Farm to Table Dim Sum

RedFarm

In the trend-saturated city of New York, crammed from corner to corner with fusion restaurants, RedFarm pulled off a coup – and managed to surprise! Take one of their signature dishes, the ‘Pastrami Egg Roll’. The egg roll itself is nothing new, an American Chinese stalwart normally filled with ground pork and veggies – but owner Ed Schoenfeld’s version, stuffed with Katz’s Deli pastrami and deep-fried, was an umami revelation that put the ‘ooh’ in cooing foodies. And so the New Yorkers just kept coming, and in just over a year since its August 2011 opening, RedFarm has outgrown its 40-seat barnyard boots – slated to open this fall is not only a downstairs expansion of the restaurant space, but also a standalone second location on the Upper West Side.

And though the exposed wooden beams, red and white checkered booths, and communal long tables complete the rustic farmhouse setting, the Chinese farm-to-table menu here is anything but traditional. Dim sum master chef Joe Ng has dreamed up whimsical creations like the fan favourite ‘Pac Man Shrimp Dumplings’, and the ode to Hong Kong, ‘Kowloon Filet Mignon Tarts’. But even with novelty factor aside, his other dishes star – the plainly-named Spicy Crispy Beef is anything but ordinary. Sadly, the one thing RedFarm does have in common with NYC’s many trendy eateries is their no reservation policy, so come early or prepare to queue.