The Most Important Meal of the Day

If there's one thing "very L.A." about me, it's that I love to go to brunch and I love breakfast foods. Not actually the idea of waking up to breakfast itself (because I am by no means a morning person), but foods that one would have for breakfast. I have different go-to places for the different moods I'm in. Fred 62, if the night before was VERY long and I wake up hungover, needing a greasy breakfast sandwich. Toast, if my desire for their food (and banana pudding) is overwhelming enough to endure the long lines and scene. BLD, if I want a really great cup of French press coffee to go with an exquisite breakfast.

But this isn't the type of brunch I'm referring to. This is the type of brunch my parents would actually join me for. One that has been a timeless tradition for my family, as well as many Asian families -- Dim Sum.

Dim Sum is essentially Chinese tapas, if you will. Small portions of steamed and fried foods, served in carts pushed around by ladies yelling out what they have to offer. Traditional dim sum foods include barbeque pork buns, har-gaow (a shrimp dumpling), Shu Mai (a shrimp or pork wonton skin dumpling), and steamed and stewed animal parts -- duck feet, chicken feet, tripe, spare ribs. Other goodies, such as sticky rice wrapped in taro leaves, steamed stuffed tofu skin, steamed and stir fried vegetables, are also offered.

Los Angeles and its surrounding areas house a great number of Dim Sum restaurants, the best bustling with people pouring out from every corner of the restaurant, waiting for a table. Sea Harbour is slowly becoming one of my favorite places for Dim Sum. Located in Rosemead, it's not too far from the Alhambra-Monterey Park area, where we also find great Dim Sum and other Chinese foods. Before, we'd go to Empress Pavilion in Chinatown for a quick fix, but the quality has since dropped drastically. I'd rather make the trek for something I know will be good.

They do things differently here. The wait is still the same -- long and a bit painful when you're ravenous with hunger. But at Sea Harbour, you order your Dim Sum off a menu. There's still ladies walking around with trays of food that you can choose at will, but once seated, you're given a menu to write down your order (albeit all in Chinese), and a menu with photos and explanations in English and Chinese. I find this process to be much more efficient. Not only are you not trying to ask the ladies what they're offering (cuz they're usually yelling in Chinese), but you can also see what's in each dish. The service is faster, and unlike other places I've seen that offer this ordering method for Dim Sum, it's actually really good.

One of the best things they make here are these pork buns. The filling is a mixture of minced pork and vegetables, and the bread is so soft and glazed with honey. Sticky goodness that I can never get enough of.


Coming in at a close second are these salted egg cream buns that literally ooze goodness. It's neither too sweet or too salty and there is the perfect amount of egg in the bun. The outside is steamed soft, with a hint of sweetness.


A staple dish in Dim Sum restaurants is the Shu Mai. Usually filled with either Shrimp or Pork (or both!), Sea Harbour's version also offers a garnish of shrimp roe.


Another favorite of mine is offered on the dinner menu of this restaurant -- pigeon. Yes, I loathe them when they're alive, but when deep fried (and what isn't good deep fried??), they're delicious. Come in a large group and order a few of them and the heads, considered the most delicious part, are served on their own plate.

Sea Harbour Restaurant - 3939 Rosemead Blvd. in Rosemead (on the corner of Valley and Rosemead)