a dim sum sunday

nom wah tea parlor

chinatown's first dim sum parlor

when i lived in kansas city, i ate chinese food often at bo ling's on metcalf. they have my favorite dim sum of all time there, not to mention some killer general tso's. i went every weekend, and most times, solo. i'd show up before 11 and wait by the doors to be one of the first people inside. the seats that fill up the quickest are right by the kitchen where carts roll out fresh, steamy dumplings until they run out over the course of 3 hours.

i have been dying to get my dim sum fix in chinatown since we moved to nyc. i had heard a lot about nom wah and was excited to learn that it was the first dim sum parlor in nyc. a few weeks ago, luke and i finally got up early enough to make it in time for lunch. i. was. psyched!

the tea

(luke is not a tea man, so we had soda instead)

random fact - i love dim sum so much that i even have a softball shirt that says "dim sum" on the back instead of my last name. i will be doing a silly t-shirt post on that soon...

now on to the food!

"the original" egg roll

(chicken and mixed vegetables rolled in an egg crepe and fried with a homemade batter)

i wasn't the biggest fan of this since i'm trying to stay away from fried food, but it was fun to try.

shrimp rice roll

(steamed rice flour noodle with shrimp and drizzled with sweet soy sauce)

i call these shrimp "fun" rolls (fun means noodle) delicious!

pan fried noodle with superior sauce

(thin Chinese noodles stir fried with scallions, onions, bean sprouts and soy sauce)

this plate was huge! we took the majority home for leftovers in the wok.

house special roast pork bun

(steamed wheat flour bun filled with pork and caramelized onions)

these are traditional and filling. however, we have been so spoiled by the genius of david chang's momofuku pork buns (which we have devoured here and here) that these traditional buns, are "just ok". no offense!

shrimp sui mai and pork sui mai

(minced shrimp and minced pork, mushrooms and shrimp steamed in wonton wrappers)

this is what dim sum is all about and why i crave it ALL THE TIME. i could eat a 1,000, no doubt.

I LOVE DUMPLINGS!!!

hot chili oil to dip everything in

(i add a splash of soy)

i go through 2 of these saucers. i like it spicy!

a couple of ice cold cokes to wash it all down with and you've got 2 VERY HAPPY bellies. i am so grateful that luke is an adventurous eater and likes to try new things. we have the best time indulging together :)

nom wah is hidden on a crooked little street in chinatown that is lined with hair salons and barber shops.

i love chinatown and can't wait to eat dim sum on a regular basis this year. there are some strange things that i would never try, like chicken feet (blech) but then there are stranger things that i've tried and loved, like shark fin dumplings.

have you ever had dim sum? would you try it?!