Nosh Notes - Hollywood East Cafe
Mother's Day was not the best for dim sum without a reservation at Hollywood East Cafe. The lobby outside in the mall was mobbed. But here's the trick for any date's that going to be packed: ask to eat at the bar. Or make a reservation. Or bring a book and stand in long line. The food is worth the wait.
Owner Janet Yu closed her restaurant in University Boulevard Mall last year, reopening recently in the Wheaton Mall. There's a general food Chinese menu all through the week worth the visit. In the Casserole section and the Chef's Recommendations, you'll find a sprinkling of comforting, authentic Chinese dishes not seen on other menus.
Dim sum is available at lunch, Monday to Friday, on a tick-off-your-choices menu. But at the weekend, it's served from carts offering between 50 and 60 options. The selection stands pagodas above the rest in the Washington area.
The shrimp in satin-sheet slippery rice crepes is plump and juicy. The dumplings stuffed with minced pork, scallop, shrimp, or beef with different flavoring combinations, comes not just in regular flour wrappers but in yam sheets too. There's one filled with shrimp and peanuts. Steamed turnip cake is studded with chopped Chinese sausage. Greens are briskly stir-fried and arrive glistening, still emerald and al dente from the wok in a rich oyster sauce.We ate like emperors, washing down the feast with Tsing Taos, and came out at $25 a head, all in.
Hollywood East Cafe is located inside Westfield Wheaton Shopping Center, 11160 Viers Mill Rd, Wheaton, 240 290 9988.
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