Silver Fountain

This place is most known as a place for dim sum for weekend lunches, but my family and I came here during the week for dinner.  The good thing about this is that it’s not as loud, allowing for a more peaceful and quiet meal.  The dinner menu is pretty standard Cantonese food, with individual entrees and set banquet meals of different sizes depending on how many people are in your party or in our case, how hungry we were.

We came here on a special occasion.  And so, to celebrate, we needed a special meal.  With a family of 5, it would be obvious to get a set course for 6 or 4 with a few additions.  But then, we noticed that the dishes served for 8 and 10 people were of much higher value than those of 6 or less.  So we got the 8-person set.  And better yet, the waiters didn’t make any snide remarks about our choice and were actually pleased we made the “right” choice.

Dry Scallop Soup

The soup is served on a large bowl, which the waiter spoons into these smaller bowls.  The soup contains fresh and dried scallops, enoki mushrooms, ginger, and bamboo shoots.  The ginger gives it a refreshing and tingling sensation that cleanses the palate and makes you ready to continue with the meal. 

Cold Cut Platter

This includes terrines of pig’s foot and beef topped with jellyfish and pickled vegetables.  Everything here is made in house.  It looks French, but it’s very Chinese.  Very few people realize that Chinese cuisine involves meat arts similar to French charcuterie and Italian salumi. 

Steamed Chicken

This is essentially a fresh, not frozen, chicken steamed and served with a ginger sauce on the side.  It’s simple, basic, and delicious.  Personally, I like to eat the dark meat as is and put some ginger on the white meat. 

Seafood and Vegetable Stir Fry

Shrimp, scallop, and squid are wok fried with Chinese broccoli, snap peas, carrots, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms.  This is the most colorful dish of the set.

Mushrooms and Bok Choy

This is shiitake and oyster mushrooms on top of bok choy.  Even though the menu says there is abalone, the oyster mushrooms are substituted since it has a “similar” texture and taste.  If there were real abalone, the whole dinner would be double the current price.  These are some of the best tasting mushrooms out there.  The stems of the oyster mushrooms are thinly sliced before cooking.  The majority of shiitakes available are dried, which means they need to be rehydrated for at least a day before cooking.  This prevents them from spoiling and preserves its nutrients. 

Twin Lobsters

Here we have two whole lobsters fried whole, cut up, and stir fried with lots of onions and ground pork.  The onions make this dish very aromatic and go very well with rice.  This style of cooking originated from the fishing villages of what is now the Aberdeen area of Hong Kong.  Back in the day, the ingredients would be cooked on a large flat, round pan.  The lobster is cut up making it easier to extract the meat off the shell.  Don’t forget to eat the tamale, or head fat.  I know I wouldn’t.

Whole Flounder

This has to be one of the coolest fish presentations I have ever seen.  The meat of the flounder is stir fried with vegetables and served on the fried carcass.  The carcass itself is edible, including the head.  That’s why a knife is usually provided with this dish.  There is still some meat stuck on the bones, which you can suck along with the fried batter. With the head, you can just bite through it.  This is a perfect opportunity to experience an umami taste.  

Cantonese Chicken Chow Mein

This dish contains egg noodles, which are boiled, then fried, and covered with a sauce of chicken, bean sprouts, and other vegetables.  The sauce makes a top layer of soft noodles while the bottom layer remains crispy.  Since we were celebrating a birthday, it is customary for everyone to eat the noodles, as they symbolize longevity.

Filet Steak

The final entrée of the set is beef and onions simmered in a sweet and savory sauce.  I’m not exactly sure of the cut used, but my guess would be the top round or even skirt considering its slight chewiness. 

There was also dessert included.  It was sliced oranges and tapioca soup with taro.  For $168, I say this is a great deal.  There is every food group available in this meal.  There is also a variety of cooking techniques used for each dish.  Even though there are many restaurants in the area that serve similar food, I think that this place is among the best if not the best.  What makes a meal here special is that the chef himself is superb. 

Silver Fountain
13533 Connecticut Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20906