Imperial Mandarin

I can’t stay away from this place.  So many tasty items on the menu.  Steamed cha siu bao is what I long for the most.  Chunks of bbq pork with sweet notes and 5 spice powder flavor surrounded by a slightly sweet pastry combine into something incredibly delicious.  You can only get them for lunch.  On weekends they bring them along on shiny dim sum carts.

Also the baked cha siu bao are only available on weekends.

Baked cha siu bao differ from the steamed version in that surrounding pastry is more like a sweet bread with a sweet glaze on top.

Har gow has a neutral flavored rice based wrapper and filled with a delicious shrimp mixture.

Siu mai has a thin won ton wrapper filled with a shrimp and pork mixture.  Flavor was mostly pork with a hint of shrimp. I loved flavor of the won ton wrapper.

Bbq pork pan fried noodles feature crispy egg noodles with a savory brown sauce, bok toy, and char siu.  Char siu is tender with a sweet and savory Chinese bbq flavor.

Sticky rice had rich flavors imparted from the bamboo leaves and marinated pork.  Tender pork and sticky rice had a pot roast like texture.

Sweet rice cakes were a bit like a thick jello with a sweet rice flavor and a sour undertone.  Jasmine has the best I’ve found in San Diego.  Jasmine’s have a fluffier texture and a sweeter flavor without the sour undertone.