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.

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.