Deem Sum used to be more common among my posse when I lived on the East Coast so I haven't spent much time exploring the offerings in California. A media bud introduced me to Yank Sing this past week in Rincon Center on Spear Street in San Francisco, a stone's throw from the Financial District.
Likely due to the location, it was packed. As is typical with dim sum, carts came by every few minutes with one offering after another ranging from steamed dumplings and stirfy vegetables and meat to butter lettuce enclosed 'chicken and pork' pockets you eat by hand.
For those not familiar with the tradition and style, Deem Sum literally translated means "to touch the heart."
Some of the options we tried included snow pea shoot dumplings (Dau Miu Gow), chicken fun gwor (steamed translucent crescent dumplings filled with a tasty wok-cooked hand-chopped chicken, shiitake mushroom, winter bamboo shoots, and cilantro-flavored stuffing), sauteed string beans, cabbage salad, steamed pork buns (warm fluffy bread buns stuffed with nuggets of honey-glazed BBQ pork), and of course the traditional potstickers (Wor Tee) filled with minced chicken, scallions, ginger, and toasted sesame oil stuffing, steamed in a wok, then shallow- pan-fried, and served with vinegar, soy sauce and Yank Sing Chili Pepper Sauce.
What I didn't try but would like to sample on a future visit:
Peking Duck – A Yank Sing Signature dish, house-roasted Peking Duck served as a deem sum appetizer, Crispy paper thin honey-coated skin and tender slices of succulent meat stuffed in a steamed seashell bun, accompanied with finely slivered scallions and smears of tangy hoisin sauce.
Stuffed Crab Claws – Light and fluffy crab and shrimp mousse croquette encasing a whole snow crab claw, deep-fried until golden brown. (even though I'm definitely not a fan of deep-fried food and in fact, very very rarely eat it).
The ambience is bustling and the service was great – a large glass tea kettle filled with strong flavorful green tea came within minutes of asking for it. One thing to note: lunch for 3 was very pricey by deem sum standards, given that we didn't order any alcohol neither did we go crazy with wild ingredients and menu options. (nearly $120 including tip).
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
