Dim Sum @ Yu Bao Seafood Restaurant, USJ 19, Subang Jaya

 

Nothing touches the heart like dim sum. That was a pun intended. Then again, what is not to love with mini bite-sized morsels with their own individual flavour and yet so much skill to make? And this time I am not talking about sushi. I do am looking forward to my next sushi meal, but that is a topic for another day. 

Fancy!

During my previous trip back, my folks introduced me to Yu Bao Seafood Restaurant. Although it is located in the unfortunately sleepy USJ 19 Mall, it is anything but that. The establishment was very fancy and the food was very good. And with a few family friends, we decided to have a decadent early lunch for our table of 5. 

Nuts about these

This being a more serious restaurant means that rather than the usual dim sum cart, you would have to place an order directly. This good if you like your food ultra fresh. Not too good if you come in hungry. Luckily I was in that peaceful center of the two realms. And had the patience to wait for something really nice. In the meantime, I had some braised nuts to keep me satiated. They were pretty good though. However, we are here not for the nuts, but for something else entirely.

Sweet beginning. 

The first basket of something else entirely was the egg tarts. I am usually not a fan in starting my meal with sweet treats. But this was an exception. And this exception was rather good. The Outer crust was totally buttery and breaks down easily. The flaky texture was just heavenly. The inner custard was soft, supple and just delicate to the touch. The eggy and creamy aroma of the custard was indeed spot on and a solid recommendation. Since I am a dessert person, after all, we ordered one more serving at the end for a sweet finish. 

Let the good times roll

Soon enough, the rest of the servings come marching in. The first of the savoury bits were the chive and seafood dumplings. Those were rather good, and I have to give the chef his praise. I mean, you could literally see the vegetables through the skin of the dumpling. now that is some serious handiwork. I would probably fail in doing something like this. The flavours were also spot on. The chives had that fibrous texture, in a good way, and with minced meat and prawns adding that savoury element, just makes this very satisfying. 

One of my favourites 

Speaking of seafood, the har gao shrimp dumplings trot in soon after. Long story short, a must-order. And the glossy skin was again expertly wrapped. The shrimp was fresh, sweet, and supple. It was just am What an amazing entry. 

The king. 

Of course, no dim sum lunch would be complete without the obligatory siew mai. The ones here were some of the best I have ever tasted. This is not an exaggeration. Although to be fair, I have not had proper siew mai in a while. Still, this is something you need to have. The shrimp and pork filling was tender, juicy, and well-seasoned. The fish roe on top gave it extra body, texture, and flavour. A one bite dynamite. 

Soft to the touch

Then the original classics slowly creep in. The charsiew buns, which is a staple in any dim sum meal was also another dish that hit the right notes. The outer bread shell was fluffy, soft and slightly sweet. The inner core was savoury and the meat fillings just break apart like ti was nothing. It was absolutely tender. I am actually salivating while writing this, knowing that it may be awhile before I can have another charsiew bun. Needing more density in the meal, we then ordered a serving of short ribs. A contrast of texture indeed, as this was a full-on meal dish. Still, it was pretty good and was a welcome addition. 

Shiny...

Needing a bit of carbs, we got ourselves a lo mai kai, or glutinous rice chicken, if you directly translate this. This was done pretty well too. The rice grains felt like they can fall apart but still keep its shape at the same time. It was sweet, but not too sickly sweet and the chicken was succulent and bursting with juices. The slivers of preserved pork sausage gave that extra fattiness and saltiness which just make everything feels something out of this world. 

Another all time favourite. 

To finish off the meal, we had a few fried treats. Namely one of my favourites, the daikon cake and fried pork dumpling balls. Both were really good and I could eat them forever. The daikon cakes are pretty laborious, and as such, it is something I would order if it is on a Chinese menu. This one did not disappoint. The dumplings were also really good. With a mochi-like crust and a sweet and salty molten minced meat center, what is not to love?

Scene of the crime, as we slowly clear everything out. 

It seems I have been using many superlatives here. But they were indeed good. And the superlatives continue. The food is rather decently priced too ranging from RM 9.80 to RM12.80 per serving. It is not cheap, but really a good bang for your buck. Considering the total meal was RM166.20 for 5 adults, this was a serious steal. Although do note that we used our own tea leaves, which leads to a corkage fee of RM 7.50. And the aforementioned nuts were RM5. But those are small issues when you look a the big picture. In short, a top recommendation. Fancy a go? Then the address is as follows:

Lot 2.171, Floor 2, USJ 19 City Mall, Jalan Persiaran Kewajipan, USJ 19, 47620 Subang Jaya, Selangor,

Sign at the front. You can't miss it!