Since traveling to Asia multiple times during the last five or so years, we have developed a love of dim sum.
There’s something wonderful about those baskets of freshly-steamed dumplings, whether in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, or in the Hong Kong airport, where we always make a beeline to Pak Loh Chiu Chow Restaurant in Terminal 1.
We first embraced dim sum, however, when we lived in San Francisco, at the James Beard award-winning Yank Sing.
During our mid-May visit, we wanted to try a different place, and searched Yelp for recommendations for dim sum in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
Our search led us to the Great Eastern Restaurant at 649 Jackson Street in Chinatown.
Yelp reviews were mixed, but we were intrigued by the fact that President Obama had dim sum at this establishment when he was in San Francisco a few years ago.
Plastic laminated picture menus are usually a strong signal that a restaurant is not going to be great. Plus, there was about a 20-plus minute wait in a crowded entryway to get a table on a Saturday morning.
But we stuck with our decision, and finally got a table on the lower level of the restaurant.
We sipped on the tea as we studied the menu and made our selections. Unlike many dim sum restaurants, the offerings do not come by on a push cart for you to choose what you want. You order from the menu.
Something many Yelpers complained about is noted at the top of the menu: tea and water costs $1 per person. The pot of tea is terrific, and a $1 per person is quite reasonable.
The menu also warns that there is a $20 minimum charge to use a credit card.
We ordered six different items, heavy on shrimp. All cost $4.50 per steamer basket.
This was the steamed Shanghai Pork Dumpling. Or, perhaps it was the Mushroom, Pork & Shrimp Dumpling. Whichever it was, it was seriously Yum!
Three of our favorite dumplings were very similar in appearance. This might have been the shrimp and spinach dumpling, or the Cilantro shrimp dumpling, or the Snow Pea Sprouts & Shrimp dumpling.
If you like shrimp and fresh vegetables steamed in a light dough wrapper, you will love all of these.
As soon the steamer baskets arrived at our table, we consumed them. Even though it took a little longer, we liked the idea of getting what we wanted cooked to order, rather than choosing off of a push cart.
While the decor was dated and the service was brusque, the dim sum was delicious, and extremely reasonable compared to Yank Sing.
Where’s your favorite spot for dim sum? We’d love to hear your recommendations; please share in comments below.
Check out these other posts on food finds during our travels:
- A Taste of Tokyo at Shinjuku Station in Fort Worth, Texas
- Eating Our Way Through San Telmo With Buenos Aires Food Tours
- Exploring the Cuban Coffee and Food Culture in Key West, Florida
- The Master Chef’s Table on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam
- Dining at Ristorante Guido in Rimini, Italy
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