Chinese New Year Dim Sum

For those of you that celebrate the Lunar New Year, gung hay fat choy! M and I decided to head over to Ala Shanghai for a light lunch and welcome in the year of the snake. And just as expected, the place was packed. Most people made reservations, but luckily there was an open table for us.

The meal was primarily vegetarian, but I had to get the pork soup dumplings. I mean, come on… soup dumplings. Delicious as they should be. I didn’t realize it before, but one of the little dishes of sauce was on the sour side. Perhaps it’s a dark vinegar? Better on the spring rolls than on the dumplings.

 

Soupy dumplings aside, the rest of the dim sum consisted of scallion pancakes, spring rolls, and these vegetable dumplings. I may have had them before, but I can’t remember. I didn’t like these at all. The filling is minced, which is fine, but it was a bit on the mushy side and too mushroom heavy. It tasted like they used reconstituted shitake mushrooms, which unless really drained, has a weird taste to it. The spring rolls were crispy as they should be, but the inside was mush. And it’s mostly cabbage in there… and mushy tasteless cabbage is the worst.

I didn’t think the dim sum would be enough, so I ordered some vegetable lo mein. A safe enough option for a picky eater, but it was pretty underwhelming. It reminded me of pancit canton (which basically that is) only it needed more seasoning. Maybe if I had some chili oil or chili paste I would have sung a different tune.

When I asked M what he thought of the place, he said he really liked the scallion pancakes and that was it. He also said if we were to go out again for dim sum, we should go somewhere else. And as much as I hate to admit it… I agree with him.

Sorry all you AS lovers out there, it’s just not our thing.

Taiwan Noodle (Albany, NY)

Is it just me, or is Central Avenue trying to Asia-fy itself?

Dim Sum at Peter Wong's (Montvale, NJ)

Went with D to Peter Wong's for some dim sum. I don't recall the names of any of the dishes except for the steamed pork buns. All was very good, and prepared us for the snow that started to fall.

Stay warm everyone. If you're out where it's snowing, be careful on the roads.

Dim Sum Platter

I am a die hard Costco fan. There is so much to like about it... how can you not be a fan? I spotted this when I went there today.

There was a dipping sauce in the middle there, but I had to take it out when I reheated it in the microwave. I don't really care for the sauce... it may have been plum sauce? Yuck.

It was okay. I liked the ones with the shrimp the best. The other two I could have done without.

CCK, Part Deux

By the time M and I made it into Albany Sunday night, it was almost 9:30. I was surprised that M wanted to try CCK out, since he's told me more than once he's not really into Chinese food. Who knows, maybe my babbling about how great my lunch was got him to reconsider his stance.

I took charge of the ordering and picked a vegetable filled bean curd skin roll and sauteed mustard greens for him, and picked the shrimp roll and duck lo mein for myself.

The bean curd roll looked a bit greasy, but according to M it wasn't too bad. It was filled with bean sprouts, shitake mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion, etc. It was served with a soy dipping sauce.

The mustard greens, M disliked. He could not understand how mustard greens could be prepared on their own, let alone be served as a side. They were slightly bitter, but I liked the diced ginger that the greens were cooked in.

I really like their duck. The lo mein was on par with Hop Kee's version, so it's guaranteed I'll get this again from CCK. Sadly, the shrimp rolls were the only disappointment. The shrimp had a definite previously frozen taste... hell, it was even freezer burned tasting. I considered leaving the rest because of this, but I sucked it up and finished my meal.

Dinner for two came out to $26.00, including tax and tip.

M thoughts post dinner (after I asked him to write something up about it)?

"I would likely write a poor review, even though I feel it is a decent place. I just don't like Chinese food. No, no... take that back. I just don't like my choices. But the veggie stuff, whatever it was... (bean curd) that was alright. Mustard greens are mustard greens, and they're hardly worth eight dollars."

CCK Restaurant, At Last (Albany, NY)

My President's Day was quite productive this year. M discovered the cause of my car troubles on Sunday and I spent part of Monday morning at Goodyear while they replaced the bum tires. Since I was already in the area, I drove downtown to Honest Weight to pick up some bulk items that I had run out of. They've done a great job of making that store look much better, btw. After Honest Weight, I thought it would be a good time to try the chinese food at CCK.

Most of the Capital Region bloggers have already visited this restaurant, some multiple times. My excuse? When I am in the area, I spend almost all of my time in Troy. I work there, M lives there. I rarely have a reason to go into Albany nowadays.

It was a little after 11:00 when I arrived, so I was not surprised to be the only customer at that point. From the smell of Clorox bleach in the air, they were still in the midst of cleaning. A lady at the back of the room gestured me to pick a seat and I sat down at the booth closest to the window, hoping that the next guests would help push the smell out.

A quick scan of the dining area reveals six booths that can hold ~4 people each, two round tables that can hold ~8 or ~10 people, and a few smaller tables. Imagine if every seat was taken up... the room would be cramped. There is not much when it comes to decor, and it reminds me of restaurants like Wo Hop and Hop Kee- where the focus is on the food, not the design.

I didn't take a look at the rest of their menu, but they give plenty of options for lunch. They are also very inexpensive, with entrees under $7.00, and dim sum under $4.00. I ordered the roast duck noodle soup and mini rolls with pork. I poured myself a cup of complimentary tea, and relaxed while my food was being cooked.

What is it about roast duck that is so comforting? Could it possibly be the wonderful crispy skin? It looks a tad oily, it surprisingly is not. Unlike other places, there was more meat than bone, which is a huge plus. The broth had a a very pronounced flavor, and it worked well with the duck. As for vegetables, what you see in the picture is all that was in it. Fantastic. I need to go back and order this again.

When I was done with the soup, my server brought out the mini pork rolls. I thought that they would be mini pork buns (siopao) but they were dumplings. It was served in a metal steamer basket with a soy sauce mixture on the side. At this point I was stuffed, and was only able to finish one piece. Very tasty.

I am so glad I finally got around to eating at CCK. Their lunch won me over, and I expect nothing but good things from the rest of the menu. And I'm sure M will be able to find something to eat there as well.

Lunch for one came out to $9.00, including tax and tip.

CCK Chinese Restaurant
299 Central Ave
Albany, NY 12206
(518) 433-2658