Oriental East- Dim Sum!!

Looking for a good dim sum brunch in Silver Spring? I found fabulous dim sum at Oriental East on East-West Hwy and Colesville Rd. They open at 11:00am, but on the weekends, you will find a long line of hungry people waiting at the door by 10:30am. It's totally worth it! If you get there a bit late, they will tell you the wait is 20 minutes, but that's a lie. People come with their friends and family and they are there to enjoy the food in leisure, not to eat and get out. Here's why it takes so long. When you sit down, a sheet of paper with grids with different prices is placed on your table. Servers push a rolling cart full of steamed, fried, and baked deliciousness as the customers pick out what they want and the servers will mark how many of a certain priced dish you've had. Now, there aren't just 3 or 4 of these carts, there are many many many! There are lots of different types of dumplings, steamed and fried, little steamed buns filled with roasted meat, sauteed veggies, porridge, stir-fried meat and seafood, and even dessert. So you sit, watch the carts as they come by, sip hot jasmine tea, and hang out with your table companions. Soon, before you know it, you've been there for 2 hours, and shockingly, the bill will be much less than you'd expect from how full you are with all the different delectable foods. I've been there for brunch many times, and each time, I've made sure to get there by 10:30am to compete for a table. On the weekdays, the line's not there but they do serve dim sum from 11:00am til 3:00pm, and you'd order from the menu, not from a cart. You still get the fabulous food, although you miss out of the fun of cart watching. Two thumbs up for Oriental East!! Tasty Tasty!!

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www.orientaleast.com