5 East Broadway
New York, NY 10038
(212) 732-0732

My walk along East Broadway has to have been one of the smelliest I can recall having ever had. As though in competition for heinousness, each block reeked more than the one preceding it. Come on guys, have a little neighborhood pride. Walking into Dim Sum Go Go was an oasis from the stench of garbage, rotting fish, and God only knows what. In all likelihood, I'd have melted had I stayed outside. I breathed in the recycled, air-conditioned air, and headed over to Mr. Dogz, who was holding a table for a dim sum dinner.

Ah, dim sum. In my mind, it conjures up images of variety, like steamed little balls of surprises. On minute you can be eating pork, the next cabbage, and the next, something you never heard of that you could have sworn wasn't even legally available. Sure, in theory you picked these dishes out. But they all look the same and unless the waiter's hovering over the table as you grill him, or you're a pro, you won't have a clue. And if you're like most people, then you probably don't even care (I have to write about this stuff, so we grilled the waiter).



The tables come with tea and some condiments for adjusting the flavor of your dumpling to best suit your individual taste (ginger, citrus, and something fishy... I am definitely not a pro at this). Almost everything benefited from a little tweaking, but none more so than the Pumpkin Cakes. These square slabs of jelly-like mush were okay on their own, but downright fantastic with some of the ginger. The Duck Dumplings were similarly delicious. I'd label them as the best if for no reason other than that there was no reason to play with them. Likewise, the Green Dumplings, which both myself and Dogz thought were very good. We were less impressed with the Jade Dumplings and the Abbot's Delight, in that order. The Jade Dumpling weren't bad, per se, but they were easily forgettable. Abbot's Delight wasn't very good and isn't worth recommending.



As you might be able to tell from the photos, these are not large dumplings. The dumplings we ordered at Vegetarian Dim Sum House were easily two or three times the size and cost less. Unsatisfied by the first batch of dumplings, we had to order more food. Round two started with some Vegetarian Spring Rolls. Deep fried vegetables wrapped in dough is normally a great idea, but after the searing hot oil tore my mouth to ribbons and I started being able to taste the flavors within, I learned that my local takeout place made better ones. The Chicken Dumplings that followed soon thereafter were way better, especially with some of that citrus sauce. Our final two vegetarian options, the Bamboo Heart Dumplings and the Three Star Dumplings were mediocre. The Bamboo Heart Dumplings were specifically disappointing. While the Three Star Dumplings had a been-there-done-that feel to them, the Bamboo Heart Dumplings were like eating tasteless goop steamed inside of a large noodle.

The service at Dim Sum Go Go was spotty. Our waiter had the habit of vanishing into the misty air and the kitchen forgot about some of our dishes. Meanwhile, the water pitcher guy would alternate between filling my glass after each sip that I took, or not at all. In the end, I was lucky there was tea. The atmosphere was almost like that of a chain. It was cold and impersonal, but not in a crisp and trendy way. While almost everything tasted pretty good and some things tasted great, I don't foresee myself returning when there are so many other dim sum options either in Chinatown or Flushing that I could check out instead.



Mr. Dogz and I left and were still hungry. "We didn't spend all that much," he said. "But we spent just enough to feel that it was too expensive for what we got." I think that pretty much sums it up.

Eight dim sum plates, with three pieces per plate, plus tax and tip, came out to $23 each. That translates into almost $2 per (small) piece.