Five Star Seafood – San Gabriel

My friends found me wandering aimlessly around the parking lot after 20 minutes of squinting at signs, trying to find a poorly-marked restaurant. I don’t know why I was squinting. I’m already Chinese, and since I can’t actually read Chinese, I’m not sure why I thought squinting would help.

When we walked in, every table was full with a 30-minute wait. We were bombarded by brusque wait staff, and our table was assaulted by slightly-aggressive servers trying to unload their trays and carts. It doesn’t get more authentic than that.

 

The  little Shrimp Dumplings, a couple of Chive Bao (see cute little green bao next to bowl of blood), and Pork/shrimp Balls with Bean Curd are a sweet as can be, but that white stuff next to it is definitely Beef Tripe. Go beef or go home.

If dim sum doesn’t scare you a little you’re probably not at dim sum with me. If dim sum doesn’t scare me a little then you picked the wrong place. There are few readily-available Asian foods scarier than authentic dim sum, and if you’re ordering the tame table then you’re not sitting at mine. After all, what’s dim sum without a side of blood and guts?

Even if you’re the tame table, I wouldn’t want there to be bad blood between us so have a bowl. Of Pork Blood, that is. I found mine minimally savory and a little bit on the bland side. The texture isn’t bad, but the crumbly-soft stuff is nothing to write home about.

Can’t stomach the thought of eating organs? No guts, no glory. We liked the Pork Stomach so much we got it twice. It’s a cold dish and the texture is rubbery so try at your own risk.

Chicken Feet are at the heel of my problems. Traditional and truly not terrible, I still won’t try them at dim sum. (See metal dish at far right). Otherwise, there’s a bowl of Stewed Beef Tripe in the center, yes there is more than one preparation, and yes, we had to try both. That’s a lot of heavy stuff, but we always end on lighter notes like a steamed plate of Chinese Broccoli and fluffy Fried Taro.

When a mushroom walks into a bar, someone is trying to tell a joke. When a group of Chinese people walk into dim sum, it’s no laughing matter.  If we’re driving all the way up to San Gabriel for one meal, there better be something mind-blowing on the other end, and whatever-it’s-called, didn’t disappoint.