Awesome Dim Sum

 

Sometimes you want dim sum and nothing else will do. The usual dim sum establishments are packed during lunch time hours and it would be very difficult to get take-out shaomai, pot stickers or pork dumplings.  Best kept secret in Mountain View: the fresh hot dim sum from Ranch 99!

I go there to get lunch with a couple girls from the Chamber all the time.  As you enter the store go towards the right where you see a sign that says “Bakery.”  Yes, there’s bakery, but there’s also a big “Self Serve Combo Meal” counter where you can pile as much food as you want into those styrofoam containers.

Then there is a “Hong Kong Style Deli” where you pick out a roasted duck or steamed chicken feet. The butcher will chop up and wrap your selection for you. Beside the deli is the “Rice and Noodle” counter, which includes congee, and all different types of cooked noodle soups. The won ton soup is a big favorite.

And at the end of the entire prepared foods area is the dim sum, my favorite. Unlike ordering dim sum in a restaurant, you can purchase one item at a time, instead of 2 or 3 of each. They serve fresh hot dim sum all day long, unlike a Chinese restaurant. Normally you can only buy dim sum right in the middle of the day. And it is all fresh and it just keeps coming. You pick out what you want and leave the lid on your foam container open when you get to the end of the counter. They’ll count how many items you have and ring you up right there. No waiting in the line up at the front of the store. And the prices are surprisingly reasonable for the size of the items. When I compare how crowded most lunch places are in this area to the lunch crowd at Ranch 99, I assume that most people don’t know that they can get this amazing dim sum so easily. Take it to Cuesta park (which is just down the street) or head back to the office. You really must check out this place the next time you feel the need for dim sum. There you have it, my favorite dim sum secret.

Reader's Comments

1. 

   Thanks for your “two cents” John.
   I guess I won’t be inviting you out to dim sum anytime soon…
2. Heidi on 12 Dec 2009 4:12 pm
3. 

   Actually I’ll have to disagree with that post. The Ranch 99 dim sum place is not that great. Most of the items are actually from the store’s shelves. The reason they serve them discounted and in a dim sum format is because the items are expiring on that day. But hey, when you go grocery shopping at Ranch 99 and they give you those dim sum dollars at the cash register, it becomes hard to resist a greasy $1 meal… Just my two cents.
4. John on 12 Dec 2009 2:05 pm
5. 

   ok – i’m convinced…i’ve never been a big fan of dim sum before but this sounds sooooo yummy that i’ll go try it next week for sure
6. Dianna on 12 Dec 2009 12:32 am
7. 

   I love ilovemv.org !
8. UncleBen on 04 Dec 2009 3:32 am