It's been almost two decades since I started going to Dim Sum Go Go. My friend Derek introduced me to this modern Chinatown eatery, and we've been going ever since — for Sunday dinners, for Lunar New Year celebrations, and of course for dim sum.
When I was pregnant, Dim Sum Go Go's hospitable owner, Veronica Leung, was so incredible to make me a delicious ginger fried rice, and recommended all the foods I needed to eat after giving birth. The dedicated team have all seen both my kids grow up from babies to young adults, and needless to say, this establishment has a place in my heart. So it was only natural for me to call Veronica during this month's lockdown.
Photo courtesy of @dimsumgogo
1) Please tell us a bit about the history of Dim Sum Go Go
I grew up in a restaurant family in Shanghai, and when we moved to America and my dad was a chef at House of Chan restaurant in the 1950s. It was growing up with my mom's homecooking that inspired me to open Dim Sum Go Go at 5 East Broadway in 2000, two years after she passed away. With the inspiration of my mom's cooking, Dim Sum was definitely going to be in the name of the restaurant, and Go Go was an addition to the name to make it sound fun, and to tie in with an initial idea of doing wholesale dim sum.
2) You have such a dedicated staff, and I love seeing them every time. How do you have such a low turnover?
Some staff have been with me for 20 years, mainly chefs, and 1-2 waiters have been with me for 15 years. The oldest ,"Fish," has been a part of the Dim Sum Go Go family for 18 years. It's because, ever since the first day people come to work, I tell them "This restaurant is a big home and we are a big family." Even for regular customers, I invite them to "come home" to try new dishes every year.
3) Are you cooking a lot at home? Do you cook "by the book" or are you a more creative cook?
I like playing around with dishes. The other day I made lang fan (overnight rice) rice patties with lap cheung and gai lan. It turned out delicious!
4) What are the top three staples/ingredients in your pantry?
I like to cook with our Dim Sum Go Go XO sauce. It makes all meat and vegetables taste food. Because ingredients aren't readily available, I've been cooking a lot with sauces. The other day I used hoisin sauce to cook with potatoes , ground beef and celery, and it was delicious! My other favorites are Worcester sauce and ketchup.
5) What is your favorite dish?
I can't tell you what my favorite dish is because it's always changing! My mother always cooked this way, there were no recipes, just going to the market and preparing a meal, my brothers and I never knew what we were going to get [laughs].
Photo courtesy of @dimsumgogo
6) I know that Dim Sum Go Go takes pride in making dumplings by hand. Which is your favorite? All are my favorite, because all are created with a part of my heart. Really! I go into the kitchen to "direct" what a dish should taste like from what I remember of my mothers cooking. 7) Do you prefer your dumplings boiled, fried, or steamed? Steamed is more healthy. I don't eat very much deep-fried foods except maybe the occasional spring roll 8) What does the future of Dim Sum Go Go look like to you? I don't know but I am hopeful. It depends on how many months the stay home orders will be in place. Mentally and physically I am fine, I'm still the same Veronica. I've had twenty years of doing the best I know how, and I do it from my heart, feeding all from my heart. I've never had complaints from anyone and from the bottom of my heart, I appreciate all of you. No money can buy, or words to describe how much to thank you. I miss you people SO, SO, SO much and consider you (customers) to be a part of me, I'm so lucky and happy to have so many guai 乖 (good) "children". I am using positivity to fight this time and picturing reopening the restaurant in my mind.
Dim Sum Go Go is located at 5 East Broadway, NYC Photo courtesy of @dimsumgogo