Lucky for me, the folks in Norwich insisted I be on my way by noon on Friday so that I could spend a smidge of time in London before my flight back the next day. On the rec of buddies-who-know DY and JC, I dropped in on Yauatcha for a little dim sum delivered up by the guy (Alan Yau) who also spawned uber-pricey, Michelin-starred Hakkasan (on my list for next time I'm in London) and the fun and affordable Japanese noodle-chain Wagamama (used to go weekly while I was living out there).
So, there I sat, in Yauatcha's teahouse/patisserie (the resto's in the basement) and this is what I got:
* steamed, snowy white eruptions of dough stuffed with roast pork—aka pork buns (I'm a sucker for these little bundles of joy. Yauatcha's fluffy hot bao fell apart in my paws, they were so tender and delightful.)
* steamed prawn and enoki mushrooms which came stuffed in delicate rice wrappers (very well done—in terms of craftsmanship, these rank right up there with the oh-so-tender and tasty dumplings from my old fave: long-dead Harbour Village).
* duck and shiitake mushroom rolled in pan-fried bean curd (I could really have done without this one; the five spice flavoring the rolls was too much ... I'm just not a fan of star anise, and dare I say it? The shredded duck was a tad dry. Fortunately, the sweet pickled cucumbers helped 'em down the ol' gullet as did swigs from my bottle of beer).
All in all, I'm glad to have gone. But it's good to know we've got grubbin' dim sum in SF that's half as expensive as what's on order at Yauatcha.
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