Restaurant: Dim Sum Garden
Address: 1020 Race Street Philadelphia PA
Food: Chinese Dim Sum
Price: Good
Portions: Average
Taste: Really Good
Service: Pretty Good
Atmosphere: Depends on where you sit
I’m in Philly yesterday, crush the various Pokemon gyms, when I finally get hungry. Finding myself in Chinatown, there is just a million places to eat. I spotted a Dim Sum Garden sign and I’m like, “Yes! Dim Sum!” Dim Sum alone isn’t really dim sum, but dumplings are dumplings and I was curious if I could get dim sum solo anyway. Got led inside and the place was packed, but one-seaters are not their specialty.
I got shunted to the bar, but some woman was taking up two seats with all the crap she had bought. She didn’t look too happy to move it for me. (I found it pretty obnoxious that she would take up a seat for her SHOPPING SHIT in a restaurant that was packed to the gills.) Anyhow, the waitress brought me to the back. I felt like I was eating in a converted storage room. Not that there was any storage stuff, it just felt kinda barren. There were other people in the room, but despite my reluctance to jam myself into a seat at the bar next to a Shopaholic. I wasn’t impressed. Give me a TV screen or a waterfall or some pleasant music or something. I’m sure the front would’ve been good.
Overlooking that, I order chive and pork dumplings (steamed), Pork buns and General Tso’s Chicken. All were cooked perfectly. The crowd kept the kitchen back up, so the food was a little late, but my waiter was pretty much on top of things. Just at the very end when I asked for a check did he finally drop the ball and took forever. Also, I cut into a dumpling with a fork and it exploded, splashing greasy water all over me. (Sorry for my cursing, family-at-the-next-table.)
I sense that on a different day, I would’ve had a better experience, but the food was top notch.
I give Dim Sum Garden 8 out of 10 keggers.
