shrimp and pork made into a sausage, rolled
in seaweed and deep fried. Or try a delightful little package of pork,
bamboo shoots, and mushrooms wrapped in bean curd, or Chinese broccoli
and shrimp stuffed in a rice dumpling.
My favorite items at Wong Kee are those made with shrimp, because
the seafood is steamed perfectly and it’s incredibly fresh (note the
tank of live shrimp and eel in the back of the restaurant). The
vegetables are likewise impressively crisp and flavorful— I can’t
eat here without ordering a plate of sautéed Chinese broccoli to
go along with my variety of mysterious dumplings. Another indulgence I
can’t pass up at Wong Kee is the pork bun, a sweet breakfast-like bun
stuffed with barbecued pork. Not so healthy, but they’re delicious, and
a dim sum staple.
If you find yourself thirsty after work, stop by Wong Kee’s tidy
lounge from 3-8 pm daily and enjoy free appetizers while you slurp down
a cold Tsingtao. Although, a beer and a few bites of food here and
there really won’t do Wong Kee justice, so you’ll need to find an
afternoon off to spend time poring over their culinary delights. Bring
a friend and devote an hour to sampling delicacies both familiar and
mysterious—the roving dim sum cart has something for every
craving, whether you’re feeling righteous and healthy and interested in
broccoli, or craving the grease-bathed fruits of the deep fryer. (The
Tsingtao is probably still a good bet either way… dim sum and beer go
together like pizza and beer. Or burritos and beer. Or pie and beer.
Or… you get the idea.) Then after you’re perfectly stuffed, I suggest
heading home to hit the hay.