Sum Kind of Wonderful

Hits and misses on the local dim sum scene.

by Elisa Ludwig

Finally, the year of the pig is upon us. The Chinese New Year begins Feb. 18, which means it's time to indulge in lucky treats like turnip cake, jiaozi (dumplings) and all the fried dough you can get your hands on. But it takes more than luck to find truly delicious dim sum in Philly. The following is a roundup of some local dim sum offerings and suggestions for starting the new year off in auspicious porcine style.

GIMME SUM: Just a few of the many dim sum delights at South Philly's Saigon Maxim. Photo By: Michael T. Regan (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

The Scene: Imperial Inn is a big name in Philly dim sum, having established itself in the 1980s as one of the city's better places for chuk (congee) chasing. These days, the crowds are still filling two floors on the weekends, but the red-saturated banquet hall decor is a bit dated and musty.

The Goods: For the most part, Imperial's carts are riding on the restaurant's decades-old reputation, and the dim sum is mostly subpar. Allow the soggy shrimp toasts, gloomily bland beef tripe soup and desiccated pan-fried dumplings to pass you by. Instead, hold out for the pastry cart and choose sweet dishes like egg custard tarts and pineapple buns, best enjoyed with a hot cup of chrysanthemum tea. (146 N. 10th St., 215-627-2299)

The Scene: The long-held appeal of Chinatown's Lakeside Deli is that it's untraditional among dim sum restaurants. You order from the menu and thus avoid the typical dim sum dilemma of overstuffing with the first five items that wheel by. That being said, servers do carry trays of sesame balls and BBQ pork buns for the plucking. The environs here are so no-nonsense they border on negligent: The sign outside has a hole where the L used to be, teacups are chipped, and you might find a bonus ball of lint on your plate. None of this seems to discourage the crowds lining out the door, staring at you jealously as you enjoy another round of shumai.

The Goods: Come for the shrimp-stuffed eggplant, the crispy deep-fried pork triangles and the delicate white rice noodle rolls filled with beef and drizzled in sweet soy sauce. Less impressive are the har gao dumplings with whole shrimp, the dark threads of their veins showing through the translucent dough, and the soggy stir-fried baby bok choy with garlic. (207 N. Ninth St., 215-925-3288)

The Scene: The party never seems far away at South Philly's Saigon Maxim, where both of the expansive banquet rooms have stages, disco balls and chandeliers. Saigon Maxim also wins the award for the most high-tech carts — one even features its own cooktop.

The Goods: The food here is consistently delicious and the options are plentiful. Lacy taro puffs and bean curd skin rolls with pork and shrimp are crunchy wonders of the deep fryer. Other good bets include the golf-size beef balls served with a drizzle of Worcestershire sauce and wonderful lotus leaf packets, with an oaky-scented filling of sticky rice embedded with chicken, black mushrooms and buttons of Chinese sausage. (636 Washington Ave., 215-271-8838)

The Scene: Elegant but lively, this Hong Kong-style dim sum hall has vaulted ceilings, a giant flat-screen TV and a bustling crowd. The only drawback is that cart service can be slow and on the inattentive side — you may have to work hard to flag down your dumplings.

The Goods: Known for its seafood banquets, Ocean City tends to load its dim sum with shrimp: Expect it in rice rolls, mixed with pork in fried taro skin half-moons and pearl rice balls, and as ground filler in the fantastic pan-fried leek dumplings with crispy pursed edges. Ocean City also serves a fine sesame ball with red bean paste, puffy noodles with long beans and bean sprout threads, plus thick slices of creamy steamed turnip cake with the smoky kiss of pork. (234 N. Ninth St., 215-829-0688, www.oceancityrestaurant.com)

The Scene: The cool green walls of this sub-street-level Rittenhouse tea emporium are complemented by the serene sounds of a trickling fountain and a flute soundtrack playing over the stereo system. With its Zen-like calm, Great Tea makes a welcome respite from the clanging steamers and loud chatter of the usual dim sum hall.

The Goods: The emphasis here is on tea — solids are secondary, but you can order individual snacks or combo meals off the menu. Spongy buns are filled with black sesame paste or vegetarian savory fillings like surprisingly flavorful spinach and tofu and mushroom. The lotus leaf roll is also vegetarian, with bits of mushroom and bamboo shoots clinging to the glutinous rice. Wash it down with a pot of delicious smoky pu-ehr or verdant jade oolong tea. (1724 Sansom St., 215-568-7827, www.great-tea.net)

(e_ludwig@citypaper.net)