Orange County Register

It had been too long since my last dim sum outing, and even before we swung open the doors to Irvine China Garden to be enveloped in the bustle and noise, I knew we were in for a treat.

There’s always hordes of people mulling around on the grass outside on weekend mid-mornings, just waiting to hear their numbers called out on a loudspeaker. Last weekend, we joined the crowd and waited for a two top to open up. After about a half-hour wait, a tight squeeze through the crowded glass doors and a short jog behind a hurried waiter, we were seated and our meal immediately began.

Perhaps the real beauty of dim sum (besides all those delicious Cantonese staples) is that it’s a revolving feast, both entertaining and almost effortless for the diner. You sit while steaming metal carts roll past, you point at what you want, it’s placed on your table. You eat. There’s movement everywhere, with waiters “selling” their cart contents to diners, loud clankings of dishes and metal steamers, waiters shouting at each other. But then the blur of theatrics is over before you know it: a delicious meal is inhaled just as fast as it’s brought, you pay and you’re whisked outside, where a once-noisy street seems quiet. It’s over, but if the restaurant is good, the memories of those delicious morsels will stay with you until your next visit. Here are memories from my meal:

First to be brought to our table are the short ribs in black bean sauce. These steamed pork ribs never look appetizing to me, but they always make up for it in flavor. China Garden is no exception to my theory. Short ribs are meaty and soft, with just a pale whisper of black beans and garlic so you can still taste the pork.

Also on our menu were the rice noodle rolls with shrimp (cheung fun), the hard-to-grasp glutinous noodles with garlic shrimp, bathed in a sweetened soy sauce. The dish is both slithery and chewy, a mix of textures that is both weird and wonderful. The soy sauce is a nice compliment.

From the deep-fried family, the shrimp and crab roll and the deep-fried shrimp and crab balls are both recommended. The roll offered chunks of the meat in a delicate wrap, while the sturdier shrimp and crab ball offers a compacted powerhouse of chewy shrimp with a core of crab meat. The balls are presented artfully with crab claws.

Also try sesame seed balls with red bean paste (jin dui), a warm, crispy dish that’s both sweet and savory. Last but not least, the barbecued pork buns (char siu bao) are a must.

Another plus for Irvine China Garden: The restaurant de-veins their shrimp. Which is a whole lot more than I can say for some of the other dim sum establishments I’ve been to.

Information: Irvine China Garden, 14825 Jeffrey Road, Irvine. 949-653-9988.

- Cynthia Furey

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