We entered Golden Port through an unassuming storefront on East Avenue, the cool, dim interior was a welcome refuge on this sweltering Thursday evening. A scattering of other patrons were seated throughout the restaurant with pools of light around each table. The décor was clean and simple.
Golden Port offers a wide range of Chinese and Japanese dishes – specializing in dim sum and sushi. This kind of menu represents my favorite way to eat. The huge variety and small serving sizes allow you to choose whatever eccentric assortment of dishes tickles your fancy. I love sampling many tastes and textures at one sitting.
We started off with fresh spring rolls accompanied by hoisin sauce, and they were exceptionally fresh! The wrapping was delicate and tender. Seaweed salad came next, and was perhaps the least noteworthy part of the meal…very good, but a little light on the sesame oil and nothing out of the ordinary. A quartet of steaming shrimp shu-mai was luscious; delicate dumplings with a savory filling.
Service at Golden Port is usually attentive, and this night was no exception. The wait staff gets the food out to you as fast as possible which results in amazing freshness. This is so important when it comes to Ika Fry, or fried squid. On the best nights, Golden Port’s version of this dish is served almost too hot to eat, and melts in your mouth when you finally succumb to the aroma. Each morsel is tender and crisp, not at all waxy or heavy like you’ll find elsewhere.
From the sushi menu, we choose a few pieces of tuna sashimi, regular and yellow tail, and a specialty roll, “Sunny Maki”. The slices of tuna were generous and fresh enough to make you believe that the ocean was right nearby. The “Sunny Maki”, a combination of shrimp tempura and avocado wrapped with salmon looked impressive but the spicy sauce was a bit overpowering.
Overall, Golden Port is a fantastic deal; it offers an unpretentious but classy dining experience and the best dim sum in town. Highly recommended!