The advertised snowstorm didn’t happen, I wish it did. Because my last full day on this trip was dealing with the endless drizzle. Stockholm was still beautiful, but it was wet. I was wet. And I was tired. Now on day 7 of this trip, I’ve clocked over 90km (56.5 miles) on foot, often hilly and icy terrain.
So I sought out one last opportunity to get something that’s not easily found back home in the US — a nice, old dairy cow steak. I found a place called Noema that serves mjölkko from Brålanda for lunch, so I headed there. I had that amazing raw dairy cow meat last night at Brutalisten, I had to have more!
The lunch rush was just ending, so it was a relaxing time. Sipping on some wine, I ordered my food and chilled – and pondered heading back across the Atlantic tomorrow. Sigh…
The appearance of my steak cheered me up. This was a delicious piece of meat, wonderful texture, beautiful taste, cooked perfectly. After several “top” Chicago steakhouses absolutely screwed up my steaks (I didn’t name and shame them, which I now regret…) recently, I fully enjoyed this to the very last bite.
The frites were quite good, and the nice bowl of tomatoes added to the total lunch experience quite nicely. Such a fine lunch, and I got to rest my legs for a little.
I was full and happy, so one little tipple and coffee and I headed out, refreshed, for a little bit of final exploration of this city that I’ve grown to really love over the decades I’ve visited it.
I was sad on leaving Estonia, as this short stay has really re-invigorated me. But alas, off to the airport for the very short flight to Stockholm. Sadly it appears I’m bringing bad weather with me to Sweden, and upon arrival our commuter train was cancelled, so had to wait for a rather full train into the centre.
I had a bit of a hike to my hotel, but the weather was holding. I dropped my bag and quickly ran off to explore parts of the city that I’ve targetted, taking advantage of the late sunsets here. After about 5 hours of hiking, I was exhausted. I cleaned up and headed out for my dinner at Brutalisten.
This is an interested restaurant that follows a manifesto for brutalist cooking, which basically is to use one ingredient only. I like this idea, as I’m often complaining about “over-cheffing” that masqued the excellence of the primary ingredient. So my friendly and knowledgeable server gave me the rundown of the menu, as well as the philosophy, and I pondered what I wanted to do.
And as I thought, I enjoyed a glass of wine from Skåne. Yes, Sweden is now producing excellent wines, many using the underrated solaris grape (like some of the tastiest Polish wines now). The orange wine I’m having is wonderful, and that got me in the mood for the big tasting menu. Plus I skipped lunch and hiked so much, I was hungry!
You know the night starts fun when they present one of these things. Call it whatever you like, they called it the electric daisy, I’ve usually used buzz button, but I do enjoy these things and they have a wonderful effect that’s hard to describe if you’ve never had one. My palate is tingly now!
This next set is a great example of brutalist cooking by their manifesto. Everything here is made from potato, with only salt and water as added ingredients. The broth was surprisingly delicious, earthy with the delicate flavours of the potato too often ruined by various cooking techniques.
Each of the morsels were delicious, as you really enjoy the natural flavours of the potato in each bite. If this is my introduction to brutalist cooking, I’m already sold. Those crisps are addictive! Puts potato chips/crisps to shame!
The next set was a tasting of vegetables, each a very unique taste.
The yellow peas stood out, as the entire morsel is made of course from that one ingredient, as they milled the peas to bake the bite. Very nice. The rapini is also quite delicious, including some toasted rapini seeds. And finally, a plain ol’ but very fresh radish, and it’s a treat to be able to nibble on the greens when it’s not in horrific shape.
So far an excellent introduction to brutalist cooking! Plus, the service has been impeccable, and the paired wines absolutely perfect. This becomes more important as we move into the next segment as we head to the sea.
Oh my this is a heck of a quartet, again bringing out the very best of one ingredient.
First of all, I finally get my scallop from the west coast of Norway! After that mess at 1877 in Bergen a few days earlier to start this trip, I finally get what I craved from that place! Fabulous, so sweet…
Today was apparently the first day of the mackerel season, so this was new…so good. They used some garum made last year from mackerel, and it was beautiful and added a complexity to this already delicious fish.
And finally, the mussels. This was insanely intense, so awesome the flavours I’m not sure I can eat mussels the same way again. Candidate for dish of the year.
Now was that good or was that good? And it keeps getting better.
I do wish I had the bread with the mussels as that mussel sauce was just insanely good. But the sourdough came with butter and cream, which was so nice, and fit the motif for the dish it came with…
Oh my goodness this dairy cow is so good… Amazing flavours, which just shows how mature, happy cows can taste, why the US gets it so wrong on limiting this type of cows for meats. Throw in some very intense flavours on the site, I can see why this is the dish that they have kept on the menu. “People will riot if we take this off,” said Chef Coen Dieleman, and I agreed! Wow, was that good.
Now we shift back to seafood with a tribute to skrei, the beautiful and delicious cod that’s in season.
Absolutely delicious in both preps, and I appreciate them serving different cuts of the fish with different preps, each demonstrating how fabulous this fish is, and how good this kitchen is.
Absolutely lovely.
Then back to meats with this final savoury course, where the lamb is the featured incredient.
Wow again, I love when lamb tastes like lamb. And this certainly does, and the cooking is absolutely fantastic. Incredible flavours and texture, this was a dream-like dish for a lamb lover.
And let’s not forget the alliums! This was a unique mixture of various plants from the family, which I adore, and they complement each other so well. Works wonders with the lamb as well!
Damn that was good, and I’m full! I want to keep eating tho! But now we have the dessert.
Made from forced rhubarbs, which is unique in how it grows. Lovely flavours all around, a fine and perfect way to end this evening.
I hung out a little to chat with the awesome crew as I sipped on some coffee and spirit before heading out. I thanked them and then noticed the light I looked at was changing at a specific pattern…
This will definitely be one of the dining experiences of 2024, no doubt. Some of the dishes may compete for the best dishes of the year too, that’s how good this was. I think it shows that I like when flavours shine, rather than have competing ones or using them to mask the supposedly primary ingredient. I like this philosophy.
But that clock light with the decimalised time…
DO NOT MISS THIS PLACE if you are in Stockholm! Fly here if you can!
A tiring day hiking through the unexpected late April snowstorm in Tallinn, but a fun one. The lunch at Siga la vaca helped me through the rest of the way back to my hotel, where sadly I had to deal with some trip logistics as this is my last night “home” on this whirlwind trip.
Got most of it done before I had to get ready to head out for dinner. Tonight’s destination is also in the Old Town, a place called 38. I had a nice stroll out there as the precipitation had finally ended, and got there just around the time of my booking.
It was a busy night, a combination of locals and visitors, which is always a good sign. A relaxed at my table and soon enjoyed a much-needed cocktail. My server was excellent in describing the offerings, and I’m still glad my Estonian is good enough to catch all of this – including the food descriptions. I decided on the tasting menu so that should be a fun one.
Not long after the opening items appeared, which worked well with my cocktail (which you can see on the side).
I love the whimsy of this display. The “lips” is a beet-based bite, which was the amuse. The “mushroom” is actually butter, one that is quite nice (and definitely not scary salty like at Natura in Helsinki). And pork terrine as well. All with the excellent housemade sourdough.
As I enjoyed a good portion of the bread service, the first course arrived.
This is a delicious local whitefish crudo, really helped on by the pear. Delicious combination, lovely texture in the fish too. An excellent start.
Then we have some smoked duck, which was absolutely scrumptious. The smoke brought out a beautiful quality of the meat, accented by the mirin and soy. Wonderful dish!
I have to say my server is also fabulous, so enthusiastic when describing the wines. This was followed by an excellent eggplant.
A unique combination of flavours, as the eggplant is miso-centric, but works terrific with the goat cheese. A really nice fusion plate here, something I don’t say often. So far this has been an excellent evening, from the service to the food. Clearly got a talented kitchen here, one of the best I’ve seen in this city.
And the last savoury dish proves it, as this venison is absolutely stunning. Amazing quality meat, cooked perfectly – definitely without that “liver-ish” taste that can often haunt miscooked game. Lovely pepper sauce, with some delicious beets to go along with the meat. So good. Could be one of the dishes of the year?
Oh I really enjoyed that! My server could see that as she described the excellent dessert wine she poured me. I was a little disappointed with the dessert in a weird way…
This passion fruit-flavoured dessert was delicious! With some white chocolate, and a fascinating kaffir lime and lemongrass ice cream, this was indeed delicious. But what was “disappointing” then? I had seen the ala carte menu, and one of the starters they had was foie gras. And just to show you how much I love the way this place thinks, THEY LIST THE FOIE AGAIN AS DESSERT.
A little surprise, again whimsical like the opening items. Then I also had a little tipple and coffee to close this wonderful evening out. Wow, this was good! I am very impressed. I was so sad to hear my former Tallinn go-to place, Ö, closed during the pandemic. But now I think I’ve found the replacement for whenever I’m back “home” for a few days!
I thanked my awesome server and headed out, happy for this wonderful dinner but sad that it’s time to say goodbye to this city I love so dearly once again.
Heavily recommended! The next Tallinn restaurant that’s ready for a Michelin star, that’s for sure!
Well, I did pay for it last night after that wonderful dinner at Rado, but more from the bit of cocktail excess at Whisper Sister… But it was so worth it, both parts of the evening!
I ended up on a ridiculously long hike across town, taking me across several places where I used to live and work over the past three decades. Hilly hikes, trying not to slip to my death downhill, and just feeling my “hometown” again like it was second nature. After doing about 10km in the snow (adding to the nearly 20km I did yesterday), I needed a good lunch.
I was half-way across town in Kalamaja, an old neighbourhood that has become hipster central. I’ve not been out here this millennium, so I was blown away on the changes. Goodness. I drifted into a place called Siga la Vaca for a break.
This is a great play on the name of the Buenos Aires-based Siga la Vaca, which of course in Spanish means “Follow the Cow.” But in Estonian, “siga” is pig, so the logo of the local restaurant has a whimsical porcine addition that quietly pays homage to the city’s Hanseatic past (if you get the connection, kudos – if you don’t, think Bremen). Huge props to the people who came up with this concept!
My nice server almost chuckled when I made my order, and poured a very generous glass of red for me as I relaxed. Soon the lunch began as I descend into zombiedom.
Mmmm…brain… Yeah, some excellent fried cow brains, lovely and creamy. I love this when it’s done right, and this is done very right. I could have had more, but…
Yeah, grilled lamb heart. Now you see why my server chuckled at my order? Sadly this was overcooked so you didn’t get the unique flavours of the heart as much. Too bad.
A side of veggies to keep me from descending into pure zombieism, but this was a delicious lunch indeed. It was starting to fill up, but my server talked me into a tipple of scotch before I headed out. Again, excellent service. I thanked her and headed back into the snow for another 5km of trekking through the slush back towards my hotel.
A solid place for grilled foods and offal, especially if you like an Argentinian touch on them. A good find!
After an annoying boat ride (the “fast” boats now take 2 hours instead of the earlier 90 minutes…what, so people can drink more and buy more useless shit on-board?) I get into town, run out and my Bolt was waiting for me. Off to my hotel and soon off to meet a dear old friend for a night of music, food and drink, having not seen each other since my last trip in 2018.
The next morning I got up early and front-loaded my itinerary again, since now we’re hearing about an unexpectedly strong snowstorm heading into town later in the morning. So I was out of my hotel by 6am and by 11am I was exhausted, looking at the snow starting to fall. I met another dear old friend for a long lunch, but had to miss meeting another friend due to the weather and not wanting to delay his trip off to the islands. I then headed back to the hotel to get a little rest, having run on fumes since leaving Chicago a few days earlier.
I then headed out to dinner in the Old Town at a place called Rado. I’ve heard good stuff, and their daily-changing menus caught my eye. There always seems to be interesting stuff, including offal, so I was really looking forward to dinner. I need a good one, after the two failed dinners so far this trip.
I took a seat at the back of the cute restaurant space in a building I’ve walked past hundreds of times. Relaxed with a drink and looked over the chalkboard menu they brought me. Interesting stuff. I ordered and relaxed. So good to be able to do this in Estonian again… And soon it started.
Oh, this is the perfect fish fry! So delicious these smelts. Breaded and fried perfectly, these beauties were meatier than usual too. So good. A wonderful start! Is my trip turning around food-wise?
Then this nice lamb shank, the meat just about perfect. Soft but retaining wonderful texture, without it falling off the bone like some demented BBQ. And absolutely flavourful, where you can taste the lamb and not some misbred joke. So good.
What a wonderful little discovery this turned out to be! Plus the service was impeccable. I chilled and went with a dessert as this has been so darn good all night.
A nice tres leches with some rhubarb additions. The latter is in season, so I expect to see this a lot on this trip. Delicious, the tartness of the rhubarb plays so well with the sweetness of the cake. An excellent close!
I thanked my excellent server as I headed out into a nice cool evening, really having enjoyed an excellent evening here at Rado. It was such a fun night I decided to drop into one of the top cocktail bars in the city, Whisper Sister, for a nightcap. Well, that nightcap turned into 3. Then into way too many more, basically drinking the place until it closed.
I’m gonna pay for this evening, but it was absolutely fun. Finally this trip is getting good!
Rado is very much recommended if you are in Tallinn. Fabulous cooking with well-sourced ingredients, excellent service, a winning package!
My Nordic adventure did not start off very well in Bergen, which nearly caused more issues when the “hi tech” hotel’s doors failed and locked all the patrons who went for a morning stroll out… Luckily I made my flight out to Helsinki, where I feel a little more at home, having visited so many times over the decades.
I’ve not been back since 2018, so it was nice just going around, although the weather was a little shaky. It was sleeting and snowing on and off, so I decided to shift my itinerary in town a little and front-load everything in case we get more snow overnight.
I was exhausted by the end of the day, and I’m glad I’m in a cute little hotel that’s nice and convenient, and near my dinner destination, Natura. I read about this place and found it intriguing, as I wanted a good but not over-the-top evening here in Helsinki.
It was a very busy night here, a clear difference from last night’s mess at 1877 in Bergen. My server was really nice and she ran me through the menu options, and I decided since I’m so close to my hotel I could do the longer of the tastings. I relaxed with a drink in hand, hoping for a good evening.
Soon the bread service arrived. I gasped when I took my first bite…oh my goodness, is this all salt? I’ve never tasted butter this salty in my life, and even the bread was salty. Yikes!
Lucky we got some potato cream with roe to cool it down. Not bad. Let’s hope that’s an anomaly! It was nice to see the dill, it’s a reminder that I’m “home” in the Baltics… Then some nice local whitefish.
The fish was good, but this was a case of throwing too much unnecessary gunk on what is otherwise a nice fresh ingredient. Why not just let the fish shine?
And at this point, I was having a lot of trouble understanding my new server, who seems to speak with an extremely heavy Italian accent – who does not appear to speak much Finnish. That’s one thing, but I can barely understand his English, and I don’t want to embarrass him by asking to switch to Italian… His description of the quartet of dishes that came out next got me more confused…
The lamb was okay, but again so salty. The herrings good, but too much other stuff once again. And the rest were weird… Again, I couldn’t understand what the server was saying (as the good original server was running around every other table), so it took a bit away from the experience.
Now this so-called “risotto” did not work at all. It feels like it should be called “oatmeal” instead, with a hodge-podge of berries and beets and other incongruent flavours. Again, I’m guessing and also looking at the printed menu of the ala carte items, as I cannot understand this server.
I see this night is not going as well as I thought. And just to show I’m not crazy, when the table next to me took a bite into the bread and butter, the guy winced and she coughed. Yeah, salt overdose…
Now this turbot wasn’t bad at all, probably the best dish of the night. Sadly it was a relatively tiny sliver, with a second charred out piece that look like it could have been left off. On the salty side, but edible. But at least I knew what I was eating as it was my original (the excellent one) server now back at my table.
What really shocked me was that a large percentage of the customers tonight are local, and they are also being served by that other server who speaks no Finnish with the impossible to understand English. Some of the customers seemed bemused by it. Is there such lack of workforce locally that this has become a problem in Helsinki? Goodness.
I was a little disappointed to get goose as a confit rather than unadulterated meat. And this was so absolutely salty that it was very difficult to eat. By this stage I have lost all interest in this dinner, and am glad the over-salted savouries are done with!
Approaching the third hour of dining, we get some local raw milk Loreley cheese from Otava. Okay, but again, my interest in food has already departed. I finished this with some struggle as we move into the dessert.
Luckily I love sea buckthorn, and this dessert focuses on it as a sorbet. It has such a strong flavour that eats into everything else, I love it. Perfect palate cleanser.
Now this next dish is a frozen yoghurt, which they say is their best-known dish. Interesting, that’s for sure. At least it’s not salty.
Now with the closing items I asked for a local tipple, so tried some local single malt.
And you know what? Just as a perfect sum up of this dining experience? Salty, salty, SALTY! Why are these chocolate-centric things absolutely so salty I needed to take a swig of water just to get it down?
So nearly 3 hours later, this evening was over. I walked outside into the flurry and wondered what happened. And realized I was so thirsty from all the salt I consumed tonight. I headed straight back to my hotel room and guzzed a litre of water. What a great night…
I think they have some good ideas, but the execution was a mess. Some of the ideas were a little too odd, some of it didn’t make best of the ingredients. Plus, when you have servers who cannot describe the food, you start off with a massive disadvantage. But overall, it was not good. Sigh…that’s 0 for 2 on this trip so far…
I had been planning to revisit Bergen, Norway since my previous visit in 2014. Never got around to it working out, but finally my chance came when I was planning this trip. For some reason, the SAS transatlantic fare was CHEAPER to add this extra leg. Fine!
Sadly it nearly went pear-shaped. After that excellent lunch at Mash, my Kastrup experience turned into a mess. Flight to Bergen was delayed, and even the crew seemed confused. Then it was moved across the airport, and when we ran almost across the huge terminal, they cancelled the flight. So another long run to the info desk across the airport. And folks, Terminal 3 in Kastrup is HUGE. Plus it’s a damn shopping mall, so you’re constantly dodging people shopping for cars and other unrealistic shit…
Eventually after a lot of drama and a lack of information, they put me on a later flight. Yet on the other side of the terminal. I got to Bergen exhausted, just for my hotel not to send me the info to check in. You see, it’s one of those “no front desk” places but their app didn’t work. So I had to waste a taxi ride from Bergen airport to another hotel – just so I can get my key.
UGH is right. So I need a fantastic meal, right? I’ve been waiting to return to 1877 for a decade since my amazing dinner there. However, something happened a few months ago that worried me. They wiped their social media, and posted weird stuff that’s more about design and decor, very little about food. I was worried but kept my booking.
My fears were confirmed when I arrived. The restaurant, which used to be bustling, was empty on a Friday night – a warm night when many people were out. Sigh…but let’s make the best of it. My cheerful and friendly server was great, so that kept me going. I decided to do the tasting menu. And it started with…
Bread and olives. Well, a good snack really, but I was saddened they had to warn me that the olives had pits in them… After a little bit, a cheesy snack.
Not bad, a good nibble. Then my heart sank when I saw the first major dish.
Well, it’s a “fish pudding” under this mess. It really was not good. The fishcake was really boring, clashing with this heavy sauce. The vegetables (supposedly castelfranco) added nothing, if another clashing element. Really a dish that makes me scratch my head…
It didn’t improve either with the celery dish next, as the texture was the big clash now with the seeds and roasted celery. Again, did nothing for me. What has happened to this place?
I shook my head internally when the main dish came out, pork neck. Now I love pork neck, don’t get me wrong, but when I am in the west coast of Norway, where the world’s best seafood is, why am I eating pork? Now this was done extremely well, and it was delicious, but it’s like eating a chorizo in Hokkaido or raw oysters in Delhi. It didn’t make sense.
If it wasn’t for the really nice server this night would have been totally crappy. Then a rather lame dessert, and I am done.
I chatted with my server for awhile, as she has a very interesting background. I thanked her and headed out, shaking my head. She did admit they had a concept change, which is sad for me as it turned a fabulous place into this mess. And yes, it’s empty on a Friday night.
I was excited to start my very crazy, almost dizzying trip around the Nordics. I planned this trip when the nearly-bankrupt SAS offered an almost too-cheap-to-believe roundtrip to Europe, albeit with some twists. It was cheaper for some reason to have extra connections from/to Copenhagen before the transatlantic flight…so of course I took advantage of it.
I arrived at CPH after a relatively good red-eye flight. I had paid for a better seat, and the aisle bulkhead seat was the best one on the plane by far. Consider it was cheaper than a checked bag, that was money well spent.
Alas I was a little early for their 12 midday opening, so I went to buy a discounted thin coat from shops trying to unload them as spring is here. I see in my itinerary some weather that may be worse than I had anticipated (I didn’t bring a jacket with me), so I bought one that was conveniently 50% off.
I headed up to Mash and relaxed with a much-appreciated cocktail overlooking the bustling terminal around the B gates entryway. I usually don’t like to drink or eat before a flight, but the next one is a quick one. Then not long after the good stuff arrived.
Yep, what I always get here, the excellent Danish ribeye. Lovely flavours, good temperature. Considering the plague of overcooked beef I’ve had in the US recently from “top” steakhouses, this was very welcomed!
A side of mushrooms, which is a change from my usual jalapeños, but it worked very well. A lovely lunch to have when you have a little time, and you almost forget you’re in an airport. Probably one of few places in an airport anywhere in the world I would be happy to eat at.
My flight is not far, so I decided to enjoy a last tipple and even a dessert…
Far bigger from what I usually have (especially as a non-dessert person), but this is the start of what should be a very fun trip, so i went with this nice combo. I was very happy and fuelled up for the second flight, and I thanked my excellent servers and walked down the stairs towards my gate for Bergen. What a great start!
Or was it? To be continued…
Mash Københavns Lufthavn Terminal 2 Kastrup, Danmark
Although I did have a bit of a hangover after that delicious and fun night at Parlor Dim Sum, I had a busy Sunday in and around Pittsburgh. Sunny and warm, a perfect day. I rolled into my hotel mid-afternoon and dealt with some trip logistics for tomorrow early in the morning. I need to stop doing these Monday early AM flights…
But I was looking forward to a good dinner tonight at the very highly-rated DiAnoia’s Eatery. I first had to return my car to the airport, which was all good, but the crazy prices on rideshare into town. $80 on Lyft, really? I luckily found something a bit less on Uber, but this is ridiculous.
We rolled into the city and I walked into DiAnoia’s on a busy Sunday night. It was still hopping, and they squeezed me into a bar seat. I’m hoping it will go as well as last night! A cocktail in hand and I looked over the menu and ordered. I relaxed and some bread came out.
Not bad to fill my stomach with this cocktail. Soon after my starter came, carciofi.
These artichokes were excellent, wonderful texture and flavour, yum! I’m quite excited for this dinner now…but where is it? I shifted to a nice wine and kept waiting. And waiting… At about the half hour point I was starting to get annoyed, then I noticed they tried to deliver some food to the wrong people…
That’s my food. But wait, why two plates?
They brought my primo and secondo out at the same time. You gotta be kidding me. So they took the secondo back. And when I looked at the primo, my pasta dish, my heart sank. I thought this place was supposed to be good with Italian food?
They clearly messed up somewhere because this cacio e pepe is more like a soup. What a mess. They took a half hour to make something that most Italian restaurants would be horrified to bring out?
Look at this, it’s like I’m eating soup noodles or ramen or something.
This is how much liquid was left over afterwards. They should have called this cacio e pepe con acqua.
And when they brought my secondo out, the server just spilled the jus all over the place with no care in the world. Seriously, really?
As you can see the plate is flooded with the jus, a total soggy mess. This is their take on porchetta. Fine, but frankly this probably sat under the heat lamp because they screwed up the pasta and order, so it was really meh. I ended up pairing this with a grappa because I lost my appetite and want to forget about this evening.
Now the staff have made themselves scarce. After last night’s wonderful service by the city’s friendliest FoH crew, now I get a set of people who don’t care, and have really turned what could have been a salvageable night into one that I will remember for all the wrong reasons.
They took the pasta off the bill, as they should, because it was a joke. But with the bad food that took forever to come out, throw in the dismissive attitude of some of the staff, it sucked. I can’t believe people rave about this place. Maybe it was a bad night, but frankly I’m too tired to deal with bad nights anymore.
My short weekend trip to Pittsburgh began a little pear-shaped as my American flight was delayed. The amount of delays these days are getting so annoying. Ruined my plans for Friday evening. In any case, I had a very busy Saturday and was hungry for a nice dinner.
Tonight I was trying out Parlor Dim Sum, which looked like a fresh take on Cantonese food. I got there and squeezed into the busy bar on this Saturday night. I relaxed as I quickly ordered a cocktail, which was pretty good. I decided to order a few dimsum and see where the night goes. And it didn’t take long before it started to come out.
The spring rolls were very hot as you can imagine, but quite good, better than the usual stuff you get. The spicy sauce was relatively mild, and almost good enough to sip on…
The shumai were less good, it seems like it may have sat for a few minutes. It was a little more liquidy, like the steam condensed in the food a little. Too bad.
The lo mai gai sticky rice was quite nice, even if they didn’t go traditional with the huck of pork belly inside.
I was pretty happy with this so I went with a larger dish. I relaxed with some wine when it came out.
This claypot rice dish was excellent, full of Chinese sausage and some excellent cured pork belly that was extremely nice. It was a large dish, but I enjoyed every morsel of it. I wish there was some burnt rice there, but when I asked my really awesome bartender about it she said people would complain if there was (?!?!). Too bad!
I was full and happy, but the fun night had really just begun. I had planned to do a bit of a bar crawl down Butler Street but it turned out I didn’t need to leave my stool here. Lots of good drinks, a few shots with the crew, some very friendly fellow patrons to chat with, and next thing you know it was nearly midnight!
I had to run, but it was a night of very good fun that I’ve not had in a long time, maybe the best bar night I’ve enjoyed since the pandemic. So despite the hangover I’m expecting tomorrow, it will be worth it!
Definitely a nice place to eat, and you get to meet the friendliest crew in Pittsburgh if not the entire region!
Parlor Dim Sum 4401 Butler Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
melhuang1972 