I have this social phobia. It’s special, you see. I can go out to crowded places, actually, but this phobia of mine starts acting up when I see people I know, but I don’t know them like my best friend, more like acquaintances, or people I used to be friends with long ago, or just people I’ve seen around. What is it exactly that I don’t like? I think it’s the part where you make eye contact and both of you know that you knew each other. If that’s not awkward enough, the person I made eye contact with will come over and start some awkward chit-chat, and then we’ll say an awkward goodbye. Now, I’m usually all for awkwardness, but I absolutely cannot stand these situations. Why am I explaining this phobia to you now?
Well, that was primarily the reason I never willingly chose to eat dim sum at Imperial Garden on the weekends. Ever. That is, until last year, when I came back from dim-sum-deprived Nashville, TN, and was willingly to brave the awkward recognitions just for some average dim sum.
But now I don’t ever have to return to Imperial Garden. Ever. That is, until people start going to Imperial Express and the awkward “Hey long time no see!” begins again.
I’ll face that hurdle when the time comes.
Imperial Express only started serving dim sum a little while ago, if what my parents told me is correct. Until then, for a long time Imperial Garden was the only place in Fresno to get dim sum, which is why it’s always crowded. There used to be other places, with Leilani all the way by Fresno City College standing out it my memory, but I think they closed down. It’s a surprise that no one has ever thought You know what? Dim sum is pretty popular. I’m gonna open up a dim sum place to compete with Imperial Garden. By the way, Imperial Express and Imperial Garden are not related at all.
The dim sum at Imperial express can be limited, but at the same time its menu is more diverse than Imperial Garden. It’s limited only because some items may not be available, such as their chang fen, or long rice noodle-y rolls, when I went. However, they do have a larger selection of buns, like vegetable pan-fried buns and nai-huang bao (sweet buns filled with yellow stuff) which is a huge plus.
Before I go on talking about their food, I’m going to admit that I don’t really have the English names for a lot of these foods. We ordered off a long checklist and used the Chinese names because the English names didn’t really make sense. I’ll use my best description of what I had a couple weeks ago. I think my memory should be intact. Another note: they don’t use carts here so you have to use their paper menu. Good luck if you don’t know Chinese, the English names are…um…blah.
My mom and I ordered some standard fare to start off, including har gao, shui mai, sticky rice, and porridge. These all tasted of good quality, if that is a taste at all. However, it can be noted that they slightly overstuff their dim sum, which is a good thing; each pocket of har gao had at least 3 pieces of shrimp. My dad also told me that the owner makes the dim sum. I’m not sure if he makes all of it, but the overstuffed har gao seemed hand-made to me. Another item in the group photo is the stuffed tofu skins. Tofu skins don’t have the soft, mushy quality of tofu, but are rather stiff and slightly chewy. These were stuffed with some veggies and cooked in some sort of brown sauce that probably came from the juices of the tofu skin and its innards. Despite the less than stellar description, these are mighty tasty, and are something I try to order every time my family goes for dim sum.
My mom also got this dish that was a ball of what I think is fried rice dough, or something rice-based, and filled with some meats inside. The outside is crispy, but the dough isn’t fried thoroughly so the inside is chewy.
The best part of the meal, though, would have to be their pan-fried vegetable buns. I think these are the specialty of the place, and I can see that they take pride in what they have. These little delicious dumpling buns filled with an assortment of chopped vegetables and steamed to take on the white appearance of most Chinese buns, but then are pan-fried a little before serving so that one side is browned and a little crispy. Although I’m sure the buns are good on their own, that brief dip in hot oil adds that extra dimension of fried deliciousness.
I didn’t get to try their nai huang baos this time, but I’m sure I’ll order it the next time I go, assuming I don’t stuff my face like I did this time. The great thing about this place is that it’s both cheap and delicious. However, the best thing is that I don’t see people that I recognize here. Let’s keep it that way, or else I’ll have to start ordering dim sum for takeout.
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