I am not a morning person. I wake up after 12 every Saturday and if someone tries to wake me up, I will probably scream. You should not wake me up on the weekends unless there is an earthquake, fire or if my laptop exploded. However last Saturday, I willingly woke up at 8 o’clock and went to the Five Star Seafood Restaurant for Dim Sum. This place opens at 8 a.m. and it gets very crowded. Even at 8, there were only 2-3 tables that were empty.  The  place can fit about 300 people, and it feels cramped. There is a narrow aisle to walk, you can see the waitress pushing a food cart, you can hear people talking from all directions.  This is the traditional way to serve Cantonese Dim Sum and my new favorite spot in Los Angeles.

Five Star Seafood Restaurant

Dim Sum Cart

Dim Sum is a traditional Cantonese breakfast. In Guangdong, where I am from, older people go every day to Dim Sum and younger people go about once a week, so this is something I am an expert on.

​Drinking tea and enjoying having Dim Sum with family and friends is a very popular thing to do where I am from. In LA, I haven’t found anyone other than my family who enjoys doing this as much as I do.

---

The Dim Sums on Dim Sum Cart

Different Dim Sums

​At Five Star Seafood, you can pick from a variety of dishes: steamed pork ribs, dumplings, steamed chicken feet, noodles, bean curd jelly and so on.  Instead of big plates, Dim Sum serves small amounts of food that are typically in steel steamer pots.  When the waitress passed by, I tried steamed open dumplings. Inside, there was shrimp and vegetables. The dumplings had been put in a mixture of soy sauce, oyster sauce and some other seasonings that tasted delicious. This is the closest taste in America that I have found to the taste of my hometown. Followed by the dumplings, I had chicken feet. The chicken feet were soaked in soy sauce, salt, sugar, honey and then steamed, and tasted crunchy. Chicken feet are a normal food back to my hometown, people eat them everyday as a snack. These were my favorite! Next I had stuffed cabbage with ham, veggies, and light sauce. The veggies were fresh, the cabbage tasted a little sweet, and the dish was very light. The desserts included bean curd jelly, which tastes softer than tofu and has honey on top. This is a typical Cantonese dessert that made me think of my grandmother, and how she used to make the same thing.

---

"Only this place keeps the traditional Cantonese way to serve the foods in the cart."

Chicken Feet

​There are many different types of food in this place, such as steamed, sautéed, fried, boiled and so on. And they have vegetables, meats, noodles, breads and desserts. This place has one hundred different dishes for you to choose. You can see and smell it before you order anything!

​As a Cantonese person, I have been to many different Dim Sum restaurants in the Los Angeles area. Only this place keeps the traditional way to serve the foods in the cart, and the taste of food is my favorite in this area and very similar to the Dim Sum restaurants in Guangdong.  I will never regret waking up early to eat here.

---

Five Star Seafood Restaurant
140 W Valley Blvd #4D, San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 288-1899
newcapitalseafood.com
Atmosphere: 300 seats, one level.
Sound: Loud and the waitress will yell out to customers.
Price: $$ It is about $2-3 per dishes. If you go with a few people, you will order many dishes.
 ​

---

<< Prev

Next >>