Despite serving traditional Chinese food, there is a rather diverse clientele here. My estimate would be that the diners are about 60% Asian and 40% non-Asian. It's shocking. I mean, what are all these "infidels" doing here? Don't they want Chipotle, the Italian place across the street, or some hipster vegan place with waiters that smell like hash?
On the weekends, it gets very crowded here. Before opening at 11, there is always a line out the door for up to 20 feet. On holidays, the lines tend to be even longer. Space is very cramped and small compared to other dim sum parlors. Therefore, the restaurant is stuffed with the as many tables as possible to optimize sales. At certain times, the manager might ask some parties to share a table. Usually, 2 or even 3 small parties would sometimes sit together in one of the larger tables in the back.
The dim sum is served on carts which go around the restaurant to every table. Each cart has a different variety of items. One may have dumplings while another has baked pastries. Since there are too many dishes to name, some of which I've never tried, I will just highlight some of the dishes I recommend.
Rice Crepe
Oriental East serves a variety of rice crepes. These are long rice noodles wrapped around a variety of fillings, such as shrimp, beef, and barbecued pork and steamed. Upon serving, they are topped with soy sauce. The best kind here is the shrimp.
Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf
Sticky or glutinous rice is stuffed with chicken, shiitake mushrooms, and Chinese sausage. Then it's wrapped and steamed inside a lotus leaf. The leaf gives a nice tea like aroma and taste to the rice.
Barbecued Pork Pies
Another great item here is are these Chinese style meat pies, which I'm guessing were influenced by the British. Pork and onions with barbecue sauce are baked in a flaky pastry crust. You get a nice mix of sweet and savory. They have a very limited supply of this, so you must come early in order to have this. Whenever I came here late in the afternoon, there was never any left.
Congee
This is a rice porridge with preserved duck eggs and pork, a classic dish that is typically found in street stalls and small eateries in Hong Kong. But Oriental East's version of this dish is perhaps the best I've ever had. They have a lot of dried scallops, or conpoy, which gives the congee a rich umami flavor. The balance of the porridge is just right with the amount of rice to water. At Oriental East, it comes in a small or large bowl.
Phoenix Claws (Chicken Feet)
This may be bizarre for most people, but it is one of the best dishes in the dim sum repertoire if done right. First, the feet are fried to puff up the skin and to seal up the collagen and cartilage. Then, they are braised in a black bean sauce. You eat the skin and cartilage around the bones and then spit out the bones.
Egg Custard
These tarts are probably the main reason why I will always keep coming back here. The sweet custard placed on the flaky pastry crust is out of this world delicious. The custard is usually consistent like jello in most places that make this. Here, the top layer is like a soft crust while the inside is almost molten. It reminds me of creme brûlée.
They also serve dim sum during the week, but there are no carts. Everything is made by request only. And don't even bother trying the dinner here.
Typically, the best dim sum would usually be found in Hong Kong, New York, or San Francisco. The usual places. But, I can tell you that Oriental East is as good as if not better than those other famous spots. My parents were in Hong Kong and they told me that this place is as good as the ones they went to. And they went to some very well known restaurants. So consider yourself lucky if you do come here.
1312 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
