Dumpling Orgy at King’s Village (UPDATED)

King’s Village
1639 NJ Hwy 27, Edison NJ
(732) 339-9858

Once again, our intrepid group of foodies headed down to Edison for some serious gut-busting dumplin’ eating at King’s Village, a Beijing-style (Mandarin) restaurant in Edison.

Every February, in celebration of the Chinese New Year, the owners host a month-long “Dumpling Fest” which for a whole $16.95 per person, they feed you jiaozi of all different types until you plead for mercy or explode, whichever comes first.

Sounds great, right? So let’s get on with the gluttony.

Are you ready for some DUMPLINGS? Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

NJ Dining: Lotus Cafe (UPDATED)

Lotus Cafe
450 Hackensack Avenue, Hackensack, NJ
(201) 488-7070

At first glance, you might dismiss Lotus Cafe offhand as your average suburban American Chinese joint in a strip mall, because that’s entirely what it looks like. For the first couple of years I lived in this area, that’s exactly what I did, and now I regret that mistake. While I wouldn’t say it has the depth that Petite Soochow or Chengdu 1 have with their Shanghainese/Sichuan cuisine, Lotus Cafe is putting out some seriously good select Taiwanese-style dishes on its menu, particularly all the noodle stuff they do.

Storefont, 2010

Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

NJ Dining: Huong Viet

Huong Viet
358 Passaic Avenue, Nutley NJ

When your favorite restaurants close, there is always a mourning period. Sometimes, you know that they are going to be gone forever, but in other cases, you get a glimmer of hope, hearing rumors that they may open again somewhere else.

One such restaurant was Little Saigon in Montclair, a Vietnamese favorite with a loyal clientele. Little Saigon had closed before, due to a fire in its original Nutley location on Franklin Avenue in 2003. The restaurant  re-opened in 2005 in a much larger Montclair space on Elm Street. In October of 2009, Little Saigon closed suddenly and without any warning.

But late last year we heard rumors that the owners were going to re-open, and re-open it did, in the original town where it all started, in Nutley. However, “Little Saigon” is no longer — it has returned to business, with the same owners, as Huong Viet on Passaic Avenue, in a much more manageable space than its previous location.

Huong Viet is the new Pho King of Nutley. Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

NJ Dining: Bergen County Dim Sum Parlors (UPDATED)

Bergen County has some of the best Chinese eateries anywhere in the state. We’re lucky to have two really phenomenal Dim Sum restaurants, Silver Pond and Dim Sum Dynasty, who make some of the best dumplings in the entire Tri-State region.

NOTE: Please also see my earlier entry for Noodle Chu, in Parsippany. Not Bergen County, but definitely worth the trip if you are in the Morris County area.

Silver Pond Seafood Restaurant
230 Main St, Fort Lee, NJ
(201) 592-8338

Silver Pond is a Fort Lee institution that has been in business for over 20 years. It really looks like something that belongs in Hong Kong, not in Northern New Jersey. Like all Dim Sum parlors you need to get there fairly early on a weekend (11:30-12 Noon is about as late as you really want to get there) and bring either cash or your American Express Card, ’cause they don’t take Visa or MasterCard. In fact, I maintain a personal AMEX Optima just for the sole purpose of eating at this place and going to Costco. That alone should tell you something. The photos here just barely scratch the surface of their dim sum offerings.

Main Dining Room (Chinese New Year, 2010)

Live seafood tanks amuse small children

Mr. Li, the Big Boss Man. (2010)

Scallion Pancake

Fried Shrimp Paste Balls, Gai Lan with Oyster Sauce (2010)

Pan Fried Noodle with Superior Soy Sauce (2010)

Salt and Pepper Fried Shrimp

Cart Service (2010)

Pork Shu Mai, Shrimp Har Gow (2010)

Shrimp and Cilantro Yuba Skin Roll (2010)

Steamed Tripe (2010)

Shrimp and Scallion Pan Fried Dumpling (2010)

Rice Congee (2010)

Eggplant stuffed with Shrimp Paste with Black Bean Sauce (2010)

Pork Wrapped with Yuba Skin. (2006)

Fried Shrimp Paste wrapped with Bacon (2010)

Pan Fried Pork Dumplings (2006)

Sticky Rice wrapped in Lotus Leaf (2006)

Sticky Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf (opened)

A type of fried shrimp dumpling with cilantro. (2006)

Fried Shrimp Balls (2006)

Roast Duck (2006)

Mushroom Roll (2006)

Steamed Fluffy BBQ Pork Bun (2006)

Manilla Clams with Black Bean Sauce (2010)

Cantonese Desserts (2010)

Dim Sum Dynasty
75 Franklin Ave, Ridgewood, NJ
(201) 652-0615

If Silver Pond is the classic, dependable, experienced Dim Sum Parlor then Dim Sum Dynasty is the young whippersnapper, with new tricks up its sleeve and wearing a much snazzier outfit. It is by far the more elegant restaurant and has some very interesting offerings that you don’t necessarily get at old warhorses like Silver Pond. This is not to say all the food items are superior, some are better and some are average. I like to alternate between the two restaurants myself.

Main Dining Room of Dim Sum Dynasty (2006)

Dim Sum Dynasty’s Pork Siu Mai (2006)

Fried Squid with Cashew Nuts (2006)

Crab/Shrimp Beggar’s Purses (2006)

Shrimp Har Gow (2006)

Clams in Black Bean Sauce (2006)

Flaky Pork Pastry Triangles (2006)

Mango Pudding (2006)

Steamed Pea Shoot Dumplings (2006)

Dim Sum Dynasty’s Pork Wrapped in Yuba Skin (2006)

Green Pepper stuffed with Shrimp Paste (2006)

Fluffy BBQ Pork Buns (2006)

Another type of clam dish, this one is dry sauteed. (2006)

E-Fu Mein Noodles (2006)

Baked Pork Buns (2006) Dim Sum Dynasty’s are not to be missed, especially if they are just out of the oven.