DIM SUM AT LEGENDARY PALACE

We're still trying to find a good dim sum place. I know it exists, we just probably need to go into SF to find it. But we made another try at finding dim sum in downtown Oakland with a trip to Legendary Palace. I knew of Legendary Palace because it's this giant gaudy restaurant that sits on a prominent corner in downtown Oakland. Plus, Huong and Kjell had considered having their wedding banquet there, so we thought it was worth a try.

When we entered (it was pretty early in the morning), the first floor seemed pretty full, so we were shown to the second floor, which was much emptier. This wasn't the prettiest restaurant in the world- the carpet was worn and generally not very welcoming or clean feeling, but that's often how dim sum restaurants can be, so we went with it. Here's a view of the upstairs banquet room where we were seated.

We ordered a few of our usuals- shrimp in rice noodles, steamed chicken buns and steamed pork buns. All of it was ok, but nothing spectacular. Plus this place was certainly not a friendly place for those who don't speak Chinese (or really Cantonese for that matter).

We wanted to order some har gaw or siu mai, but after giving a few carts a try, we finally gave up on it and felt it was time to head out. I can't say I was full, but I'd had enough at Legendary Palace. Overall, we don't plan on going back and are still looking for a great local dim sum place. I subsequently told Huong about our visit there, and she agreed that it wasn't the best place for dim sum. And so the search continues....