Perfectly executed dim sum

A friend is on a mission to eat her way through a number of top restaurants in town offering dim sum, and I was invited to come along on her first stop at Fook Lam Moon (福臨門) today.

I had long found dim sum here to be one of the best in Hong Kong, if not the best.  The items are made-to-order, so you don't get anything that's over-steamed like what I'd always complained about at Tim Ho Wan (添好運).  Lunch today once again confirmed that these guys have near-flawless execution when it comes to dim sum.

Steamed shrimp dumpling (鮮蝦蒸粉粿) - these are not har gau (蝦餃), but the fillings are a combination of shrimps and diced, crunchy vegetables.  Great way to start, with skin whose moisture is perfect and has the right elasticity.

Steamed prawn dumplings with bamboo shoots (har gau, 筍尖鮮蝦餃) - we counted and yes, there were 13 folds... Perfect combination of prawns and diced bamboo shoots.  Again, the skin was flawless.

Deep fried prawn spring rolls (雞絲蝦春卷) - years ago when I first had dim sum here, the one item that left a lasting impression were the spring rolls.  The wrappings were perfectly crisp - not soaked in oil, not soggy - and the fillings were delicious.  Today they were no different.  Absolutely delicious.

Steamed buns with lotus paste and salty egg yolk (蛋黃蓮蓉包) - the skins on these were wonderfully fluffy, and the fillings... I have no words to describe them.

Deep-fried salt water dumplings (家鄉咸水角) - I don't think I've ever seen a more perfect version of this...  The skin was perfectly crisp on the outside, retained its shape and stayed moist and sticky on the inside.  The filling was shaped by hand into a quenelle before being placed inside the skin.  You just don't see other restaurants spending effort on little details like this...

We ordered a second round after the first 5, so that we wouldn't have 10 plates arriving on the table simultaneously...

Steamed cured meat and radish cake (清蒸蘿蔔糕) - we specifically asked for a steamed version, so they took the slices they had already cut up for pan-frying and just steamed them...  Pretty yummy.

Steamed chicken feet (豆豉蒸鳳爪) - pretty good, although my friend joked about one of the feet giving her the finger...

Steamed manyplies beef tripe (薑蔥牛百葉) - these were soooo good.  The tripe has been cooked for a long time to make sure it is soft and tender, without the crunchiness one finds at some other restaurants.  Any more tender and they'd melt in my mouth...

Steamed dumplings with prawns and leaf amaranth (鮮蝦莧菜餃) - lovely to have the soft, leaf amaranth (莧菜) in the dumpling.  Very delicate in flavor.  Perfectly steamed.

Tofu skin rolls in soup (上湯鮮竹卷) - nicely done, although it's never been one of my favorite items.

Too full to order dessert, we decided to call it a day.  I have to say that my friend's dim sum run pretty much started at the top.  This was definitely my benchmark for what Michelin-starred dim sum is all about.  I won't be joining her for the next few stops, but I'd be curious to see what she thinks when it's all over...