Wonder Seafood
? Since Edison has become my go-to suburban enclave, I've been looking for dining options beyond Quiznos and Cheesecake Factory (lovely as they are). After a little research, Wonder Seafood emerged as a dim sum contender. But it was only recently that I was able to cross it off my to-try list.
The interesting thing about non-NYC dim sum is that while there are still crowds and a wait, the chaos level is lower, more English is spoken and forks are given (and used by many Asian-American youngsters).
Most of the classics were available, nothing struck me as out of the ordinary or terribly creative. It was a cart parade of greatest hits.
Wu gok. One of my favorites, maybe because I love the lavender shade of mashed taro. You have to be careful because these will you up. Perhaps I shouldn't have started with them.
Spare ribs
Shrimp dumplings
Salt and pepper shrimp. I ate a few heads, eyes and all, which might've been a mistake (as you'll soon see).
I didn't know what these were. I thought they would be sweet and hollow, but they have a glutinous mochi-like exterior with a rich chopped shrimp and pork filling.
Pork buns
I grabbed these after we were done eating. I thought it was thick pieces of white bread, like a twist on '60s style fried shrimp toast. But it turned out to be bean curd (which James won't eat). We got them wrapped up to go and then I forgot them in the car overnight.
Ok, I really don't want to blame the dim sum, but I can't give an assessment of this meal without an unappetizing epilogue. About seven hours after dining at Wonder Seafood I became violently ill, the sickest I think I've ever been recent history. It is baffling because James and I ate the same items and I hadn't eaten anything else all day except for this meal. He was fine. I did eat a couple of prawn heads. I've always been a shell-eater despite the disgust it gives others. Could the crispy exoskeletons be the culprit? Who knows, but I'll probably steer clear of dim sum for a while.
Wonder Seafood * 1984 Route 22, Edison, NJ
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If you want to “get back on the horse” again for Dim Sum in Edison, King’s Chef is usually worth the trip.
John: I’ve always wondered what goes on at King’s Chef–it’s hard to miss from the highway. Didn’t know they served dim sum.
Those dumplings are called “haam shui gok”, the shell is made out of glutinous rice and water (possibly some other kind of flour as well, sugar, salt), minced pork & shrimp, dried mushrooms, green onions.
Chris: Thanks for the haam shui gok explanation. I do like dumplings made from glutinous rice.