GOLDEN POND
Verdict : 7/10 (Nice dum sum for affodable price)
On 1 March 2008, D and I visited Golden Pond for the 7th time for dim sum lunch. Recently I am rather fed up with dim sums, but, as D is starting Easter fasting (Orthodox one) and insisted he wanted to eat dimsum before that, I nodded to accompany him.
We arrived at around 2 o'clock in Saturday afternoon. The place was very busy and we could find only one four-seater table near the entrance. We used to be able to find table with ease at this time of the day, but now it is getting difficult.
This photo was taken at about 3 o'clock, just before we left.
D always wants to eat the same things, but I managed to order some new dishes.
One of them was Cured meat and radish cake (£2.50). There is another very similar name dish called Radish cake, which is totally different food, so if you want one of these, make sure you are ordering the correct one.
Here is a close shot.
Besides shredded radish, there were also bits of Chinese ham, which made the cakes slightly greasy.
And the taste... OK, but not that special. Probably I don't like radish cakes. As so many friends say that radish cakes are nice, I have made several tries, but I have never found them better than other more delicious dim sums. I assume I don't like radish cakes. So, if you like radish cakes, don't trust my judgement.
This is King pranw cheung fun (£3.30). I always think cheung fun is a very photogenic food. They say that it is very difficult to make this rice flour cake thin and smooth. Cheung fun at Golden Pond is not the best one I have ever eaten, but pretty good. It has my recommendation. They offer cheung fun in as many as 8 different ways, with meat, seafood, and in vegetarian version.
These are Four seasons dumplings (£2.90), which we tried for the first time. In Chinese they were called Four Japanese style dumplings, but I did not see Japanese bits in them.
The one with prawn is the same as Pork & prawn dumpling that we have already tried. The bottom parts are all same, and only the toppings are different, which, however, added nice characteristics to each of them. I liked them.
The last to appear were these Shanghai style dumplings (£2.60). I expected them to be in spring-roll like form, but they were not. Well, it is my misunderstanding. The black liquid in the small dish isn't soy sauce, but vinegar with shredded fresh ginger.
They looked like Japanese gyoza, but tasted quite different.
I tried to analyse what were inside, but, apart from prawns, pork and ginger, I could not tell. The pork wasn't mince, but rather finely chopped. I could not figure out what was this pale green vegetable.
We ordered also D's favourite Glutinous rice wrapped in Lotus leaf (£3.90), and the total bill came to £15.30 (+£2 tip). We were not charged for tea. I keep on wondering why we were charged once in the past.
As I said, I am a bit weary of dim sum, but, objectively, Golden Pond's dim sum is nice and reasonably priced.
If you want to what I ate here in the past, go to the following pages: the 1st visit, 2nd visit, 3rd visit, and 4th visit.
Golden Pond
Unit B201, Arcadian Centre, Hurst St, Birmingham, B5 4TD
Tel: 0121 622 3688
