Jade Asian

Holiday time for me means dim sum time! I hardly go to dim sum anymore. Probably because I don't see my family enough. Oops! But when we do get together, it's AWESOME! By awesome, I mean it's filled with lots of delicious food. One of the more common things we eat is dim sum. We've fallen into a nice run with Jade Asian in Flushing. They have solidly good food there. It gets crowded. However, time it right (meaning go early like 10am when it opens) and you'll get to sit where ever you want. And the rolling carts of hot steaming food come straight to you. The only downfall of going early is that you never get to the afternoon specials. It's a trade off. Oh well.

And on to the food! Glorious food! Lots and lots of food! This is just the beginning of our epic meal. Keep reading for dish by dish recaps.

Sticky glutinous rice with dried shrimp and Chinese sausage. Really filling but really delicious. The rice is super sticky and makes it a little sweeter than normal rice. But the soy sauce, shrimp, and pork sausage help balance it out. The scallions on top add a nice freshness to it.

Fish meatballs: these chewy balls of fish paste are definitely an acquired taste. They're not fishy but the texture can be really off putting for people. I really enjoy these though!

Beef honeycomb tripe and turnips in anise sauce: this slow braised dish is packed with lots of flavor from 5 spice and star anise. You'll find honeycomb tripe, stomach, and liver for your adventurous eaters.

Shrimp dumplings: the shrimp is chopped up into a paste-like mixture then wrapped in a glutinous flour dough and steamed. Really delicate in flavor and texture. But it still remains one of the most popular items.

Phoenix feet or chicken feet: these marinated chicken feet can be scary to some people. Yes, it's a daunting task to get any meat (tendons and skin really) off these bony morsels. But, I love these things! So much flavor in each and every one of these. Be patient with your food and it will pay off.

Black pepper beef short ribs. These short ribs are thinly sliced, sauteed, then steamed. Tender, juicy, and super flavorful with soy sauce and garlic. One of my favorite items.

Pork spare ribs: another of my favorites. Each little piece of pork goodness is flavored in garlic, black bean, and soy sauce. Nuggets of happiness to me.

Pork and shrimp dumplings: I like to call these open faced wontons. It's a mixture of pork and shrimp that is wrapped in a very thing dough/wonton wrapper. Steamed until cooked though. The meat is fatty which means its good.

A bowl of salted pork and thousand year old egg congee: this porridge or gruel is rice based. Think really loose risotto. I didn't get a taste of this so I can't comment on what it was like. But salted pork and thousand year old egg is the classic flavor.

Shrimp and chive pan fried dumplings: This mostly chive dumplings has some shrimp bits in it. But it's all about the chive here. Pan fried until crispy, the skin is delicious. However, be wary of the burps you will get later. Don't plan on making out with anyone after eat this one.

Pork spring rolls: a holiday treat for us since we don't normally order the deep fried item. Crispy, crunchy with a minced pork innard. What's not to like?

Roast pork skin noodles: These thin flat noodles are filled with deliciously fatty roast pork or char siu. The sweet soy sauce on top is the kicker. Slurp!

Braised beef tendons: definitely an acquired taste. The knuckles of the cows legs are braised for god knows how long. The sauce is slightly sweet but also tangy. Deep, rich flavor. However, the texture is very soft with the slightest chew.

Shrimp stuffed eggplant: the Asian eggplant is split open then stuffed with shrimp paste. Then cooked slowly in a savory (probably soy sauce based) sauce. The result: tender, juicy eggplant with spongy filling. The flavor of the sauce is really good.

Malay sponge cake: light and airy. This cake is so unassuming in flavor. Not my favorite but a nice contrast to all the savory items on the table.

Deep fried taro balls: the taro is ground into a paste, then stuffed with some minced pork and veggies, then blanketed in panko crumbs. Deep fried into a light crispy perfection. Crunchy, soft, and savory.

And lastly, deep fried cruller in skin noodles: a long piece of dough was deep fried until super crunchy. Then wrapped with the noodle. Lightly steamed and soy sauce on top. I love the contrast in textures with this dish. I also love the flavors of the sweet soy sauce. This is my perfect dim sum dish. Swoon!

Another great meal had at Jade Asian. We eventually waddled out with our bellies full and our wallets about $60 poorer. Not bad for 4 adults and 1 child. Not bad at all.

Jade Asian Restaurant
13628 39th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 762-8821
jadeasiannyc.com