Dim-Sum

A restaurant must be good if it has people lining up and down the street, right?

Well, it’s a hypothesis that has constantly been proven right, and many foodies can all unanimously agree that dim-sum is a vital variable in these research papers. They’ve determined that East Ocean Seafood is a quite credible source where some of this data has been conducted. An unfamiliar aroma lingers in the air as soon as you step into the vicinity. Tables fill the restaurant to the brim, and it makes you wonder how the cart attendants and servers manage to push their goods through the tight spaces between them in such a graceful manner. Meanwhile you clumsily slid into your seat, almost tripping over a fellow customers chair. A lady adorning a red vest came pushing a cart filled with steamy Asian breakfast foods- a traditional custom that they have kept thriving until now. Peering all throughout the restaurant, you could tell that every morning was this busy, considering the city was quiet in comparison to the clamorous murmurs filling every nook and cranny in the venue. You feel lucky to have been graced a spot in the first place, seeing now as the line began to get longer. The revolving glass table makes its way towards you, not before the lady quickly places an array of dumplings, rice noodles, buns, and seafood onto it.

Whatever you’re in the mood for that morning- whether it be sweet, savory, or a combination of the two flavors, you’re sure to find it at dim-sum. The pork bun is a prime example of when these two worlds collaborate into this paradox. The exterior of the bun is fluffy, and can easily be ripped apart to reveal pieces of steamed pulled pork coated in a tangy barbecue sauce. The first bite is exactly what you expected it to taste, a combination of sweet and savory; the bun is almost like cotton in your mouth, melting along with the meat encased in the sauce. I estimate it takes about two of them to have you feeling full, but not to the point where you’d have a bellyache, so by all means, go ham.

Normally, we expect sardines to come straight out a can- slimy, coated with various oils, with barely any spices to accompany it… and if the label promises spices, all you’ll get is two sad measly artificial jalapeno flakes- and no, salt and pepper don't count. The sardines at dim sun restaurants, however, provide a stark contrast to the sad setup of its canned relative, as it is fried with chili peppers, garlic, jalapenos, and various Chinese spices, crumbled onto the bed of it’s crispy exterior. The inside is chewy, yet each bite is met with a crunch. Even better, there are no scales in it threatening to scrape through tissue down your esophagus. Despite the copious amounts of spices the fish is surrounded by, there is only a slight spiciness to it. If it were too overwhelmingly hot, it would become a flavor too uncharacteristic of a fish that tends to be more on the bland side. A bit more spiciness wouldn’t hurt though.

The pork shumai, shaped like a volcano, definitely exploded like one onto my taste buds; but instead of lava burning my tongue off it was a combination of flavors blessing my taste buds. Packed with steamed pork, bits of shrimp, and mushrooms, it is thick compared to the thin dumpling sheets holding it up. I could barely get it all in one bite, but I have no problem with that as long as it’s sole destination is my stomach.

In several other cultures, all of an animal's parts do not go to waste. Chicken feet are no exception, what with its chewy rubbery skin, coated in a savory sauce, it's like you’re eating the fatty parts of meat but not exactly. Don’t be afraid to dig right in with your hands, as this delicacy is obviously filled with just as many joints as the fingers being used to shove it in your mouth- it would just slide right off the chopstick. And no, you’re not supposed to eat the bones, you’re supposed to spit them out after sucking the skin off. But if you’re in dire need of an extra source of calcium, be my guest.

The last item fresh off the cart that I was graced with the opportunity of trying was the beef rice noodle, doused in a sweet soy sauce. It seemed thin and translucent on the outside, but it was packed with minced ground meat that left your stomach feeling satisfied.

If you’re searching for breakfast foods, and are tired of the old Ma’ and Pa’ diners in Quincy, I urge you to scope out East Ocean Seafood for some authentic, Cantonese style dim sum.