Note to self: No good deed goes unpunished.
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I’ve probably been eating and dealing with dim sum longer than you’ve been alive. And whining is so unattractive 
In case anyone’s interested, here’ info from one of my food gods, Andrea Nguyen:
How to Refresh Dim Sum Leftovers and Takeout - Viet World Kitchen
Going forward I’ll take the time to use my bamboo steamer(s).
Well… I think he was talking about (as did Andrea) that there are so many types of dim sum! Fried, baked steamed, you name it.
And hey, the link you gave? Those are fantastic directions! They take what I know and add to it much - thank you : )
I would also add, from a dear friend who has led me to much killer dim sum - consider a convection oven with steam. She says it’s the perfect amount of steam and heat for dim sum leftovers and she got her steam/convection oven at Costco years ago. (I don’t see it there now.)
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Now now. No worries - we are grateful and you are loved. It’s all good, we are all just trying to eat well together!
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PS -
CO, when I reheat my dim sum leftovers, I end up using my steamer, my microwave and my toaster oven. Different heats for different treats!
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Update 2:
One of our dear friends in the SGV invited us to celebrate Chinese New Year’s Dinner with her (also adding the recent Dim Sum experience we had as part of our Dim Sum Journey):
Chrysanthemum Tea:
Dried Scallop & Meatball Congee:
Nice consistency (not too thick, nor too thin), the Pork Meatballs were plump and tender and the Dried Scallops imparted a nice subtle brininess.
French Style Baked BBQ Pork Bun:
These were tasty. Not really the Tim Ho Wan-style either, but a light crispness on the exterior with a salty-sweet BBQ Pork Charsiu within.
Steamed Chicken Feet in Brown Sauce:
Delicious. Not too salty, and probably our favorite version still locally. 
Deep Fried Smelt in Spicy Salt & Pepper:
Excellent! 
Perfectly crispy, peppery, lightly spicy.
Steamed Rice Noodle with Shredded Chicken & Bitter Melon:
Not overcooked, I like the balance of bitter and savory from the Bitter Melon with Chicken.
Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow):
Perfectly cooked, medium-thick skins with plump Shrimp within.
Deep Fried Chicken Knee in Spicy Salt & Pepper:
A touch greasy, but otherwise the best rendition of Chicken Cartilage of the Dim Sum houses we tried.
Fish Roe with Scallop Dumplings:
The Scallops were tender and just cooked through, the Fish Roe and Shrimp complemented each bite.
Steamed Rice Noodle with BBQ Pork:
Nicely cooked, each separated (nothing stuck together like Longo), these were good, but Elite’s Rice Rolls were better.
Baby Bok Choy with Ginkgo & Bean Curd Sheets:
Delicious. Nicely cooked, light yet savory.
Sticky Rice Wrapped with Lotus Leaf:
Sea Harbour’s Sticky Rice Wrapped with Lotus Leaf has the best Lotus Leaf scent infusion out of all the places, and it’s not overly salty.
Pork & Shrimp Dumpling with Truffle Sauce:
Sadly, there is no version of their Shumai (Pork & Shrimp Dumpling) without the “Truffle Sauce” anymore. These Chinese Truffles give a subtle aroma to each bite, but they are a far cry from real European Truffles. The actual Shumai are fine, and at least they aren’t as fatty as many other places, but compared to the ones we had at Dragon Beaux these now feel mundane.
Ox Omasum in X.O. Sauce:
Light, savory, and definitely the best version out of the local Dim Sum shops we tried.
Steamed Preserved Salty Egg Yolk Bun:
Delicious. Still one of the best Dim Sum Desserts locally, the salty-sweet Duck Egg Yolk Sauce is addictive.
Milk with Egg White Custard Tart:
I don’t know who thought this was a good idea. I admire them for trying something new, but this didn’t work. It’s an OK “Egg Tart” at best, but it lacks that deep, creamy, rich custardy feel, but with Egg Whites, this is probably healthier.
Service was good at Sea Harbour (as usual). Our Teapot was refilled regularly, we had our plates changed and the servers were attentive if we waved at them (unlike Longo and Lunasia).
Dinner:
A good friend of ours had invited us to join her for dinner during Chinese New Year’s.
Sea Harbour recently completed their remodel, adding in a bunch of extra rooms for more private parties during dinner (and for Dim Sum during the day):
Sea Harbour Chicken Topped with Ginger and Scallions:
Excellent. Tender, juicy, good flavor throughout all pieces of the Poached Chicken. I love the brightness and flavor combination that Ginger and Green Onions bring with the Chicken.
Braised Bamboo Fungus with Mustard Greens:
The Mustard Greens were perfectly cooked through, tender yet still with some pleasing firmness, the Braised Bamboo Pith (or “Bamboo Fungus”) soaked up plenty of flavor from the Broth.
Live Rock Cod - Steamed:
So good! Still one of our all-time favorite HK dishes, the Live Rock Cod was expertly cooked with the meat being just cooked through, supple, flaky, moist, and with that absolutely divine flavor of that special Soy Sauce-based Sauce, Green Onions, Cilantro and Ginger, this was the one of the best bites we’ve had this year! 
Freshly Ground Walnut Sweet Soup:
Beautifully aromatic and nutty, you can decide how much sweetness you want (with the Liquid Sugar on the side).
Service for dinner was spot-on: Tea refilled without asking, plates swapped out regularly, service was attentive.
Sea Harbour remains one of the best places for a great Hong Kong / Cantonese Dinner in L.A. Their execution for cooking Live Seafood is leagues ahead of Newport Seafood (and a few other SGV places we stopped by in recent years (e.g., Monterey Palace, China Red, Boston Lobster, etc.)). Get a Steamed Live Rock Cod and some Steamed Live Spot Prawns. Their Live Abalone and Live Crab are also excellent if you’re in the mood, and even their more simple offerings like their variety of Chinese Vegetables and Steamed Mince Pork with Water Chestnuts are stellar.
For Dim Sum, Sea Harbour remains our favorite of the local places. They are just consistently better in most of the standard Dim Sum offerings, and they have a lighter touch and better execution with things like their Deep Fried Smelt, Steamed Preserved Salty Egg Yolk Bun, Chicken Feet, Steamed Spare Ribs and other dishes.
In the grand scheme of things however, after experiencing a place like Dragon Beaux, it really makes all of our local Dim Sum shops feel mundane by comparison. After retrying all of our big L.A. favorites back-to-back-to-back, Dragon Beaux remains our favorite, easily. And our HK friend mentioned that many Dim Sum shops in Hong Kong are even better than Dragon Beaux (which is not surprising). Perhaps one day, we’ll get that level of excellence here in L.A.
Sea Harbour
3939 Rosemead Blvd.
Rosemead, CA 91770
Tel: (626) 288-3939
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Nice report. Give Ocean Bo in El Monte a try for dinner. It’s a very neighborhood-y HK seafood restaurant joint.
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Clearly there’s lots of better dim sum in Hong Kong. But for $75 or so per person, it better be better.
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Is that USD or HKD?
They actually do a variety of things well (not amazing) especially given the price and a lot of their dishes are unique like one of their claypot dish with a coconut pumpkin sauce. I quite like their oyster omelet too. If you do go, ask the servers what their signature dishes are and go with those.
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It’s $75 USD.
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Yeah upper end HK dim sum is crazy, in excess of $100pp USD frequently with premium ingredients in everything (they seem to really like abalone…)
Dim sum at the 3 Michelin starred The 8 in Macau was only about $70 and I got to try 17 different things.
My other dim sum meal at the 3 starred Lung King Heen in HK was closer to $100/person only because the vintage Pu’Erh tea and the soup we ordered were already $40/person which definitely weren’t necessary. We were able to sample 15 different things there…
Taking into account the service, location, decor, premium ingredients (like lobster, foie, abalone, scallop, etc), creativity, and execution, it’s actually quite a steal IMO.
$75/head? I’ve not come close to paying that in Hong Kong–not even at Lei Garden.
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That was the tab at the Michelin 3-star Lung King Heen. Worth every dollar.
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yes, but the vast majority of dim sum in hong kong is way, way below that price level. and while not all of it is better than the best of the sgv, a lot of it is. not surprising at all but it’s inaccurate to paint that as a function of it costing $75/head or more.
we paid $87 for two adults and two small kids at lei garden in 2016.
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Why the fuck are we comparing HK dim sum to SGV dim sum?
That’s like saying the French food in Paris is better than the French food L.A.
And, in other news, scientists are reporting that water is, indeed, wet.
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Yea, we got to factor in the cost of airfare and jetlag.
Actually some president is saying that about water.
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