Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant

"One of Rosemead's fanciest restaurants, Sea Harbor is a full-on luxury affair. Come any day of the week and be greeted with a wondrous ladies-who-lunch crowd, clutching their Prada bags and whispering about the latest neighborhood gossip. Oh and yes, the food is great too. Usually overshadowed by flashier dishes, the xiao long bao is still a stand-out, served in both a metal steamer and a cute little metal tin. Soup squirts out as soon as you bite into it (a testament to any good soup dumpling), a golden elixir we’d happily drink by the gallon if they sold it." - kat hong

"What To Order: Truffle Siu Mai, Har Gow With Gold Leaf, Salted Egg Yolk Custard Buns When it comes to dim sum in LA, Sea Harbour is like Meryl Streep. It’s been on top so long that some people start to take it for granted. But this two-decade-old grand Cantonese banquet spot in Rosemead not only pioneered many of the SGV’s prevailing dim sum trends—upscale twists on classics, ditching the carts for menu service—it still does as good as anyone. Sea Harbour doesn’t have the largest (or cheapest) menu, but we do appreciate that it’s filled with hits: sticky rice balls with salty egg yolk centers, truffle siu mai, and smooth-yet-flaky egg white custard tarts. And though the dining room does vaguely resemble a hotel conference room, the people-watching here is unparalleled: Come any day of the week and be greeted with a wondrous ladies-who-lunch crowd all clutching Prada bags, whispering about the latest neighborhood gossip. The biggest challenge here is battling the wait for a table on weekends." - garrett snyder, brant cox, fiona chandra, sylvio martins

"The pantheon of great dim sum spots in the San Gabriel Valley is always growing, but a place like Sea Harbour has staying power. In the spacious dining room at this Cantonese spot in Rosemead, you order by ticking off what you want from a menu (no rolling carts here). You’ll find excellent renditions of dim sum staples like har gow and crispy turnip cakes as well as upscale twists that are worth the expense, like truffled siu mai and squid ink salty egg buns. But be warned: despite this place running like a well-oiled machine, waits on the weekends are often measured in hours. That said, nothing beats the scene at Sea Harbour, thanks to a ladies-who-lunch crowd clutching Prada bags and whispering about the latest neighborhood gossip. " - brant cox, nikko duren, garrett snyder, sylvio martins

"There’s no avoiding a wait at Sea Harbour on weekdays and weekends. The dim sum, which is priced higher than competitors, is ordered using a menu. However, servers offer fresh-from-the-oven dim sum sometimes. Fan favorites include the French-style baked barbecue pork, durian pastries, sticky rice balls stuffed with salted egg yolk, salt and pepper calamari, charcoal skin har gow, and truffle siu mai. Also look for creative fusion dishes like the shrimp and roe dumplings, egg tofu in abalone sauce, green spinach pork buns, and deep-fried fish paste with chives." - Kristie Hang

"This highly regarded Cantonese restaurant could easily glide solely on its reputation, and yet, its devoted chefs bring the goods again and again. One of the first of its kind to offer dim sum à la carte, rather than by an actual cart, items arrive piping hot, fresh from the steamer. You really can’t go wrong here, as each is more inventive than the next, flaunting ace flavor and wondrous texture. Bigger plates are all the rage at night—including sweet and sour pork, which finds elevation in this trusty kitchen's hands. Anything with seafood is a sure bet, but don’t miss the preserved salty egg bun with molten yolk. Families can be seen digging into steamed rice noodle rolls studded with bitter melon, or fried durian pastries oozing with the warm fruit." - Michelin Inspector