Food Network

I'm featured on the show Diner, Drive In's and Dives! Ok, mebbe not featured but making comments on the show for Hank's Haute Dogs. The show featured different eating spots in Hawaii. The original aired on April 5, 2010.

Check the segment out on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0wAyiZ3-jk

Notice my crazy laugh after every comment :)

Legend's Seafood Restaurant

Legend Seafood Restaurant

100 N Beretania St
Honolulu, HI 96817

(808) 532-1868

Stimulation and satisfaction. That's what I expect when I visit an establishment like Legend Seafood Restaurant. I've tried both the Waikiki and Chinatown locations many times. They've even flattered me with gifts of cookbook compilations not knowing someday I would write a review of them. Generally, I go for dim sum which is my favorite type of Chinese meal. Look forward to having all your senses stimulated, even assaulted by the noises, people, tastes, textures and smells of a good dim sum restaurant. It's worth it.

I look for an authentic dim sum experience, both in service and in taste, and the Chinatown Legend's delivers every time. Dim sum has to encompass the noise and bustle of a hundred people milling about angling to get some delicious plate onto their table. Attentive service is the hallmark of a true high class restaurant and, in Legend's case, they hit the mark frequently. Don't forget that Chinese service also has a reputation for a reason. Do not fret, sit back and enjoy yourself until your desires are fulfilled. Dim Sum means "heart's desire" and it is the tapas and the small bites of the Chinese world. Dishes hold mere morsels of 2-3 bites each and you are expected to bring friends and family to revel in life together while you dip your chopsticks into the dish of the moment. It could be a Chiu Chow Funn Gau which is a peasant's dumpling filled with peanuts and pork or it could a Goon Tong Gau which is an emperor's delight of soup cleverly encased in a dumpling filled with Gong Yuew Chue - dried scallops and, sometimes, even shark's fin. Ahhh... the days when Goon Tong Gau actually came in a steamer basket with no bowl to catch drips. Those were made by dim sum masters. Nowadays, Goon Tong Gau is served in a lidded bowl of clear Shantong - supreme broth. Tastes' absolutely delicious but lacks the ooooh and aaaaah when you see the broth filled dumpling being lifted through the air and deposited with care into your waiting bowl. Everyone at the table holds their breath in anticipation of a failed dumpling wrapper and the splash of broth accompanying it.

Snap, snap - get my head out of dim sum heaven.... Legend's can deliver some amazing dishes with flavors that are blended to excite your palate. We enjoyed a roundup of dishes today -

Pei Dan Sou Yuk Jook (preserved egg and lean pork congee), Ha Cheung Funn or Look Funn (shrimp rice roll), Gook Cha Sui Bao (baked bbq pork manapua), Ha Gow (shrimp dumpling), Siu Mai (pork hash), Hoi Seen Jaat (seafood bean curd wrap), Cha Sui Sew (bbq pork pastry), Fuong Jeow (braised chickens feet), Gai See Chow Fan (chicken fried rice), Ho Yow Gai Lan (oyster sauce chinese broccoli), Noh Mai Gai (sticky rice wrap), Jin Dui (deep-fried mochi balls), Dan Taat (egg custard tart). We indulged in a palate-friendly menu as we had several newcomers to dim sum joining us today. They were enthralled, but a couple of friends chose to enjoy the chicken fried rice to its fullest. I have to admit that dish was made to perfection - I only had one bite to join in with the newbies and was impressed with its fine savory notes and smooth texture. Friends commented that you could taste a smokiness in it that brought to mind the huge old wok the rice was cooked in and of the high temperature these dishes are being fired on.

Some dim sum dishes to note were the jook, the chicken's feet and the manapua. The jook, also known as congee, was smooth which indicates a long simmering to break up the rice grains and to release the starch which produces a fine texture. There were flavorful bits of preserved duck egg and pork throughout the bowl. The garnishes of crispy fried crouton strips and slivered green onion brought harmony to the smooth and jelly textures of the jook and egg. The chicken's feet had been braised in a spiced broth with tastes of star anise and garlic. It's difficult to get this dish just right as there are many steps including deep-frying, braising and steaming. There's no way around the idea of eating a bony chicken's foot and so you must make it shine by adding layers of flavor and texture. The feet should separate easily from the bone and melt into your mouth with an explosion of softness and flavor which Legend's dish achieved with praises. The manapua was fresh from the oven, filled with tasty high quality bits of bbq pork, and gently bathed in sweet glucose. This brings salty and sweet flavors into your senses with each warm bite.

I've come to eat at Legends' for family visits, celebrations, sole visits, and cravings for dim sum. It's a great place to treat loved ones and to show off Chinese cuisine at its finest. I've come to love some of their specialties like Chiu Chow Fried Rice Noodle which is a light wok-fried dish of vermicelli rice noodles stir fried with juliennes of pork, bean sprouts, salty sour chinese pickled mustard greens. Legend's makes it with a lightness that is missing in other attempts at the same dish. The banquet feasts I've enjoyed here have turned out supremely delicious. My Uncles's big birthday bash brought out all the aunties, uncles, and cousins and we toasted Uncles' long life and continued health repeatedly. Legend's has brought me moved to tears as it most resembles the restaurants that I spent ferrying my Popo to for Friday dim sum before she passed away. Legend's tastes and sensations evoke the restaurants in Vancouver, BC where many top Hong Kong chefs have immigrated to. The flavors do transport you to Hong Kong dim sum but it sure is nice to have a host or a waitress bring you to a table set for your party as opposed to having to hover over tables waiting for the patrons to finish so you can be the first to jump into their still warm seats.

Come to Legend's if you can and try some great dim sum dishes. Bring an experienced friend if you can - they'll happily steer you towards their favorites. Or give me a ring.