Slaphappy P.
Yelp
There has been a hole in my life ever since Sunflower closed. Dim Sum other places ranged from "eh" to really bad (and that from a highly touted chi chi place). So it was with high hopes The Cripple Empire descended onto Ty's. And now I am finally healing.
Extensive selection, but be aware, although served till 8, some dishes only are served till 3. Sad not to have the home made pork buns I heard about. But no matter: the fried custard balls, new to me, were out of this world, as were the fried tofu skin rolls, that came with a bit of mayo to dip them in. Strange, but somehow it worked! The green pea shoot dumplings were fantastic, so flavorful. Did they just pick those shoots?! The stuffed green pepper was amazing- the pepper just right, lightly steamed, a little crunch. Fresh too. Nice sauce. The Gin Har Bang was good as was the stuffed eggplant. Our favorite, steamed rice (seven treasure) in lotus leaf was disappointing, sadly. It was ok, but a far cry from Sunflower's. Too much sausage and very little else in there. It was more like one damaged treasure. It also didn't have that tasty caramelized golden deliciousness on top the rice that is it's best part. I think they used dried out leaves, maybe? They were gray. My friend got the "pad thai." It wasn't gross or anything, but used spaghetti rice noodles instead of flat, and they were bright orange from some kind of sweet tomato sauce. Like pad thai marinara, but from the Philipines. But you know, what can you expect? It's not a Thai restaurant.
The place is beautifully designed and comfortable (great booths!). Fashionable but origina, and with wood boxes full of knick knacks on the walls to keep it from being too pissy. Just right. Comfortable and relaxing.
Now the reason for the four stars: Although I'm sure she is a warm and wonderful person, kind and giving, and was just "having a bad day," our waitress was outright nasty! Arguing that we didn't need another dim sum menu first off. Then slamming things down on the table. Then my friend asked for a larger plate. The waitress pointed to the little one and said why, she HAD a plate, she didn't need one. It was explained, again, that she wanted a larger one, please. Back and forth. I've NEVER experienced that from wait staff anywhere before. Really unbelievable. I was worried someone was going to drop a house on her, for gosh sakes! But I'll tell ya, it's surely a testament to the quality of the food, that despite her best efforts, we left happy. And will be back....checking what tables are hers, then requesting seating elsewhere.