A In Pleasant H.
Yelp
So far, I'm very disappointed. And, if it makes sense, disappointed to be disappointed; I had high hopes
I'm single, love dim sum, but everything in 3s and 4s isn't really conducive to a solo who loves variety, wants one of everything. I asked around, including online, and several people recommended Tao Yuen.
Took a 25-minute drive after commute time. No traffic. Found parking, no problem. Very short line. Off to a good start.
I'd studied the menu. "Sorry, we don't have that," was the reply to many requests.
I went home with two long rice noodle rolls. The 15" long shrimp roll had five or six tiny salad sized shrimp. The other just seemed to have vegetables in the dough, no filling. The fried shrimp dumpling was burnt and tasted of cooking oil that should have been changed last week. The Chow Fun had vegetables and is super oily; the menu offers beef or chicken or shrimp Chong Fun. I asked; they looked at me like they didn't understand. The pumpkin filled dumpling was very good. The crispy fried shrimp (like salt & pepper) was mushy inside. I still haven't eaten the pork bun or sticky rice; I'm hoping they're better.
One Chinese guy online told me it's "cheap dim sum for the poors": big pieces, starchy, to fill you up. Not high quality. When he brought it to a family gathering, his Aunties said, "You sweet, summer child,"
It even occurred to me that there were other factors at play, discouraging my patronage.
Seriously, I've had better food at 99Ranch. I dont expect to return.
Edit/update: I've now tasted everything I bought. My opinion on what I wrote previously hasn't changed. But perhaps it was premature, and it's better to label the place inconsistent. I'm a little bewildered. I tried a long rice noodle roll with shrimp, typically 5-6" in a restaurant, my Tao Yuen experience with minimal tiny shrimp described above Yet I've now had Har gow, and the individual dumplings have good-sized shrimp inside, more than I've seen in many other places.
The baked pastry BBQ pork bun was fine, about average. The sticky rice was the best I've had, filled with a generous amount of protein, compared to the tiny 1-2 TBs many restaurants stuff in the middle.
I still don't think I'd make a return trip. But if I found myself in Chinatown, I might go in for some sticky rice, see if they perhaps have items I couldn't get on my first trip.