Posts
But such is the peculiarity of the food scene here that you get good stuff in places least expected, especially for those establishments which have been around for a long time. You have yummylicious Hainanese Chicken Rice at Hard Rock Cafe, so I guess top notch dim sum at Comfort Inn should not be that shocking.
Still, I approached Comfort Inn last Sunday with quite a bit of hungry skepticism. Perhaps it was good donkey years ago when Beijing had more carts than cars, when desperate expats gratefully lapped up anything? But is it still "the best", as claimed by some longtime Beijing Singaporeans?
It is. Pure and simple. Victory hands down. Call off the contest. The Golden Tripod Attic is like S-League compared to the Comfort's English Premier League standards. The dim sum at this place is out of this world and into the next.
The hotel's restaurant, which was first set up in Guangdong province, is actually named Kaiyue. But what the heck, let's just call it Comfort Inn. It's easier. And as you can tell from the pics below, the restaurant is really quite comfortable. Lots of private rooms to choose from.
We ordered a bunch of dim sum, which is really the best way to enjoy the Cantonese delight. And every basket or plate that was served met the salivating approval of me and my friends.
Carrot cake, sliced into little and almost symmetrical cubes, crispy edges, tender insides.
Chee cheong fun, cut into short sticks with a skin so thin it was translucent.
Siew mai and har kow, steamed to perfection, juicy and not oily, allowing you to savour the freshness of the shrimps.
Lo mai kai, killer. Absolute killer. It was so good it was unreal. The glutinous rice so soft that the slightest touch with your chopsticks cut apart the rectangular delight. Slices of shiitake mushrooms and pork belly within. Awesome.
Only the char siew bao (in the background) was not world class. It was still good, but I thought the buns could have been softer and more fluffier.
But as with any place which is popular with Singaporeans, you know it's because there's something free. At Comfort Inn (10-8523-6668), you get free fruits and .... 豆花! (How do you translate that? Bean curd jelly? Any suggestions?) Sorry for this blurry pic. A stupid auntie started scooping furiously when I was about to snap.
Budget about 70 yuan per person. Quite a cheap price to pay for the best dim sum in town.
2 comments:
Eh how do I type Chinese characters? Anyway, I thought we always referred to dou hua as just beancurd. Not jelly. It's more like pudding actually. Anyway, this place sounds really nice. I haven't eaten dim sum in like forever. The other day I was thinking about all the good stuff that I used to take for granted in Singapore and then I felt sad. I miss kway teow ta with alot of vinegar, beef noodles and my favourite yu pian ku gua mi fen tang. Sob!
But beancurd can be fried, braised and most people would not think of it as "dou hua" instantly, right? Beancurd pudding sounds quite nice. But is there a proper English term for it?
The good thing about Beijing these days is that you really can get all the good food from different parts of China. It is the capital after all! Great Cantonese cuisine and a wide selection of Sichuan spicy mama goodies. Even the more obscure Guizhou and Xinjiang stuff can be easily found.
But I still can't find a solid Mee Pok Ta - yes, with lots and lots of vinegar. Wah, my saliva really dripping...
Post a Comment