And Just What is Dimsum Anyway?
Written: Nov 08 '00 (Updated Oct 06 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: good variety of dimsum
Cons: you have to wait for it
The Bottom Line: Jade Villa has merely ok dimsum.
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| megugrrrl's Full Review: Jade Villa |
Someone, somewhere touted Jade Villa as the best dimsum spot in the East Bay. I disagree, but their dimsum is good, some even great, it’s not the best I’ve had. Yet, dimsum at Jade Villa is still a recommend. (Talk about an apathetic recommed!)
We went to Jade Villa on a Sunday afternoon specifically for dimsum. (Incidentally Jade Villa has terrific dimsum hours, 9:30 am – 3:00 pm). There was a healthy crowd of people waiting for a table inside. The woman at the podium gave us a number, like they do at the butcher’s, and 10 minutes turned into 30, which didn’t really bother me because waiting is a good sign that a place is popular.
I once heard dimsum loosely translated to “small snack”, and that’s exactly what each dimsum dish is like, small plates, or oftentimes round bamboo steamers that have three or four things, like dumplings or pork buns, on them. (Some of the dishes were served in stainless steel steamers.)
When we were seated, we had our choice of jasmine or chrysanthemum tea and as soon as that stainless steel teapot hit the table, the dimsum madness had begun. Basically what happens at a dimsum place is women (yes, it’s usually women) walk around the restaurant pushing carts that have several dishes which she shows you when she stops at your table. If you nod your head, she puts it on your table and puts a mark on your receipt, if you shake your head to mean no, she keeps showing you what else she has. It’s a lot more fun than it sounds! It’s great because you can see what you’re getting and you get it right then and there. The women serving the dimsum are pretty helpful too, they can tell you what’s inside the dish.
Basically there are two types, those that are steamed and those that are fried. I personally like the steamed variety of dimsum, especially the shumai, which are similar to potstickers but open at the top and steamed barbecue pork buns. Jade Villa has some interesting dimsum; shrimp-stuffed bell peppers, sweet sticky rice stuffed with assorted meats and wrapped in a lotus leaf, steamed meatballs and of course, chicken feet. The fried variety of dimsum can be good too, like their shrimp puffs and stuffed tofu.
Since the steamed dishes are stacked on top of each other they stay nice and hot. On the other hand, the fried dishes are carted around the room usually uncovered and by the time it gets to your table is room temperature. Maybe that’s why I liked the steamed stuff better.
Dimsum usually is priced by the dish, at Jade Villa it’s either small ($1.85) medium ($2.55) or large ($3.80) Most of the dishes we got like the dumplings fell into the small category and the bigger dishes like the fat shrimp chowfun noodles fit into the medium category. When you’re done eating, they tally up how many dishes you ate and our bill (for 2) was around $16.
The carts also have desserts and dimsum desserts are great. My favorite at Jade Villa are the mini egg custard pies (which are the size of a half-dollar) and sesame seed balls with red bean filling (buchi). The day we went they also had assorted rice ball pastries filled with beans and rolled in coconut, different jello creations, and mango pudding.
Although we didn’t order anything special from the menu, it is possible. We saw the table next to us order a giant plate of fried rice.
Finally, dimsum is not a place for vegetarians, unless you eat seafood. You can find vegetarian dishes, like fried tofu or bok choy stalks, but the majority of dimsum is stuffed with meat.
The neat thing about the Jade Villa is that if you don’t want to stand around waiting for a table, they have a service counter at the side where you can order dimsum to go. They give you this long piece of paper with the dimsum dishes available (kinda like the kind they give you at sushi restaurants) and you check off the things you want. The list is pretty big with 38 items. Most of the things on the list are dumplings, buns and desserts.
If you do order from the service deli, you’ll miss out on the campy and loveable décor, the carts, the anticipation, and the whole experience that is dimsum at the Jade Villa.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
megugrrrl
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Location: Oakland
Reviews written: 147
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