Though found in better supply around the Bay Area, vegan dim sum is a rare treat for most of the country. Sassy Foods has sprouted inside of Imperial Garden, a 30-year establishment beloved by the Portola neighborhood and beyond, challenging the status quo of conventional Cantonese food.
Ask for the vegan menu, developed by chef Menny Ly and added to the traditional fare in March of 2023, and they’ll take good care of you. Your best bet is to come early, especially if you want to find parking in their limited lot. Show up right at opening time and you can expect to find a handful of aunties and uncles already milling about outside.
I wish I could have ordered every single small plate, but stuck with a dumpling-centric meal to make the most of my limited stomach space. If you only get one thing, although that would be a big mistake, make it the Xiao Long Bao, AKA soup dumplings. Incredibly rare in the plant-based world, they’ve historically been made with gelatinized broth that melts upon cooking, leaving a scalding sip of rich soup bundled up in a chewy wheat wrapper.
What makes this so difficult to replicate, aside from the essential skill required to wrap such a challenging filling, is the fact that agar doesn’t behave the same way as animal-based gelatin. Once set, it won’t remelt under any amount of pressure or heat. I could speculate as to how Chef Ly achieves such a feat, but it’s also nice to bask in the mystery of this culinary achievement. Explosively juicy and wildly meaty, they’re everything I dreamed of.
Watching steam escape from the uncovered basket like a locomotive off-gasing, you may be tempted to let the dumplings cool, but this is a moment where you must accept the risk to reap the rewards. Start by nibbling a hole in the dumpling skin, then carefully slurp the hot soup out. Now you’re safe to take a real bite, fully appreciating the flavors and textures so carefully crafted together. The dance between danger and pleasure is part of the fun.
The Har Gao, glowing with a golden sheen, are an excellent pick as well, but much more subtle in flavor, allowing the veggie shrimp to shine. They’re especially nice when dipped lightly in the rosy pink vinegar sauce on the side, but don’t overdo it. Their beauty lies in their delicacy.
Potstickers are a wonderful in-between choice, lightly crisped on the outside, stuffed with scarily authentic pork-adjacent soy protein. My dining partner in crime was even concerned that they may not be vegan for their incredibly accurate in taste and texture.
The best approach is to clear your morning and afternoon schedule, grab a nice group of friends, order until the table groans under the weight of myriad dishes, and share everything. There’s not a single dud I could see in the dining room.
