A couple of weekends ago Jenny's parents took us out to Fu Lam Mum for dinner. Always busy for dim sum, Fu Lam Mum proved it can serve up full fledged dinner dishes as well.
We got started with the sizzling seafood soup. It was luke warm and without much sizzle. The flavor was good, though, and they certainly didn't cheat you on the squid. Things got much better from there. The pumpkin with beef was my favorite of the night, both because it was original and it was delicious. Who would have thought beef and pumpkin go together? The steak was tender and had a barbecue flavor. The pumpkin was in a lightly fried batter, making a delectable morsel that was crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
"Crisp on the outside and soft on the inside" would also describe the tofu medallions we were served along with scallops. Everyone at our table agreed the dish was super salty, but we tolerated it anyway and went for seconds because the texture of the tofu was undeniably out of this world. The minced chicken with celery cups was a dish I'd order again, but largely because of the quantity. The meat was slightly burnt, but I liked the resulting smokey flavor.The crab yi fu noodles were silky soft. Don't get this dish for the crab as there really wasn't much to speak of. Searching for the crab was almost like a treasure hunt. I truly enjoyed the dish, though, for the noodles. My boys liked this one, too.
Almost anywhere you order it, the shrimp with walnuts usually can't miss with me and it didn't this time, either. I was especially impressed by the jumboness of these jumbo shrimp. Holy wow. Also, the walnuts could have been a dessert in themselves.
For our official dessert we were given the choice of mango pudding or red bean soup, either with the compliments of the restaurant. I had the red bean soup and loved it--it's hard to go wrong with something so hot and sweet. Those who went the mango pudding, I'm told, were likewise satisfied with their choice.
I look forward to going back. Downtown Mountain View can by busy, especially on weekend nights. However, there's plenty of room at Fu Lam Mum for dinner. Don't let the sparse crowd fool you either. They'll serve up something you'll like and you'll walk away full.
Fu Lam Mum
153 Castro St
Mountain View, CA 94041
(650) 967-1689
http://www.fulammum.com
