DIM SUM AT HEI LA MOON

Is it bad when it's only 9:30 and I already feel like having ice cream? Maybe it's because the sun's shining outside, or it's knowing that I've got a pint of Haagen dazs coffee ice cream sitting in my fridge. I'll try to hold off, at least until 10.

At any rate, I have been back for nearly 2 weeks now, and we've had a few meals out. One of the first was dim sum at Hei La Moon. Normally we go to China Pearl for dim sum, and the only time I've tried going to Hei La Moon, it was so full that we retreated to the Pearl. But I knew that there must be a reason why people would wait in line to eat at Hei La Moon (oh, and they are owned by the same people who own the Pearl), so we headed back over there on a Sunday morning. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Hei La Moon, it's actually on the other side of Chinatown (the one closer to South street station). Here's a shot of the exterior.

You can recognize the place pretty quickly because there are people standing outside waiting for their numbers to be called. When we arrived, there was a small crowd, but it wasn't too bad. As I waited to be given a number, I noticed that all the numbers before us were for small group (2-4 people) and since we had a larger group, I figured we'd be getting a table faster. And I was right. After waiting outside for less than 10 minutes, out number was called and we headed inside.

We were directed to the downstairs dining room, and I immediately noticed that Hei La Moon is a lot newer, cleaner and more organized than the Pearl. The other thing I noticed is that there were a lot more large parties of non-Asians eating at Hei La Moon that at the Pearl. Tom and I were there early, so we ordered first. We got an order of egg rolls and an order of fried shrimp rolls, which were both pretty good. When the group arrived, we ordered more. Like the fried shrimp and the fried calamari. At the Pearl, they would have these out on hot stations, which you'd visit and pick up yourself, but at Hei La Moon, they're pushed around on the carts. Again, these were pretty good, though a little colder than I would've liked. And here's a final shot of some other items.
Overall, I thought the food at Hei La Moon was really good- better than what you'd get at Chau Chow or Empress Garden. And much cleaner and a nicer atmosphere. I'd put it on par quality wise with the Pearl, but the Pearl does have greater selection of food. There really weren't many desserts at the Hei La Moon, and I ended up going to a local bakery for a sesame ball afterwards. It'd be a great place to take out of town guests, or for people who have never been to dim sum before, so I certainly suggest that you try it out if you haven't been before.