Li Wah

Revisited:

2999 Payne Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44114
(216) 696 6556

Since I have returned from the West Coast, I have been slightly obsessed (just slightly) with finding the best Dim Sum in Cleveland. I just can't get enough, and I can't wait to go to San Francisco in a few weeks to dive into their Dim Sum offerings.
In Cleveland the Dim Sum options are limited. As far as I knew, there were three to choose from; C and Y, Bo Loong, and Li Wah. In the past I have tried C and Y Chinese restaurant and their Dim Sum was quite tasty. In retrospect, they were my first encounter with Dim Sum, and I still think that they were very good after experiencing Dim Sum at other places. Unfortunately, C and Y is now closed. The next option, as I have mentioned in the past, is Bo Loong. Bo Loong's Dim Sum was very good, but Li Wah is even better. I wrote about Li Wah before as well, and I wasn't impressed or pleased in the least, but their Dim Sum has made my return worth it.
Since returning from the West Coast we have been back to Li Wah three times just for the Dim Sum, and it is now our favorite in the city.
We have been on Sundays so far, and they are packed. Our most recent visit we had to wait for a table, and the place is huge. The servers keep coming around with the carts full of steaming options to choose from. It still is a bit overwhelming as they continue to bombard you with tasty options, but I am starting to grow accustom and even restless if they don't come at me from all angles.
Of course we got our now usual selections, Har Gow (steamed shrimp dumplings), Siu Mai (steamed pork dumplings), fried Taro Root, (which I still love oh so much), and steamed shrimp with green peppers. As always, we order some type of Tofu, fried or stuffed with either pork or shrimp. We are really getting the hang of ordering the items we like and being able to recognize the ones we don't. We did try a new sweet offering, which ended up being preserved egg on top of a Lotus Seed and ginger paste, stuffed inside a petite sesame seed bun. The flavors were hard to pin point at first, but they were quite unique and had a delightful sweet finish.
After indulging in all of the delicious morsels my companions and I couldn't possibly have another bite. We asked for the check and prepared to leave full and satisfied. That was until a nice young gentleman came over with plates full of Crispy Roasted Pork with a Cucumber Slaw. At first we said, "oh, no thank you", as we were so full, but after a short conference with my two equally intrigued companions, we couldn't resist. It was a good thing we changed out minds and got this fabulous dish. The Pork skin was so crisp and salty I could eat it alone as a snack. The meat was so tender and juicy and the layer of Pork fat underneath was a guiltily sumptuous finish. We couldn't possibly finish the Pork dish, but all three of us were glad that we decided against our initial response.
Li Wah has now proven to me that sometimes first impressions can be wrong. I will continue to return to lavish in their Dim Sum offerings and to satisfy my newest addiction.

Koi Garden

4288 Dublin Blvd
Dublin, CA 94568
(925) 833-9090
www.koipalace.com


I am addicted to Dim Sum. My significant other and I cannot get enough of the little steamed and fried dumplings. We have been on the hunt for the best Dim Sum we can find. We have had a few adventures here in Cleveland, but our recent trip to the West Coast has opened our eyes and just made us want more and more.After getting off of the plane, we headed to get Dim Sum. We went to a restaurant called Koi Garden that was assured by our hosts to be the place to go in the Livermore area (specifically, Dublin) for Dim Sum.
So far, as I have mentioned we only have had Dim Sum in Cleveland before this, and Cleveland has nothing on Koi Garden. I don't know whether it was this place specifically or if it was the fact the West Coast has entirely different approaches to it's Dim Sum. Either way, we were in heaven.
Everything from the standbys of Steamed Pork Dumplings and Steamed Shrimp Dumplings, tasted lighter and much more fresh. We of course had to get the Taro Root dumplings, but we were surprised that they weren't as good as the ones we had enjoyed in Cleveland.
At Koi Garden we tried items we had not had before. For example we had a delicious mushroom cap stuffed with Ginger and Shrimp. It was served with a slightly sweetened glaze, and the mushroom had a nice earthy flavor. We also really liked the Cilantro and Shrimp dumplings. The flavor of the Cilantro melded perfectly with the shrimp, and you could tell they were made fresh and not too long before being served.
I always try to get some type of Tofu dish when ever we go, and this time we got the fried Tofu. The Tofu was served with a crust that was crispy, but a bit dense and cardboard like. With the dipping sauce, I kinda of enjoyed it, although my companions didn't really care for it.
We also ordered a dish of the Peking Duck. This duck was so tender and juicy, it was worth gnawing on the chopped bones.
We finished with the Sugar Egg Puffs. These babies are right up my alley. Light, sugary sweet, moist on the inside, and yet crisp on the outside. I had not seen these on any other Dim Sum menu as of yet, and will surely be looking for them from now on, they were that good.
Dim Sum is an addictive flavor adventure. I just can't get enough. Since we have been back from the West Coast we have already gone twice and I am sure we will continue to search for more savory or sweet selections no matter what city we are in.

Bo Loong

3922 Saint Clair Ave NE
Cleveland, OH 44114
(216) 391-3113

I have heard mixed reviews of Bo Loong forever. All my years in Cleveland not once had I passed through their doors. It was a Saturday afternoon and there were six of us in the mood for Dim Sum. We wanted to go to C & Y Restaurant like we had in the past, but apparently it is closed! Closed forever! (I am going to get more information on this situation.)
Anyway, Bo Loong was the place we chose for our Dim Sum adventure, and an adventure it was. Bo Loong is another sprawling restaurant complete with fish tanks pretty much on every wall. This being only the second time I have experienced Dim Sum, I was ready to dive back in to the multitudes of selections.
I do love how the staff just bombards you with choice after choice of the steamed dumplings, steamed buns, and soups, and all the rest, but it can be a bit daunting. The next thing I knew we had a table full of little beauties to try.
Steamed Shrimp dumplings,

Pork and Shrimp, Bbqued Pork, Chicken Dumplings, Tofu skin stuffed with mushrooms and onions, fried Taro Root,

(which was very nice, but I definitely liked the Taro Root at C & Y better), Spring Rolls, fried Tofu, and last but certainly not least Congee. I have been interested to try Congee for some time, and I finally got to try this gelatinous concoction of rice porridge with bits of pork and fish.

I have to say, it was good. The texture was definitely something to get used to, but once you do, it was tasty stuff.
Some of us ordered some soups as well; the Egg Drop, and Wonton. Unfortunately, they were not that impressive.
Our last experience with Dim Sum we didn’t get to try any of the sweet selections, so this time we made sure we did.

Mexican Bough, which was a bun stuffed with Lemon Cassata, Sesame Bun, a chewy morsel stuffed with sesame paste, little egg custard cups, and the Silken Tofu pudding with sweet syrup. The Lemon bun was delicious, sweet lemon custard with a baked bun shell. The Sesame Bun was not my favorite, nor were the egg custard cups, which were like biting into a congealed egg yolk.

The Tofu pudding on the other hand, if you can get past the consistency, was lightly sweetened, silky and quite pleasing.

After giving the bowl a stir, the sweet syrup surrounded the Tofu and left you with a slurpy sweet and smooth finish.
I am quite glad that I finally got the chance to try Bo Loong, if not for the Dim Sum, just to give them a chance. The service and the food were very good and I will happily return in the future.

C and Y Chinese Restaurant

2222 St Clair Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44114
(216) 566-1188

Keeping along the Asian kick I have been on; C and Y Chinese Restaurant in downtown Cleveland dishes up tasty dish after tasty dish. I have been there a handful of times for dinner and never had any complaints. The service was impeccable and the food always left me wanting more. Recently, I went for their Dim Sum on a Sunday afternoon. I realized that I had never experienced the Dim Sum before. From what I heard, this is just the place. I also heard that Li Wah Chinese restaurant, was recommended for such endeavors, but after my experiences there, I think not. C and Y serves Dim Sum until 3 pm on Sundays and we arrived around quarter til 2, just enough time.
We started with tea of course, and we were then bombarded with cart after cart of small steaming plates of dumplings and different goodies to choose from. Everything was more interesting than the next. It was a bit overwhelming, being that none of the three of us had experienced Dim Sum before. Each of us just kept repeating "yes, okay"as the young ladies placed each tantalizing plate in front of us.We chose the pork and vegetable buns, the bbq pork buns, shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings, spring rolls, meatballs, and my favorites of all of our choices, the vegetables wrapped with tofu skin, and the taro dumplings. But, we must not forget the Chicken feet. Oh yes. The sauce on the feet was sweet and savory at the same time. The consistency of the flesh was appetizing, but the crunchy cartilage is something that will take getting used to. Although I did not fully enjoy the feet, I did appreciate them and would definitely try them again in the future.
At that point, we were all so full that we couldn't think of getting anything else and unfortunately we missed out on all the sweet dumplings they had to offer.
Next time we will know a bit more of what we are getting ourselves into, and we will know how to space out the little dishes in order to go the distance.