Imperial Mandarin

I can’t stay away from this place.  So many tasty items on the menu.  Steamed cha siu bao is what I long for the most.  Chunks of bbq pork with sweet notes and 5 spice powder flavor surrounded by a slightly sweet pastry combine into something incredibly delicious.  You can only get them for lunch.  On weekends they bring them along on shiny dim sum carts.

Also the baked cha siu bao are only available on weekends.
Baked cha siu bao differ from the steamed version in that surrounding pastry is more like a sweet bread with a sweet glaze on top.
Har gow has a neutral flavored rice based wrapper and filled with a delicious shrimp mixture.
Siu mai has a thin won ton wrapper filled with a shrimp and pork mixture.  Flavor was mostly pork with a hint of shrimp. I loved flavor of the won ton wrapper.
Bbq pork pan fried noodles feature crispy egg noodles with a savory brown sauce, bok toy, and char siu.  Char siu is tender with a sweet and savory Chinese bbq flavor.
Sticky rice had rich flavors imparted from the bamboo leaves and marinated pork.  Tender pork and sticky rice had a pot roast like texture.
Sweet rice cakes were a bit like a thick jello with a sweet rice flavor and a sour undertone.  Jasmine has the best I’ve found in San Diego.  Jasmine’s have a fluffier texture and a sweeter flavor without the sour undertone.
Left the door open to the kitchen.

 

When my family wanted delicious cha siu bao in San Diego this was always the spot we would go.  We liked to show up at 11am for fresh dim sum and the parking lot was usually full due to the Original Pancake House.
3904 Convoy St
Ste 102
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 292-1222

By Soo

I like to take photos of beautiful things like rain falling into puddles. Photos were mostly taken on a Fuji XE-2. Starting 9.9.2016 most photos are taken on a Fuji XT-2. Subsequent photos were taken with an Iphone 13 Pro and an Iphone 15 Pro Max.

4 comments

  1. Just love the baked cha siu bao and sticky rice! Everything here is always delicious. Great pictures!

  2. We totally didn’t have the same experience when we visited mid week for dim sum. Maybe weekends are the time to come here? The baos looked so good. And the sticky rice – wow – I want that for lunch now 🙁

    1. Everything tasted great on Saturday right when they opened. The biggest reason to go on the weekend is the baked bao is available. 🙂

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