New Harmony - Kosher Vegetarian Dim Sum

Have you ever wanted to try dim sum, but you were afraid of what types of meats you may find inside the folded dumpling dough? Or maybe you were just scared of eating in Chinatown? Have no fear, the kosher vegetarians are here. New Harmony's food is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also extremely delicious.

My friend and I headed to Chinatown on a Sunday afternoon with the goal of eating as much dim sum as possible. I was a little bit skeptical when we walked into the restaurant and there were only a few customers seated at the tables. We took a seat in a secluded area. The waiter approached the table and could automatically tell that we were dim sum newbies. He smiled as he handed us the menus and asked us what type of soup we would like. Considering the fact that kosher-style wontons are hard to come by in every-day restaurants, both of us immediately jumped to the wonton soup. The soup had just enough salt and flavor and the wonton was the perfect kind of squishy consistency.

The waiter returned a few minutes later with multiple plates of food. My jaw dropped at the sight of so many plates filled with crispy egg rolls, soft dumplings, and noodle dishes. He said, "I figured since it was your first time and its technically all you can eat, you might want to try everything." My friend and I both just nodded and smiled, still in awe.

I did not know what to eat first, there were so many choices! I tried one of each type of dumpling - a carrot based dough, a spinach based dough, and a regular dough. Each soft, yet slightly sticky, dumpling was filled with freshly diced, juicy, grilled vegetables. We also tasted the "pork" dumplings, that were filled with an eerily meat-like, but scrumptous, meat-substitute. The tender textures were then contrasted with bites of crispy fried egg rolls and scallion pancakes. Then there were the very sticky, slimy, white raddish cakes. Although they were not my favorite due to the mucous-like texture, they had great flavors and may be a favorite of another restaurant-goer. The tofu dish alone made up for my dislike of the raddish cake. New Harmony knows how to cook their tofu, that is for sure. The tofu was lightly fried with what tasted like five-spice, mixed into a very light sauce, and surrounded by largely cut, crunchy, fresh vegetables, including flavorful broccoli, carrots, and zucchini. If you have never had dim sum before or would like to go on a veggie adventure to Chinatown, I would definitely give this place a try. Needless to say, you will definitely leave very full and satisfied.