Head to Edmonds for the classic dim sum cart experience and some tasty BBQ

It’s official. I can’t get dim sum off my mind. I blame my colleagues. First there was Bethany Jean Clement’s interview with Canlis chef Aisha Ibrahim praising the dumplings at Joyale. Then I found perfect rice rolls at Kirkland’s breakfast dim sum spot Early Bird Cafe. To top it all off, Tan Vinh proclaimed Renton’s Triumph Valley the best dim sum anywhere outside of Richmond, B.C.

But, I’m a firm believer that there are never enough dumplings in life. In the spirit of that, I’ve got one more dim sum spot to tempt you — T&T Seafood in Edmonds, where clattering metal carts filled with steamers trundle around the expansive dining room and murky fish tanks with huge lobsters fill the back wall.

Located in the strip mall that surrounds 99 Ranch Market, the friend I met before lunch one recent Monday afternoon said she had always wanted to go to T&T but on the weekends it was impossible to get a table. While it was bustling on a Monday, we were seated immediately so it seems like weekdays are the way to go if you can swing it.  

Roughly 30 seconds after being seated, a pot of hot tea was brought to our table (there’s a QR code for off-menu ordering taped to each table). Before the tea was fully steeped, a cart pulled up, proffering rice rolls, egg tarts and all fried items. There’s also a second cart with steamed buns, dumplings and all the offal — chicken feet, honeycomb and flat tripe and tendon.

The carts were constantly swirling, and while there were a few things always on offer (pork shu mai, steamed prawns), there were others that sadly only made an appearance after I was full (the nestlike deep fried shrimp balls).

The offerings are the greatest hits of dim sum, with many of them done well. Of the things we were able to grab off the cart, the jumbo steamed prawns, crunchy fried shrimp and chives dumplings, pork shu mai and fried shrimp paste tofu were the standouts. I also enjoyed the baked barbecue pork buns, brushed with a whisper of sticky sugar glaze — but the ratio of pork to bun was a little off in that there just wasn’t enough pork.

However, the absolute best thing we tried was the half barbecue duck ($18.80), ordered off the regular menu. The burnished skin lightly crackles under the thin, tangy sauce, giving way to that luscious layer of duck fat and incredibly juicy meat. There’s a little bowl of viscous ginger-heavy dipping sauce that adds a layer of flavor but isn’t at all necessary. The half-size portion includes a sizable amount of neck meat, which is a fully hands-on experience for anyone up for it, but there’s also plenty of boneless slabs for the taking.

I’m definitely going back for that duck — but also to get my hands on all the lip-smacking shrimp-containing dim sum — and to further explore the extensive menu that includes a multitude of noodle and rice dishes and soups.

T&T Seafood 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday, dim sum served 10 a.m.-3 p.m. daily; 22511 Highway 99 #103, Edmonds; 425-776-3832; tandtseafoodrestaurant.comcastbiz.net

Elsewhere in the intersection of Edmonds and barbecued meats, there is a slip of a space in the Perrinville neighborhood called Fat Pig BBQ. There’s a small barrel smoker set right outside the door and once you enter, the space has a window for ordering and a few tables for dining in.

I ordered a rack of ribs ($24.95), a quarter chicken ($6.75) and a small pulled pork meal ($12.50), which included a dinner roll, baked beans and coleslaw.

Each of the meats came slathered to various degrees in a rich, sweet/spicy barbecue sauce. It’s drizzled over the tender pulled pork, shellacked onto the chargrilled chicken thigh and leg and — perhaps most important — mopped all over the rack of ribs that is so tender the meat falls off the bone with ease.

I have thought about these ribs at least three times since eating them — and that includes over Thanksgiving weekend when I basically spent four days feasting! They were incredibly tender, and the barbecue sauce softened up the little blackened bits that were clinging to the edges. They were saucy for sure, but in a way that the chicken was also lovely — and both were still wonderful the next day.

The menu includes options to get any meat as part of a meal — like the pulled pork I ordered — or alone. The beans that came with the meal had that sweet/spicy/vinegary thing going on. The coleslaw was forgettable, but I think the ideal way to eat it is in a squishy bun along with the pork and an extra hit of that barbecue sauce (there is a sandwich on the menu).

Fat Pig BBQ 11 a.m.-7:30 Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 7533 Olympic View Drive, Edmonds; 425-361-7640; eatfatpigbbq.com