Alright, let me tell you about this trip I made to Dim Sum Garden down in Philadelphia. I kept hearing folks talk about it, especially their soup dumplings, so I figured I had to check it out myself. You know how it is, sometimes you just get a craving.
So, I headed down to Chinatown. Took a little bit to find parking, usual city stuff, you know. Walked over to where the restaurant is. From the outside, it looked pretty busy, people coming and going. Always take that as a decent sign, means something’s probably good inside.
Got inside, and yeah, it was bustling. Not a huge place, tables are kinda close together, lots of chatter. Had that real busy, no-frills vibe. Didn’t have to wait too long, luckily. They got us seated pretty quick.
They gave us the menu, one of those paper ones where you just check off what you want with a pencil. I actually like that, makes it simple. No confusion, just mark down your picks. We looked it over, saw all the usual suspects.
Hitting the Menu
Okay, so we definitely went for it. Had to try a bit of everything, especially the stuff people recommended.
- Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao): Obviously. This was the main reason for the visit. Ordered a basket of the pork ones.
- Shumai: Can’t go wrong with classic pork and shrimp shumai.
- Scallion Pancakes: Needed something crispy and savory.
- Pan-Fried Pork Buns: Another favorite, love that crispy bottom.
- Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf: Just felt like getting it, always a comforting choice.
The food started coming out pretty fast, which was good ’cause I was getting hungry. The servers were zipping around, dropping off plates. It’s efficient, I’ll give them that.
The soup dumplings arrived steaming hot. You know the drill – gotta be careful. Pick one up gently, put it on the spoon, maybe poke a tiny hole to let some steam out or just go for it carefully. Nipped a little bite off the side, slurped out that hot broth – really savory, good flavor – then popped the rest in my mouth. Yeah, they lived up to the hype. Definitely messy if you’re not careful, but totally worth it.
The shumai were solid, good texture, nice flavor. Scallion pancakes were perfectly greasy and crispy, just how I like ’em. Pan-fried buns had that nice golden bottom, soft top, good filling. And the sticky rice was packed with goodies, savory and satisfying.
The whole atmosphere was just… busy. People eating, talking, servers calling out orders. It wasn’t a quiet, relaxed meal, more like an energetic, get-your-food-and-eat kind of place. Which is fine, sometimes that’s exactly what you want with dim sum.
We ate until we were properly full. Paid the bill up front – pretty reasonable for the amount of food we got. Walked out feeling satisfied.
So, yeah, that was my run to Dim Sum Garden. It’s not fancy dining, it’s straightforward, tasty dim sum, especially those soup dumplings. If you’re in Philly and want that kind of fix without needing white tablecloths, it definitely gets the job done. Just a solid spot for some good eats.
