Well HELLO!

Man, last night was a fun one. And really delicious!

We went to Ping Pong Dim Sum, recently awarded “Best New Restaurant” and “Best Cocktail Menu” by Express Night Out.

It was bustling! Big fan of the atmosphere.

The wait for a table was estimated at a half an hour, which was okay by us since it was happy hour at the bar . Their happy hour deal for cocktails is pretty fabulous. $5 – over half off the regular price! Not bad for these beauties:

Lychee and roses – Bombay Sapphire, rose petals, lime and lychee juice

This one I LOVED. I’m a huge martini fan anyway because I like that it is a drink that tastes like a drink, not like juice. It had a really prominent lychee flavor and honestly, is there anything more adorable than a tiny floating rose on top of your drink??

Kumquat mojito – Appleton’s, lime, mint and kumquat

Now this one was a bit disappointing to me. Probably because it came after that martini, but I really couldn’t taste alcohol at all. I thought it was a bit bland and I kept getting mouths full of crushed lime seeds. Blech.

Ginger and limoncello caipirinha - Cachaca 51, Toschi limoncello, fresh ginger and lime with a Chambord float

I really liked this one. The ginger was so intense it was quite spicy! I love the way it looks too. A drink made with attention to presentation is just a much more enjoyable drink, no?

Yes, I drank all of those. Of course, I didn’t want to have to drink all three, but it’s what any responsible blogger would do, right!? I needed to gather enough material for a full review!

We ended up waiting a little over an hour but eventually did manage to get some food to accompany the cocktail extravaganza.

Spinach & mushroom dumpling – Spinach and mushrooms seasoned with ginger and garlic in wheat flour pastry

This was super yummy. Of course we all know I love mushroom anything, so I was excited about this anyway. But I also really loved the crispy-soft texture of the griddled dumpling. It was a nice balance.

Crispy hoi sin duck spring roll – Aromatic duck with cucumber and spring onion wrapped in wheat flour pastry, served with hoi sin sauce

We were excited about the fried rolls (because what doesn’t taste good fried ) but I have to say, they were my least favorite of the night. The duck was actually very good, but it just seemed a bit uninspired compared to everything else.

Chicken and black pepper spring roll** – Honey roasted chicken sprinkled with black pepper wrapped in wheat flour pastry, served with spicy mango sauce

The flavor of this one was very good, but the texture was horrible! The filling was a bit like pureed chicken. Pureed meat of any sort is not something I ever wish to consume.

Scallop and shitake dumpling - Scallops and king prawns with shitake mushrooms in wheat flour

The next two were fantastic. They came out steamy hot and the flavors were awesome. I was raving about this scallop one but what came next was even better!

Seafood dumpling – Snow crab, prawns and scallops in carrot pastry mushrooms in wheat flour pastry

Delish. Soft pillows of fresh, flavorful seafood.

Char sui bun – Honey barbecued pork in a fluffy white bun

This was probably the big winner of the night. They weren’t kidding when they said fluffy! They were almost sweet, which made for an interesting twist.

Overall, it was fantastic. As my friends pointed out last night, the only real criticism this place tends to get is that it is not authentic Dim Sum. And that may be true – but really, who cares?? The food  is delicious. The drinks are fabulous and it’s a fun night out. What more could you ask??

After a wine-o Wednesday and cocktail-infused Thursday, I think this girl needs to take it easy this weekend . I’ll see you then!

- Beth