Dim Sum at Fook Yuen

Succulent golden brown roast duck

If you drive along El Camino Real in Millbrae, you will see a number of Chinese restaurants--some are large as a palace and just as ornate, catering to banquet-sized parties; others are smaller and unassuming. If you're new to the area, how do you know which place to choose for dim sum? One suggestion: go where the people are waiting.

The only clue to the newcomer that Fook Yuen is a hidden gem is the crowds outside. My companion and I went on a holiday weekend, and large groups were waiting in the crowded lobby, spilling out onto the street. We drew a number and were told that the wait was 45 minutes. But because it was just the two of us, we ended up being seated in just 15 minutes. Lesson learned: Really hungry and it's prime time brunch hour? Go with a small group to get seated faster.

Fried tofu wrapped in nori

So began the steady arrival of delicious dim sum; old favorites such as shrimp dumplings were juicy and filling.

I tried jellyfish for the first time--it tasted like seaweed, clean like the ocean, the tentacles coated with a slight spice kick. One treat was the fried tofu, wrapped in nori and flavored with garlic and sesame sesame oil. Crispy on the outside, and oh-so-tender on the inside, the tofu became my favorite new treat--a dish I never had before on my dim sum outings.

Tender jellyfish served cold, spicy

The duck was mostly all skin and bones and not too much meat--which was fine with me since nothing beats crispy duck skin. Craving more things crispy, we picked up a plate of shrimp and chive dumplings. The filling was very satisfying, and the chives and shrimp a perfect balance--the chives gave a nice flavor, not too overpowering like some places.

Shrimp and chive dumplings

My favorite rice noodle rolls were filled with either shrimp or fish--since we had a lot of shrimp dumplings on the plate, we tried the fish. They were delicate and tasty, the sauce adding just the right touch.

Rice noodle rolls filled with fish

By now we were craving some steamed rice. We had trouble flagging down a waiter to place an order, or even to refill our teapot. Luckily, a cart came by with something even better--sticky rice wrapped in leaves. It was filled with chicken, Chinese sausage and ground pork--very hearty for a side dish.


Delicous sticky rice, a meal on its own

It's so easy to order a lot and not realize it. Delicous dishes kept coming by, and we wanted to try them all. My companion was craving taro balls, but it wasn't until the end that we were able to flag someone down for them. That's the trick with eating dim sum--not every server stops by your table, and it takes some work and well-planned eye contact to get what you want.

Crispy fried taro balls

But the food was worth the wait. As our meal wound down, we wanted something sweet. Sesame balls, filled with sweet bean paste, were in order. They were more like triangles than balls, just the right size to satisfy a sweet tooth. Rather than being coated with a ton of sesame seeds, there were just a few black sesame seeds to signify flavor.

Sesame balls filled with sweet bean

And for the final treat, we snagged a plate of egg custard. These small tarts have delicate crusts and a soft eggy filling. These mouth watering goodies simply melt in your mouth.

Tasty egg tarts for dessert; Perfect with jasmine tea

Of course, it was easy to get waitstaff to come over and tally our bill (compared to ordering food), and the damage wasn't too bad. A lot of our dishes were considered "Large" or "Special," adding up to a slightly hefty total. But we didn't mind. Dim sum is something we don't have every day, yet alone every weekend, so it was the perfect holiday treat. And when we left, there were even more people milling about in the lobby. I grabbed a take out menu for the next time, the next big meal.

Fook Yuen, 195 El Camino Real, Millbrae, CA T: (650) 692-8600

Comments

[Stephanie]

That looks fantastic! I really wish there were more veggie items at dim sum restaurants.

[daniel]

beautiful pictures! thanks for sharing

[MrsT]

I wished we have a Fook Yuen here.. :(
I miss good tim-sum so much..!!

[Barbara]

Don't you justlove Dim Sum! I mean where else can you go to eat when you're hungry and have food immediately brought to your table?

We have a place we like here in Northern Virginia called Mark's Duck House. Most of your pictures look exactly like the items we get there.

Isn't it great to live in a country where we can get authentic offerings from so many places around the world!

[mike]

I love dim sum. I just had some and you're pictures are making me want more.

[MikeW]

Outstanding! Thanks for posting the description and photos of one of our favorite dim sum restaurants.

[Fahad]

I had this amazing soft cake slices in GHANJHOU, CHINA. They were amazing, I cant seem to remember the name, but i think they were very plain egg cakes, very very soft and not too much sweet.

I want the recipe if possible, please some people know about it... let me know

[Allee]

I'm looking for a recipe for deep fried taro balls on google..and look what i found! Great blog! I had Fook Yuen last week and by looking at this post...i want to go there again this week. Thanks for sharing it!

[John]

Great food and excellent service... arrive early on weekends to avoid the crowd.

[Love Dim Sum...but not here!]

Based on other people's comments and reviews of this restaurant, I took a chance to treat my mom to Dim Sum on Mother's Day. Oh boy, what a mistake! I called ahead of time (2 weeks in advance) and asked if I could make reservations for Mother's Day. The lady took my name and the number of people in my party. When we got there, the restaurant was packed! I tried to explain that I had reservations but they kept telling me "no reservations..mistake!" I was not going to accept that and kept asking the lady to seat us because I made reservations. She finally had someone help us and in 10 minutes we were seated! That was good service on their part! But what a disappointment it was when it came time to selecting Dim Sum. Most of the servers could not speak enough English to tell us what they were trying to serve. So we passed up many dishes. The dishes we had picked, did not taste all that great! We've definitely had better Dim Sum before! It was a bad experience for me!