Great dim sum experience
Sunday, December 18, 2005
With the large number of restaurants--especially Asian-themed ones--crowding Orange County, I did not expect to find some of the best dim sum I've ever eaten at a restaurant called Seafood World. (Who would have thought something called "Seafood World" would specialize in dim sum?) After driving by it for years without stepping foot in the door, I finally ate there when my parents suggested it for a Sunday brunch.
Seafood World offers a large selection of high quality, fresh dishes during their dim sum hours. I saw a few repeated items on the carts that passed by, but most of the items that were offered were unique. And not only was there a large selection (one that I was happy to find devoid of chicken feet), the food was extremely fresh. (For example, the egg custard I find questionable at many places became heavenly when I bit in to find a warm, flaky crust and freshly set filling.) Just about everything I tasted I could say was the best version of that dish I'd had yet.
Beyond the food, the restaurant is clean and bright with attractive wall decor. Although the service suffers from the affliction plaguing most dim sum restaurants (high focus on the carts, minimal to no focus on everything else including whether there is water on the table), the staff will actually bring you any special requests you have (hot mustard, chinese broccoli, etc.) rather than just absentmindedly nodding and then disappearing. The waitresses also don't harass or oversell the goods on their cart. Instead, they somehow manage to pace their movement enough to give you time to eat and digest without being constantly interrupted. I left feeling stuffed--for the first time leaving a dim sum restaurant, not over-stuffed--with delicious goodness. A must, especially after seeing that the bill for four people came to $30.