Foodie Dave

Crispy Bacon Wrapped Minced Shrimp

You say tomato, I say tamato. Small bites has made many great gatherings from evening Spanish Tapas to morning Chinese Dim Sum. The Chinese made famous the ritual of gathering friends and family, and bringing them to big Chinese restaurants to feast on many small delights. Dim Sum translated to English means, “To the heart’s delight”. If you are really hungry, you don’t have to wait too long because most of the dishes are fully cooked, they are all on carts pushed by servers.

This Thanksgiving, my family and I decided to go for Dim Sum at the East Harbor Seafood Palace in Brooklyn, New York. The place was packed full of diners when I arrived, there was so many people waiting to be seated, the lobby was full and some determined people even waited outside.

Immediately the food carts rolled around with their attendants shouting the names of dishes on their carts. The popular favorites like Hai Gao (Shrimp Glutenous Dumpling) and Sui Mai (Shrimp and Pork Open Wonton Dumpling), which was all very good. The Hai Gao have perfectly steamed whole large shrimps wrapped in a thin glutenous rice wrapping. When you bite into the soft chewy wrapping and break into the dumpling, a beautiful steamed shrimp aroma reminds you what fresh seafood should be. The Sui Mai have diced pieces of large shrimp mixed (most places ground the shrimp) with ground pork and spices, the mixture is placed in a wonton wrapper in a way where the filling is exposed. This allows for a unique cooking process when it is steamed, and makes for a very delicious bite, especially with the pieces of shrimp!

What I like to see is their unique versions of the popular dishes, like Peking Duck. The dish is served in two courses. The first course is served with a big platter of sliced de-boned crispy roast duck with slivers of scallions and a side of hoisin sauce (Chinese BBQ plum sauce). The platter is accompanied by a steam basket full of freshly steamed buns. It is encouraged for diners to make their own little sandwich with pieces of crispy duck, fresh scallions and aromatic hoisin sauce all in a fresh-baked soft bun. The second course of this lovely dish is a stir fry of the bone-in duck pieces with spices and vegetables. It is a really good showcase of serving the whole duck, both courses was absolutely delicious.

The Stewed Beef Brisket is beautifully braised and slow cooked with potatoes and seasoned with ginger and spices. The dish is finished and served in a sizzling hot pot, the server lifts the lid to the dish at the table and you can see the love that was put into the dish, with the bubbling rich sauce and the sweet sizzling sounds from the hot pot, it all makes for an exciting presentation and a very delicious dish.

Super Crispy Fried Anchovies and Crispy Bacon Wrapped Minced Shrimp (Feature Picture).

Dim Sum is absolutely one of my favorite ways to dine, many small bites of many big meals.

So take that bite!