Update 2:
We had a visit to Sea Harbour just before experiencing the best Dim Sum we’ve ever had in the U.S., and then right afterwards, we had to go back immediately this weekend to confirm our feelings.
Scallop & Preserved Egg with Bean Curd Congee:
This was excellent. The Congee Rice Porridge was a nice consistency, I loved the balance of Scallops and Preserved Egg, a bit of briny and creamy funk.
Sticky Rice Wrapped with Lotus Leaf:
As fragrant, moist and tasty as usual. The Marinated Chicken and Salted Duck Egg were fantastic with the fragrant Sticky Rice (in Lotus Leaf).
Deep Fried Smelt Fish in Spicy Salt & Pepper:
So enticing from the Garlic and nicely fried. The Smelt Fish was the highlight of the meal!
Mustard Greens with Oyster Sauce:
Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow):
Nicely steamed, the Dumpling skin was a touch overcooked. The Shrimp were fresh and plump.
Ox Omasum in XO Sauce:
This was really tasty! Even though I’m not an offal fan, this Steamed Beef Stomach was very mild, a bit chewy (in a good way), and fragrant in the light broth. It didn’t really taste like XO Sauce, so I think it’s a typo on the menu (in English).
Black Fungus & Celery Dumpling:
This is one of the more creative dishes at Sea Harbour during Dim Sum, making a Dumpling with Wood Ear Mushrooms and Chinese Celery. There’s a pleasing crunch from the Celery, and the Wood Ear Mushrooms give off a separate type of slight crunch, all evened out by the soft, plump Dumpling Skin (perfectly steamed).
Follow-Up Visit:
We just got back from a visit to Sea Harbour this weekend, curious to see how everything would taste after our stunning visit to the best Dim Sum we’ve ever had.
Pork & Shrimp Dumpling with Truffle Sauce (Shumai / Siu Mai):
So it seems Sea Harbour has done away with their original “basic” Siu Mai / Pork & Shrimp Dumpling, and they are now only serving a version with “Truffle.” Like Din Tai Fung, they are using some cheap, fake Black Truffle (probably Chinese Truffles) as the price of this dish is the same as before they added it, so clearly they couldn’t be giving away real Black Truffles from Italy / France at that price.
The Siu Mai are moist and tender, and the fake Truffles add a bit of flavor, but nothing like real Black Truffles. Overall, it’s a very good Siu Mai, but it’s not even in the same ballpark as the ones we had at Dragon Beaux.
Sticky Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf:
This visit was slightly drier than the previous visit, but still very good. Everyone liked the flavors, and the Salted Duck Egg.
Deep Fried Squid in Spicy Salt & Pepper:
Delicious! Nicely fried, and the Salt & Pepper and a bit of heat from the Chili was spot-on.
Dry Scallop & Meatball Congee:
Their Housemade Pork Meatballs were just the right balance of fatty and lean Ground Pork, and the Congee was perfectly cooked again (not too thick or thin).
Deep Fried Chicken Knee in Spicy Salt & Pepper:
Another very good dish. We had 2 friends who joined us who couldn’t stop eating this.
Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow):
These turned out much better than Dragon Beaux (the only item, though), with Sea Harbour’s Dumpling Skin being steamed perfectly, with a nice subtle chew and plump Shrimp inside.
Steamed Rice Noodle with Shredded Chicken & Bitter Melon:
One of the more unique dishes and now a mainstay on Sea Harbour’s menu, I like it because of the strong bitter taste from the Bitter Melon, balanced by a bit of the Marinated Chicken and Soy Sauce blend on top. The Rice Noodle exterior was nicely steamed (not overcooked).
House No. 1 Baked BBQ Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao):
These were as… underwhelming as before. They arrived soft and doughy, not really “toasty” nor having much of anything notable on the exterior. The interior Char Siu BBQ Pork was fine - sweet and salty and tender enough. The version from Dragon Beaux was so far ahead of this it was shocking.
Shrimp Dumpling with Gold Leaf:
As if magically in-tune with our conversations on FTC, imagine our surprise when we saw this new Special being offered (limited time special, for now)! @ipsedixit @PorkyBelly @J_L @bulavinaka @beefnoguy @chandavkl and others…
It looked gorgeous and shocking. And encouraging that Sea Harbour might once again be innovating?
Taking a bite… it tasted like a thicker skinned version of the standard Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow). It wasn’t bad at all, the Shrimp were delicious and tender, the Dumpling Skin here was made with Squid Ink, but it tasted pretty mild, and really just like a slightly thicker version of the same Har Gow.
So it’s maybe more for visual bling / Instagram perhaps, and maybe to get exposure? It was fine, but I wish the taste was innovating.
Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce:
These could have been steamed a bit longer, as they were a touch too firm, but still fine.
Fish Roe with Scallop Dumplings:
Meaty, plump Shrimp and Scallops with a nice briny burst from the Fish Roe. Tasty!
Almond Pudding (with Tapioca):
Their Almond Pudding with Tapioca was cool and refreshing, not overly sweet and with a nice Almond scent with each bite.
@ipsedixit they removed / rotated out the French-Style Taro Buns! I’m so sad, they were the best dessert on Sea Harbour’s menu and really innovative.
Steamed Salty Egg Yolk Bun with Gold Foil:
And the 2nd Special Item added to the menu for this visit, even more stunning than the Shrimp Dumplings with Gold Foil, these Steamed Salty Egg Yolk Buns with Gold Foil were just gorgeous!
We couldn’t stop looking at them, and other tables around us were looking at them as they brought this to the table.
Visually, this is the type of stuff that’s engaging and exciting, and something that looks like it could’ve been on Dragon Beaux’s menu.
Taste-wise? It tasted exactly like the regular Salty Egg Yolk Steamed Buns, except the dough here was a touch firmer.
To be fair, the actual taste is delicious. If you’ve never had Sea Harbour’s Salty Egg Yolk Steamed Bun, despite the name, it’s a beautiful salty-sweet Dessert Bun, almost like the hit of Salted Caramel (some salt, with sweet), it arrives piping hot and is delicious!
But besides the visuals, we were hoping the taste might be slightly different.
Dinner:
So, besides Dim Sum, we wanted to see how Dinner was, and we hadn’t had a good Hong Kong-style Dinner in a while.
Chrysanthemum Tea:
We started with a Chrysanthemum Tea. I love how fragrant and light it is.
Live Prawns - Steamed:
I was so looking forward to this dish. To this day, this has to be my favorite Shrimp Dish of all-time…
Half of the Live Prawns arrived full of Roe!
Look at how much Roe was in 1 of these Prawn:
Make sure you dab the Prawn in some of this Magic Sauce from the Heavens:
Taking a bite…
SO GOOD!
Perfectly cooked, plump Spot Prawns, tender, moist, meaty, inherently lightly sweet. Some of that Shrimp Roe and that amazing Dipping Sauce and some Steamed Rice…
We take it for granted sometimes, the greatness we have in L.A., but seriously this is still one of the Best Bites I’ve ever had!
Stir-Fried Fish Maw with Egg White:
A new dish on Sea Harbour’s dinner menu, the Fish Maw and Egg White combo was tasty, light and fluffy with a little bit of nice chew from the Fish Maw. The Choy Sum Vegetable underneath was a bit of a miss: It’s not bad, but it’s a hearty, fibrous vegetable, and I think this dish would’ve been perfect with something more tender, like Asparagus instead. Otherwise, it was fine.
Steamed Mince Pork with Water Chestnut and Black Bean Paste:
This looks so basic and simple, but the Steamed Minced Pork (so perfectly marinated) with a bit of crunch from Water Chestnuts chopped up, and Black Bean Paste, a bit of wonderful Green Onions and some Steamed Rice…
Another Best Bite of 2017 easily!
This was so delicious, we couldn’t stop eating it! Thanks to all the veteran FTC’ers (and my friend from the SGV) who recommended this dish on our old board, back in the day!
Braised E-Fu Noodles with Stewed Chinese Mushrooms:
Soft, tender E-Fu Noodles, quite different from the usual Crispy Egg Noodles (that Sea Harbour also serves). I loved the aromatic Mushroom flavors coming through in each bite (from the Stewed Mushrooms).
(Complimentary) Ginger Butternut Squash Soup:
Sea Harbour was serving a complimentary Dessert to all tables that didn’t order one of their more fancy Desserts. For this evening, a Ginger & Butternut Squash Soup. It was served hot, with a strong Ginger aroma coming through in each sip. It was only mildly sweet and a perfect palate cleanser to end the meal.
Sea Harbour continues to be L.A.'s best Dim Sum, and delivers some tasty, excellent offerings. Their weakness has been a strange stagnation recently (no new, interesting dishes), but the 2 new Specials offer a ray of hope that perhaps they might try innovating again. The Shrimp Dumpling in Gold Leaf and Salty Egg Yolk Bun in Gold Leaf are downright stunning visually, but taste-wise, it’s really the same dish as their predecessors.
But after having tried the best Dim Sum I’ve ever had in the U.S. at Dragon Beaux, it is so far ahead of Sea Harbour in terms of execution and flavors and innovation (sans the Shrimp Dumpling) that it’s hard to get excited about eating Dim Sum in L.A. right now.
However Dinner at Sea Harbour remains a wonderful experience: The Steamed Live Spot Prawns and Steamed Minced Pork with Water Chestnuts & Black Bean Sauce this week delivered two of the Best Bites of 2017 (don’t forget to add in their amazing Steamed Live Rock Cod)! They are so deeply satisfying, tasty, and crave-worthy, that this remains one of L.A.'s treasures not to be overlooked.
Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
3939 Rosemead Blvd.
Rosemead, CA 91770
Tel: (626) 288-3939