Woke up crazy early today thinking about that new dim sum spot downtown opening its doors. Heard whispers about grand opening deals floating around, figured I absolutely had to be there for lunch, maybe beat the rush. Yeah, right.
Grabbed my keys and wallet, jumped in the car around 11:30 AM. Felt kinda smart avoiding the noon crunch. Pulled up outside the place, saw a line snaking out the door already. Oh boy. Parked way down the street, walked back, joined the end. Sun beating down, stomach starting to grumble.
Ten minutes in the line? Barely moved. Couple more folks piled up behind me. Could hear the clatter of plates and loud chatter from inside. Smelled amazing though, real promising. Finally got shuffled inside another fifteen minutes later. Total chaos. People everywhere. Big noise. Hostess station swarmed.
Stood there feeling a bit lost until someone finally noticed me. Got waved towards a tiny table squeezed right between two bigger, noisy groups. Sat down, thought, “Alright, just gotta get the food now.”
Looked at the menu they slapped down. Saw the “Grand Opening Specials” banner. Went for it:
- Shrimp Dumplings (Ha Gao): 25% off
- BBQ Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao): Buy One, Get One Half Off
- Free Pot of Chrysanthemum Tea with any two dim sum orders
Pressed the call button thing on the table. And pressed it again. And maybe pressed it a third time. Watched servers zoom past like I was invisible. Finally flagged down this lady looking totally stressed. “Order! Please!” She nodded, rushed off, came back way later. Tried telling her what I wanted – she kept saying “Busy! Busy!” Finally just pointed at the menu like crazy to the specials section. She scribbled fast and vanished.
Sat waiting. And waiting. Table next to me got their stuff first, even though they came later! Annoying. Kept watching trolleys go past stacked with steamers. Wondered if my order got tossed out the window. Seriously considered walking out.
After what felt like an eternity, a different server finally showed up, plunked down my tea. Cold. Barely sipped it. Another eternity later, the food arrived. Ha Gao? Good, really fresh tasting, shrimp nice and bouncy. Char Siu Bao? Also decent, fluffy bun, pork inside was sweet. Honestly, the food saved it. Was genuinely tasty once it got there.
Then the fun part: The Bill. Asked for it. Another wait. Got it, checked the charges. Saw she charged full price for both BBQ Pork Buns! Called back the same annoyed server. Pointed at the menu, then the bill. She looked pissed, snatched it, stomped off. Came back five minutes later, slapped down a new bill, mumbled something. Finally reflected the deal. Paid up, no tip. Yeah, I said it, no tip. That bad service earned that.
Got up to leave, squeezed past the crowd at the door still waiting. Felt the pain. Walking back to the car, thought, “Ok, food was great… but man.” Had a lightbulb moment. Still hungry after all that hassle.
Went straight back inside, pushed through to the takeout counter. Ordered a bunch of my favorites AGAIN – more Ha Gao, Siu Mai, sticky rice wraps – to take home for dinner. Used the deals all over again, had my phone out showing a screenshot of the specials just in case they argued. Counter guy was much calmer, processed it right. Got my bag of steaming dim sum peace offering for later. Left finally, thinking the takeout counter is definitely the smarter play during the grand opening madness. Food score high, experience score… well, let’s just say that server lady probably needs a nap.
