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2015-04-21
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This is not my first time coming to a Maxim's, as I went to the one in Tsuen Wan when I lived there. I can't say I prefer the cart method to the paper order method. It's charming, I guess, but the main worries are a lack in variety and the food getting cold, both of which were on display here.We arrived at about 1:30pm on a Sunday and had to wait approximately 45 minutes, which is not obscene but also not really worth it. Once seated, we noticed the first cart passing by had something called dee
We arrived at about 1:30pm on a Sunday and had to wait approximately 45 minutes, which is not obscene but also not really worth it.
Once seated, we noticed the first cart passing by had something called deep fried spicy squid, which seemed quite exciting, so we ordered it. It was pretty bad. Lukewarm, of course. Not spicy in the least. Sweet coating, maybe? The outside wasn't crispy and the inside, while not tough to chew, was no one's idea of tender. Poor showing, D
Next we got a pretty basic classic: shrimp dumplings. These actually were hot. It's tough to make this terrible, but nothing really stood out, either in terms of the shrimp or the wrapper. OK, C+
This dish was called something like "deep fried sticky dumpling". I've had it many times before at dim sum-- it's got a crisp exterior, right on top of a chewy glutinous rice shell, with marinated minced meat inside. While these were lukewarm, that really is the only demerit for them, because this version was excellently crisp on the exterior, and the filling was nicely balanced in flavor (sometimes it can get a little over-sweet for me). Great, B+
The spring rolls were on the bad side of mediocre. Unsurprisingly, lukewarm. But their biggest failing, in my opinion, was that there was hardly anything in them. It was mostly just crispy shell. As we all know, fillings maketh spring rolls. Mediocre, C-
Finally, we got pea shoot and fungus dumplings. (3 but only 2 pictured.) This was my favorite dish of the meal. They had next to no structural integrity, and I had to eat mine with a spoon. But they were piping hot and the filling was excellent in flavor and refreshingly vegetable-y, given the preponderance of fried food in our meal at this point. As an instance of this dish, they were truly excellent: A.The total bill was around $240.
Here's my view: if you're a tourist, sure, you might want to make a stop here. (But really, lots of dim sum places in America and elsewhere do the cart thing, and it's not all that exciting anyway.) If you live here, then go to a place with better food, food selection, food temperature, food price, and shorter lines. I do think some of the food at Maxim's is good. It's just not worth it.
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