Saturday Brunch at Mark's Duck House

With the unexpected shutoff of the water supply, we debated where to venture for brunch.  Tossing out a few options, we settled on dim sum at Mark's Duck House.  There are probably better dim sum venues in Silver Spring, but MDH is closer.  One day we'll give Fortune and Hong Kong Palace a shot, when we're feeling adventurous. 

Panfried Chive Dumpling

Har Gao

Steamed Vegetable Dumplings

Crispy Pork

Steamed Spare Rib - gelatinous and unctuous

Gai Lan - Chinese Broccoli with oyster sauce

Usually we're pretty satisfied with dim sum at Mark's, although we noticed the selection was not as expansive as usual by 11:30 am.  Some of my favorite items were not in steady rotation, unless they were already nicked from the carts before they reached us.

Dim Sum brunch = big nap later

Organized a dim sum gathering for a grad school friend's birthday at Mark's Duck House. Our table looked like the Model UN and included two dim sum novices who preferred vegetarian items.  One might have caved and tried a shrimp dish or two.  I had heard that bacon was the gateway to meat for vegetarians, but maybe it's shrimp dumplings at dim sum.   Dim sum is a great group dining option that becomes more economical the more people you can gather together.  There's also something fun about sharing bites and good conversation between sips of hot tea. Learned the merits of dandelion tea today too as a foil for the grease. 

We had gai lan, baby roast pork, stuffed crab claws, baby clams in black bean sauce, chive and shrimp dumplings, har gao, vegetable dumplings, chicken feet, vegetable noodles, turnip cake, spring rolls, shumai, shrimp in crepe noodle, sesame balls, mini egg custard tarts and a few others. 

I had everyone meet for the first seating at 10 am.  In hindsight, we could have met a bit later, but it was definitely nice to not have to wait for a hour for a table.  Love watching the carts passing by too.  There's a sense of anticipation and wondering what the next cart will hold.  The only downside about dim sum at Mark's is their lack of congee.   The birthday boy shared a bit of wisdom too...Why do people balk at eating chicken feet but eat pork butt without a second thought?

Dim Sum #3

For dim sum in Virginia there are a few options, but I tend to go to Mark's Duck House in Falls Church. On weekends, the lines for dim sum are long. Unlike Oriental East in Maryland which seats groups according to when they arrive in line, MDH has a preference for seating the groups that fit the empty tables despite what numbered ticket they have. Another downside is how dark the room is compared to Oriental East's with its wall of windows.

If you're not there right when it opens (I've never managed that) you're bound to wait a very long time for a table. In the wintertime, you're pressed up against strangers who use their puffy-coated children like battering rams. In summertime, you're desperately trying to find a whiff of cold air while impatiently waiting to hear your number called. When they finally call your number...happiness descends upon you as you head to a table, guzzle some cold water, pour the tea and start looking around for the carts.

crispy shrimp balls

har gao - steamed shrimp dumpling
panfried chives dumpling
chicken feet
baby clams in black bean sauce

shrimp-stuffed eggplant

I've also tried the fried taro dumpling (wouldn't take that one again), shrimp noodle crepe, steamed shrimp and garlic chives dumpling (both good), as well as the gai lan with oyster sauce (ok) and sauteed baby bok choy in garlic sauce (excellent).

Dim Sum Adventure #2

I am lucky to have a group of friends who love sharing food adventures. The hardest part is finding a time to meet up since everyone is busy running races, teaching yoga, volunteering, working and traveling.

Our second dim sum group outing was at a more authentic Cantonese-style place with rolling carts in Silver Spring. Oriental East http://www.orientaleast.com/ is very popular on the weekends and does not take reservations, so we lined up 30 minutes before the restaurant opened to get a good table.

The fun part about the carts is wondering what tasty dishes each new one holds as it rolls through the room towards our table. As the tea starts flowing, so does the conversation and laughter.

Steamed shrimp balls.
Sesame ball
Steamed bun filled with egg custard.

Dissection shot of steamed buns filled with egg custard.

Egg custard tart.

Har gau - steamed shrimp dumpling (my favorite)!

Steamed gai lan (Chinese broccoli) with oyster sauce.

Steamed lotus leaf packet of rice and meat.

Fried shrimp puffs. Not as good at the crispy shrimp balls at Mark's Duck House.
"Turnip" cake is made with daikon radish, flour and Chinese sausage.

Beef rice noodle crepe.

Fried shrimp and green leek dumplings.

Dim Sum Adventure #1

Ping Pong Dim Sum restaurant opened in Chinatown in late 2009. A British-chain, Ping Pong offers a nice introduction to the joys of drinking tea and eating small savory snacks to the dim sum novice. The menu offers an interesting list of tea options, including flowering teas. Servers were very attentive at refilling hot water throughout the meal. During the day, the set menu is one of the easiest and most cost-effective options if you find yourself at a table with carnivores, omnivores, fish-only and vegetarians, which makes sharing difficult. They have a seafood set ($15), a meat set ($18) and a vegetarian set ($10). Flowering Dragon Ball - green tea wrapped around calendula flower, with an arch of jasmine flowers and amaranth "dragon eye" flower.

Add water and wait for the "flowering" to begin.

Baked vegetable puffsCrispy prawn ball, prawn toast, vegetarian spring roll Steamed vegetable bun

Steamed sticky rice packet with scallops, prawns, carrots and bamboo shoots wrapped in a lotus leaf

Steamed dumplings: chive, coriander, scallop and shiitake, seafood and har gau