39 E Broadway (between Catherine St and Market St, Chinatown)
Fatty Kat Eats: Chive Dumplings, Fried Durian Roll
Instagram is a dream for discovering and sharing food. It's also a place to attract a creepy @foodiemagician or two. I'll tell you about it one day. Nevertheless, the guy really knows what's up when it comes to magical food. Abracadabra ... that's how I found Golden Sand Seafood.
Golden Sand Seafood is off the beaten path, so I thought it was a good stop on a recent food tour lead by your's truly. It was a perfect feel good spot after a sketchy but awesome Chinatown massage. Who doesn't love one of those? Ask for Bella!
We were served from the squeaky dim sum carts that New Yorkers have grown to love. These things are so outdated, but we still love them! They carry the promise of hot, steamy food, and nobody will say no to that.
When the first cart rolled by, we attacked an old lady for some Steamed Short Ribs with black bean and butternut squash. These were far from the best I've ever had, and not to mention a little mushy, but they were tasty enough to devour in a drastic state of hunger. It's hard to reach dim sum nirvana in Chinatown. You really have to go to Hong Kong for that kind of holy experience.
The blanched Chinese Broccoli ("gai lan" in Mandarin) was missing a key ingredient--oyster sauce. Although I only realized this much later in the day. These crunchy vegetables are a classic dim sum staple and really hard to mess up. I just wish we had these a few days earlier, because the greens seemed a tad chewy.
I've never had Chive Dumplings during dim sum, so I'm glad @sandyszhu made the decision for us. These babies were ridiculously juicy and well-portioned. The incredibly thin, yet durable dumpling skin was both crunchy and tender, while the chive filling was full of grassy flavors. I'm glad to say that these tied for the #1 spot in my belly. #winning
I should have known better, but I was ordering with my eyes. Note to all fatties: don't get clams from a dim sum cart! The Clams with Black Bean Sauce were generally fine, but there was no way they could be fresh and tasty. The black bean sauce was great, but each mediocre clam killed my clammy desires more and more.
At dim sum, rice noodle rolls are a given. Everyone orders them. Hipsters. Tourists. Chinese people. Fatties. At Golden Sand Seafood, the Rice Noodle Roll with Shrimp was pretty standard. The chewy rice noodle wrapped around several pieces of plump shrimp, while the sweet soy sauce gave this dish its flavor. You can't go wrong here.
Again, we couldn't help but order with our eyes. Those damn dim sum carts make it so easy to feed gluttony. I'll call this the Rice Noodle Wrapped Chinese Doughnut for lack of a better English translation. The doughnut was slightly soggy. And since that's the most important part of the dish ... no bueno.
Shrimp Dumplings are my favorite! They weren't coming out fast enough, so I harassed the little old ladies pushing carts throughout our entire meal. These were pretty plump and juicy, but the skin could have used a little more strength. These dumplings made their way into my mouth by way of the bamboo steamer, table cloth, plate and fingers. You get the picture.
And last but not least ... the fantastic Fried Durian Roll! If you don't know what durian is, let me educate you! These beautifully fried rolls had a flaky consistency and packed in a boatload of warm durian. This fruit has an acquired smell and taste, but give it a try! This held the other #1 seat in my belly. So fragrant, unique and awesome! #winning
There is nothing on the outside that will beckon you into this restaurant, especially since it gets no love from its East Broadway location. One of my friends had actually never heard of East Broadway before our food tour. Anyways, this place is no behemoth like good 'ol Jing Fong. It's quaint for a Chinatown dim sum restaurant and worth the trip to merely try something different.
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