Ocean Jewels, Flushing, Queens

Yes, we went there.  Queens.  Again.  In the same weekend.  It’s been two years since Eats Meats West ventured all the way out to Flushing, and the last time was also expressly for Ocean Jewels.  I think we’ll repeat this trend, given the fact that it takes almost two hours to travel there from Cobble Hill.  You actually pass through the Manhattan Chinatown on your way!  And on this very special weekend for the 7 train, you can’t go all the way to the end (the stop we needed), so we all had to take a shuttle bus.  Apparently, there is tennis and baseball (and basketball…or something) in Flushing.  I guess I should thank the MTA for forcing me to take the shuttle bus, or else I never would have known.  Once off the bus, we grabbed some cash, and I was charged a non-ATM fee by my own bank!  Racist.  A cacophony of monkey and/or tropical bird noises echoed out of an underground garage along the way.  It was either an escaped pet or someone’s lunch.  Who can be sure, really?  No stopping us!  During the customary thirty minute weight for our table, I thought I would check out the mall across the street.  Lots of children were learning piano and painting, and there is a store with fancy techno $1000 toilets.  Ahh yes, food.  This is of course NYC dim sum at its absolute finest, and really I can’t think of anything negative to say.  Sure, we waited for our table.  And sure, a man coughed up his food onto the floor next to us and just left it (which was quickly swept up by someone else).  J ordered a huge rice plate, which ended up being the priciest.  We thought it was just the massive lotus-wrapped rice dish we’re used to.  It turned out to be similar but with an altogether different texture.  Plus, there were no Chinese hot dogs, and it was accompanied by sugar.  Like a pile of table sugar.  The dumplings in their various incarnations were all completely wonderful.  The chrysanthemum tea was as fresh as I could imagine it could possibly be.  The steamed custard balls were amazing.  The egg is just barely not set, which sounds a little gross, but in this sugary puffy form it’s perfect.  And oh my god, the baked custard buns.  Get out of here.  Recommended.