Shortly after my December 22 post about Dim Sum, a friend emailed me and several friends to suggest that we all gather at C&Y Chinese Restaurant, 2222 St. Clair Avenue, (216) 566-1188 for a group experience. I couldn't turn that invitation down! So, yesterday our table of 8 partook in another Dim Sum feast.
I won't repeat the photos of the items shown in my 12/22 post (our table yesterday ordered every item Bob and I had shared the week before - all nine of them - plus the items pictured below), but before showing you the additional items we enjoyed yesterday, a few notes.
This was Sunday, not Saturday (Sunday being the traditional day for the most premium and freshly made Dim Sum), and we started earlier - at 11am. I don't know whether it was the day of the week, the time of the day, or sheer luck of the draw, but all of the fried items that were a bit cold last week were fresh and piping hot yesterday. And the Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings) were wonderfully fresh and delicious, though they didn't have as much soup as last week's models. I didn't see any "premium" or unusual dumplings, and the fry cart they had last year seemed to have disappeared. However, by the time we left at 1pm, the parking lot was packed, and the restaurant busy, with more people streaming in!
Fried Egg Wrapper Stuffed With Shrimp and Vegetables
Potstickers
Char Sui Bao (Baked BBQ Pork Buns)
One in our group, who has traveled extensively around the world, pronounced these the best Char Sui Bao she'd ever had. The seasonings in the perfectly cooked pork jumped out of the slighly sweet bun dough. I noticed that the Asian family at the next table took several large take-out boxes of these buns with them when they left!
Steamed BBQ Pork Bun
This bao contained the same filling as the baked bun, in a fluffy, more savory dough that is steamed.
Steamed Pork Bao
This bao, with a wrapper very similar to the previous bao, but a little more toothsome and less fluffy, contained a mixture of minced pork and vegetables. Though they looked very much alike, these last two bao were quite different - but very fresh and tasty.
Shaumai
The "mom's meatloaf" of Dim Sum - the ubiquitous Shaumai is a staple. For some reason, I never care for these unless I make them, though there was certainly nothing to complain about here. C&Y's version of this dumpling is a 50-50 mix of pork and shrimp, and the shrimp were in fairly large pieces for such a small dumpling.
Taro Dumpling
From the ubiquitous to the sublime - a freshly made, crispy-on-the-outside, creamy on the inside treat (mushrooms be damned!). A filling of mashed taro (also known as "Chinese Potato"), pork, mushrooms, ginger and seasonings is surrounded by shredded taro and deep fried. Yum!
Sesame Seed Ball
The menu name does not do justice to this sweet delight. Sweet red bean paste is tucked within a thick layer of fun gwoh dough, which is then deep fried and rolled in sesame seeds. The result is a sweet, yet intensely nutty flavored, ball of chewy goodness.
Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf
While this dumpling was perfectly prepared and very tasty - it seemed to lack profundity. I like my sticky rice with duck eggs and lap cheong (Chinese dried sausage), but the contents of our dumplings were simpler - mostly minced pork and mushrooms.
Dan Bing (Baked Egg Custard)
Even though we were completely stuffed, we were determined to have some of these (they didn't have any last week when Bob and I went alone). We had to wait about 10 minutes, as they were still in the oven when we first asked for them. We then promptly inhaled four plates worth! And they were divine - a warm flaky crust filled with rich egginess.
I didn't move quickly enough to get a photo of the hargow (steamed shrimp dumplings), but perhaps one of my photo-taking companions did. So, altogether, we played with about 20 dim sum dishes.
We left happy, and determined to return to play with more Dim Sum soon!
I won't repeat the photos of the items shown in my 12/22 post (our table yesterday ordered every item Bob and I had shared the week before - all nine of them - plus the items pictured below), but before showing you the additional items we enjoyed yesterday, a few notes.
This was Sunday, not Saturday (Sunday being the traditional day for the most premium and freshly made Dim Sum), and we started earlier - at 11am. I don't know whether it was the day of the week, the time of the day, or sheer luck of the draw, but all of the fried items that were a bit cold last week were fresh and piping hot yesterday. And the Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings) were wonderfully fresh and delicious, though they didn't have as much soup as last week's models. I didn't see any "premium" or unusual dumplings, and the fry cart they had last year seemed to have disappeared. However, by the time we left at 1pm, the parking lot was packed, and the restaurant busy, with more people streaming in!
Fried Egg Wrapper Stuffed With Shrimp and Vegetables
Potstickers
Char Sui Bao (Baked BBQ Pork Buns)
One in our group, who has traveled extensively around the world, pronounced these the best Char Sui Bao she'd ever had. The seasonings in the perfectly cooked pork jumped out of the slighly sweet bun dough. I noticed that the Asian family at the next table took several large take-out boxes of these buns with them when they left!
Steamed BBQ Pork Bun
This bao contained the same filling as the baked bun, in a fluffy, more savory dough that is steamed.
Steamed Pork Bao
This bao, with a wrapper very similar to the previous bao, but a little more toothsome and less fluffy, contained a mixture of minced pork and vegetables. Though they looked very much alike, these last two bao were quite different - but very fresh and tasty.
Shaumai
The "mom's meatloaf" of Dim Sum - the ubiquitous Shaumai is a staple. For some reason, I never care for these unless I make them, though there was certainly nothing to complain about here. C&Y's version of this dumpling is a 50-50 mix of pork and shrimp, and the shrimp were in fairly large pieces for such a small dumpling.
Taro Dumpling
From the ubiquitous to the sublime - a freshly made, crispy-on-the-outside, creamy on the inside treat (mushrooms be damned!). A filling of mashed taro (also known as "Chinese Potato"), pork, mushrooms, ginger and seasonings is surrounded by shredded taro and deep fried. Yum!
Sesame Seed Ball
The menu name does not do justice to this sweet delight. Sweet red bean paste is tucked within a thick layer of fun gwoh dough, which is then deep fried and rolled in sesame seeds. The result is a sweet, yet intensely nutty flavored, ball of chewy goodness.
Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf
While this dumpling was perfectly prepared and very tasty - it seemed to lack profundity. I like my sticky rice with duck eggs and lap cheong (Chinese dried sausage), but the contents of our dumplings were simpler - mostly minced pork and mushrooms.
Dan Bing (Baked Egg Custard)
Even though we were completely stuffed, we were determined to have some of these (they didn't have any last week when Bob and I went alone). We had to wait about 10 minutes, as they were still in the oven when we first asked for them. We then promptly inhaled four plates worth! And they were divine - a warm flaky crust filled with rich egginess.
I didn't move quickly enough to get a photo of the hargow (steamed shrimp dumplings), but perhaps one of my photo-taking companions did. So, altogether, we played with about 20 dim sum dishes.
We left happy, and determined to return to play with more Dim Sum soon!
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