Dim Sum

You're into trying new things, so why not try dim sum? As exotic as it sounds, it's not difficult at all to try. Dim sum is a Chinese style of food made up of little portions of individual dishes. Dim sum has its cultural roots in Cantonese tea-tastings, but has grown into an American-Chinese food phenomenon, with fusion dishes being added to the list alongside more traditional ones.

Dim Sum translates into "Point of the Heart". Over the years it has grown from a little snack to a main meal.

In Cleveland, there are several places to get dim sum that are very good. My favorite right now is the E. 30th St. Cafe; Li Wah and Bo Loong are also popular spots. All of these are located in Asiatown around the intersection of E. 30th St. and Payne Ave.

One of my favorites is the jin deui, fried sesame balls with glutenous rice and a carmely filling of lotus paste.

Sesame Balls (Jin deui)

Stuffed Eggplant Dim Sum

   Of course, Dim Sum isn't just for restaurants: you can try making it at home, too. Here are some cookbooks that will help you out.
















     If you do attempt dim sum at home, make sure you've scheduled a trip to an Asian Market like Park To Shop: it'll require some ingredients not found at normal grocers.

  So give dim sum a try: an exciting new world of dumplings awaits you!

E. 30th Cafe - Dim Sum

While we're on the subject of amazing Chinese restaurants, I ought to mention this one, which comes up whenever anyone asks me where to get Dim Sum in Cleveland.  They have a huge purple chandelier (picture below) and a bubbly thing by their bathroom (also pictured below). And just look at that bean curd: it's making me quite hungry already.

   The E. 30th St. Cafe is located right next to Park to Shop in the Asia Plaza on Payne Avenue. There's a bunch of other stuff in there, including little gift shops and another restaurant (which is more expensive.)

Park To Shop - Asian Market in Cleveland

There are lots of Asian grocery stores in Cleveland.  My new favorite is Park to Shop, in the Asia Plaza on E. 30th Street and Payne Ave.

If you want to make a day of it, it's easy: there are tons of cute shops and Asian restaurants in the nearby area.

 

It's a bright place, and going there makes me happy. You'll find everything from fresh tofu to seaweed snacks to supplies to make your own sushi!

 Unless you're fluent in Chinese, Japanese or Korean, you might end up picking up some snacks that you don't really know what's in them. Which is not a problem (unless you have food allergies), because there's a cute character on the package! Kawaii!

 This is where we go to pick up our favorite curry mix, Golden Curry! The store has a sizeable collection of housewares, restaurant wholesale, and fresh items as well.

   E. 30th street is near enough to Downtown to hop a bus or bike on down if you're staying there. I used to bike to Asiatown when I lived in University Circle; it took me 45 minutes.