Celebrate Chinese New Year: These dim sum restaurants offer something special in RI

Gail Ciampa, The Providence Journal
·3 min read

Chinese New Year is Feb. 1. It's the Year of the Tiger.

How about six ways to celebrate?

Newport has two restaurants, Stoneacre Garden and Castle Hill Inn, offering special menus.

But for something more traditional, there's dim sum. There are many, many Chinese restaurants in Rhode Island. But precious few offer a dim sum menu of traditional Chinese cuisine in which small plates of a variety of foods, including steamed dumplings, are served.

But there are three contenders.

When I first met John Eng-Wong in 2008, he was researching the globalization of Chinese food as a visiting scholar at Brown University’s Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America. He is retired now but still assisting me on subjects such as where to enjoy some good dim sum.

Sweet sesame balls are among the dim sum choices at Silver Crystal, the West Warwick restaurant.
Sweet sesame balls are among the dim sum choices at Silver Crystal, the West Warwick restaurant.

A critics favorite for dim sum: King’s Garden at 90 Rolfe Square in Cranston

King’s Garden at 90 Rolfe Square in Cranston has been a favorite of Journal restaurant critics for years. Eng-Wong agrees. They have more than 30 items on their dim sum menu. It's available during their regular hours for dine-in or take-out.

Hei La Moon at 88 Beach St.

If a trip to Boston is in your future, his favorite dim sum selection can be found at Hei La Moon at 88 Beach St.

Steamed shrimp dumplings are on the dim sum menu at Silver Crystal in West Warwick.
Steamed shrimp dumplings are on the dim sum menu at Silver Crystal in West Warwick.

Silver Crystal Restaurant, 289 Cowesett Ave.

When reviewed a decade ago, Silver Crystal Restaurant, 289 Cowesett Ave., West Warwick, ranked high for their dim sum. They have more than 30 dishes available daily.

Yummy Café on 736 Park Ave., Cranston started serving dim sum in 2019

Yummy Café on 736 Park Ave., Cranston, is the new kid on the dim sum block, having opened in 2019. It is also a BYOB restaurant. They have about 10 dim sum items on the menu.

In Newport, Stoneacre Garden, 151 Swinburne Row has an Asian-inspired menu

In Newport, Stoneacre Garden, 151 Swinburne Row, has an Asian-inspired menu that includes Bento boxes and dishes such as Sweet Soy General Tso’s Cauliflower. They will be offering a New Year menu that features more traditional Chinese cuisine, in small and large plates.

Stoneacre Garden has an inspired menu for Chinese New Year.
Stoneacre Garden has an inspired menu for Chinese New Year.

They range from Hot and Sour Soup ($10) and Wagyu Crispy Gyoza ($14) to Mapo Eggplant ($22) and Pulled Duck with Plum Sauce (a half-duck for two, $74).

The menu will be available starting Feb. 1-14. Reservations can be made online via Resy or by calling (401) 619-8400.

As Castle Hill Inn offers three-course Chinese New Year menu

As Castle Hill Inn reopens for the season, chef Andy Taur will feature a three-course Chinese New Year menu in The Dining Room. It's inspired by his upbringing cooking traditional Chinese dishes with his parents at their Cantonese restaurant.

The menu features courses of Shrimp and Pork Dumpling, Smoked Rohan Duck and Milk-Tea Chiffon Cake. The cost is $92. A wine pairing is available for an additional $45.

The menu is available from Jan. 28 through Feb. 1. Reservations can be made online via OpenTable or via email at dining@castlehillinn.com.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Best dim sum restaurants in Rhode Island for the Chinese New Year