Dim Sum Time At Ocean City

The two food related areas I tend to be most snobbish about are probably pickles and dim sum. Dim sum is a great time for a group meal; tons of variety on little plate served to you by ladies with varying degrees of English proficiency is much more exciting than just ordering something from a menu.  The Notorious MSG agrees. I remember always insisting on sitting by the aisle as a child so I could pick out the dishes I had to have.  

I was hesitant about dim sum in Philly, I have had the top notch goods in NY. Several months ago I tried the dim sum at Ocean City and was very disappointed. But when a few of my girls were in the mood for dim sum, I figured  I would give Ocean City another chance. 

First on the table, these fried, glutenous pyramids were slightly sweet and filled with pork. This was my favorite dish of the day, and it made me hopeful for the rest of the meal. 

Shumai also made happy, they came out hot and stuffed to the brim with shrimp.

Shrimp har gow were decent, but the shu mai were better. 
 

Other dumplings we tried were stuffed with taro and other veggies but could have had a more vibrant flavor.  I did not end up seeing one of my usual favorites on the carts, the pork and chive bun. 

For something not wrapped up, a ball of sticky rice came with mushrooms and cilantro. 

We had to track down the congee cart lady, but once we did, it was worth it. The extra touch of crispy flakes elevated an already tasty bowl of congee. 

Hurray for quality dim sum in our city! I offer my seal of approval, with a disclaimer that off days can happen.  

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

  • Lots of little dishes is just more fun
  • Surprisingly good quality dim sum (sometimes)

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

  • You never know what the carts will offer 
  • Different day, different quality 
  • You might not know how much you are spending as you go
Ocean City, 234 N 9th St. (btw Spring and Vine) , 215-829-0688

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3 Comments

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    just curious — what’s your benchmark for good dim sum? do you have a sense for a tasty shrimp har gow is supposed to be, e.g., thin skin, fresh shrimp, slightly peppery, juicy, etc. i ask because you somewhat vaguely compare shu mai to har gow without much reference to what is considered “decent” and what is not. i’m all for just enjoying good, tasty foods and minimal snobbery, but a little detail to the cultural norms of what’s considered “decent” dim sum would be much appreciated!

  • Surely, both the shrimp and wrapper of the shu mai were moist and tasted freshly made while the ha gow wrapper was slightly dry and not as slippery as I like. With dim sum freshness makes all the difference, so it could easily be a matter of a fresh batch of shu mai was ready while we visited while the ha gow was from earlier in the day.

  • p.s. my favorite places to eat dim sum, hence where my ideal standard comes from, are Gum Fung and the now shuttered Gala Manor in Flushing

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