Vegetarian Dim Sum House

Sorry about that folks. We’ve finally started settling into our new apartment. Let the reviews resume! We recently ate at the famous (amongst NYC vegetarians at least) Vegetarian Dim Sum House in Chinatown at 24 Pell Street in Manhattan.

Spinach Dumplings

So YUM! These had a chewier/gummier outside than most dumplings. Inside they were filled with seasoned mock shredded chicken and veggies. They tasted like a dry pot pie, that is to say, all the delicious flavor of a pot pie without the soupy stuff. -Ev
From the outside, these looked like they’d be similar to the veggie dumplings you can get at most Chinese places, but the filling was unique and tasty. -Jim

Buddha’s Bean Curd Rolls

The texture of these rolls might be a little bit odd to someone who’s never had them before. They were basically veggies wrapped in bean curd skin and soaked in a somewhat slimy sauce. If you can get past the sliminess, though, you will be rewarded with a delicious, super-savory experience. -Jim
These are a little awkward to eat but you just gotta shove ‘em in and chew, chew, chew. They were really tasty. -Ev

Treasure balls with Assorted Flavor

Often referred to (by us anyway) as Chinese knishes, these are flaky/crunchy on the outside and had soft and smooth taro goodness inside. I definitely recommend that a) you eat these and b) you eat these with hot mustard. -Ev
They’re also good with soy sauce. In fact, I discovered that they are good with soy sauce and spicy mustard at the same time. I think they’re called “Treasure Balls with Assorted Flavor” because sometimes they cook things into them, like little bits of mock ham or whatever. But even when they’re plain, they’re still good. -Jim

Mini Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf

For those of you who have never had sticky rice in a lotus leaf, the general idea is that they take some fillings, surround them in sticky rice, and then wrap the rice in a lotus leaf and steam it. This was a miniaturized version of that and it was delicious. The fillings here were little bits of mock meat and veggies. The earthy flavor and moist, sticky texture of the rice was what really made this dish fantastic, though. I enjoy this dish with a good amount of soy sauce, but I am a salt addict so others may not need the soy here. -Jim
These ruled. The rice was definitely the best part because it was so thick and sticky and had the subtle flavor of the lotus leaf. I also liked how the filling didn’t overwhelm the rice. -Ev

Fried Turnip Cakes

One of my favorite dishes here! While the consistency was a little gummy, they had enough flavor to give the dish some weight, especially when combined with the rich sauce. Jim thought the sauce tasted too fishy but I thought it worked perfectly with the turnip cake to optimize its saltiness and flavor. -Ev
Yeah, the sauce that they come with is a little gross to me. But I just put a little soy sauce on these babies and they become salty, starchy goodness. -Jim

Vegetarian Mock Roast Pork Buns

These were white, fluffy pastries filled with somewhat sweet mock pork. They were tasty but I found them to be a little dry. -Jim
I usually don’t like dumplings with soft, bready outsides but these were really tasty. The sauce was a thick bbq sauce that was a little sweet. The bready outside sucked up the sauce and complimented the chewy texture of the pork. -Ev

The Bottom Line

Vegetarian Dim Sum is on of the best places to eat when you're not sure what you want but you want it to be hot, good, and cheap! In other words, this is one of the best Vegan restaurants in NYC. I have yet to get a dish here that I didn't love. As an added bonus you can also order tons of mock-meat Chinese dishes (like Sweet and Sour Chicken, Mock Iron Steak, etc) in addition to the Dim Sum. We love the Dim Sum so much we usually just stick to that menu, but maybe we'll review some Chinese dishes in the future. -Ev
To give you an idea of how cheap it is, we ordered everything above plus an additional order of the treasure balls plus a Sesame Paste Bun that we forgot to take a picture of, and the bill came to less than $25. Very cheap! One thing I noticed on this visit was that there are still a lot of items on the Dim Sum menu that we’ve never tried. I find that to be unacceptable and we’ll need to come back soon. -Jim