Cyn K.
Yelp
Overview: No frills dim sum place, solid food, convienient but less variety than the bigger dim sum places
----
Price: Most items are $6.49 with a few being $5.99. This is around the same prices of Pacific Lighthouse (their large dishes are $6.85), and quite a bit cheaper than East Ocean (their large dishes are $8.95). That being said, dim sum in general has been getting more expensive nowadays.
----
What we ordered:
Dishes for $6.49:
- Black Bean Chicken Feet (4 pcs)
- Shrimp Dumplings (4 pcs)
- Siu Mai (4 pcs)
- Pan-Fried Chive Dumplings (3 pcs) - NOTE: different from traditional versions, these ones do not have shrimp, and are instead more similar to pot stickers with a mixed meat filling, maybe chicken or pork, in a potsticker wrapper.
- Chicken Potstickers (3 pcs)
- Portuguese Egg Tarts (3 pcs)
- Garlic Steamed Pork Ribs
Dishes for $5.99
- Turnip Cakes (3 pcs)
- Sesame Balls (3 pcs)
The taste of the dishes are all on par to the other dim sum spots in Alameda. My favorites were the Portuguese Egg Tarts and the Sesame Balls. The creamy, slightly sweet egg custard contrasts nicely with the light, flakey crust. The sesame balls were huge with a crispy exterior and a soft, chewy interior filled with either red bean or lotus paste.
----
We came at 11:30am on a Saturday and there was no wait! While there is less variety than other places, they're a lot faster and friendlier than traditional cart-style dim sum restaurants.
Parking can be tough on Webster Street with street parking, but we found parking in the surrounding residential areas and walked.
Seating:
- A couple two-seaters outside
- 3 window seats inside
- 2 four-seaters and 1 two-seater inside
----
Drinks:
- Milk teas $4.75
- Fruit teas $5.75
- Smoothies (all with cheese cream) $4.25-4.75
- Coffee $4.75
- Signature drinks (Mango Pomelo Sago, Signature Fruit Tea, Matcha Latte) $5.75
Toppings $0.50 each:
- Boba
- Crystal Boba
- Lychee Jelly
Extra:
- Cheese Cream $1
All drinks are 16oz. with adjustable sweetness and ice levels. I like their slightly savory cheese cream that balances out the sweetness of the drinks, I enjoyed both the strawberry smoothie and the peach one.
**They have a promotion going on right now, if you buy $20 worth of food, you can get a drink for $1! (Does NOT include mango sago, matcha, or coffee drinks.)**
----
Overall: A convenient spot to satisfy dim sum cravings without the wait or crowds, great for quick eats or grabbing food to-go, fast and friendly service makes up for their smalller menu