Lobster ..
Yelp
Ahh, Johnston. I found myself there today so I had to go to Wong's Chopsticks and enjoy their awesome Sunday dim sum. It was only my second time, but everything was as just as enjoyable as the first visit. Yeah, it's in a little strip mall, but the cozy shop cranks out seriously delicious steamed bites.
Arrived a little after noon and the place was pretty full. I think at least two tables had families parked at them, and I can' t blame them; dim sum is perfect for sharing (and fighting over) with your loved ones. We ditched the menus when the waitress came over and she gave us the dim sum ticket. After a couple of minutes we'd made our selections, ordered drinks, and waited. Then waited some more. And after that, we waited a wee bit more. Again; the place was hopping, so the delay was understandable. On top of that, I believe it's a only a husband and wife team running the show so their outstanding hustle and personal attention to the customers should be applauded. But what made the wait all the more tortuous (in my mind, at least) was seeing all the delicious food coming out of the kitchen, parading past us, to be delivered to other tables. One such dish (we asked the waitress the name) was the fried shrimp balls. I think it's an appetizer, but catching sight of two separate orders of those golden, ragged-edged crunchables, plied high on the plate, made us want to have a second chance at that menu.
When our food finally came, it was only the shao mai and chicken feet at first, but we dug immediately. The shao mai was fantastic, of course, and we really should've just put in two orders because they were inhaled so fast. The chicken feet were...well, chicken feet. Wouldn't really describe them delectable, but the flavor was alright. You're not really going for meat when eating chicken feet (because there isn't any), and most people don't pursue them for their texture, so flavor is what you're left with. They were basically ordered for tradition's sake; we had a dim sum neophyte with us today, and this was his initiation. He passed. Barely.
The rest of our initial order arrived and we made quick work of that as well. Shrimp and chive dumplings, har gow, and bbq pork bao were enjoyed by all. I think the "Special Shrimp Har Gow" had cilantro in it, which I can't praise enough. And I think the dumplings had broccoli in there too, which is crazy, but it absolutely worked.
It was all great, but we didn't want to stop there so we got our dim sum ticket again and ticked off a few more selections. Because the place was clearing out, our food got to us much faster this time. The sticky rice was okay, and definitely lived up to its name once I Rubik's-cubed it out of its lotus leaf. The scallop and shrimp dumplings were delicate, piping hot, and delicious. I abstained from the broccoli due to price (11 bucks!), but my dining companions said it may have been the best dish of the entire meal. I'm a little skeptical of that, but I sampled a little of the sauce and admit it tasted pretty good.
All told, it was another great trip to Wong's. I don't know if they're the only dim sum game in Des Moines since Heavenly Asian Cuisine & Lounge closed, but I'm pretty sure they're the best.