Posted by ayersian
, October 11, 2009 14:10
Since Amy is now living in Allston, one of Boston’s most culturally diverse hamlets, we are taking every opportunity possible to explore the city’s culinary fare in this ongoing series. Allston is an epicenter of global cuisine, with at least a dozen countries represented within a five-block radius. Around the corner and down the hill from Amy’s abode is Gitlo’s Dim Sum Bakery at 164 Brighton Avenue (between Harvard and Parkdale Avenues). Dim sum is the Chinese equivalent of Roadfood in the most literal sense, as it originated as snacks for travelers along the ancient Silk Road. We began lunch with our favorite pork buns, Char Siu Boa (BBQ pork stuffed into buns of fluffy dough and steamed), pictured above. Then came a dish of Chinese Broccoli, sprinkled with Gitlo’s housemade XO spicy sauce:
Mango Ham Rolls (fresh mango strips with mini-slabs of ham folded into spring roll wrappers and fried) were next:
After that, a wicker steaming basket of Taro Shu-Mai (dumplings with chunks of taro root, pork, and shrimp) arrived along with the pièce de résistance, the XO Sauce Pan-Fried Rice Noodle Rolls:
Everything was fabulously delicious and washed down with a pot of Yum Cha drinking tea. But what’s the story behind the XO Sauce? The friendly owner was eager to answer our question. More of a crumbly topping than a liquidy sauce, the “XO” tag is likened to top-shelf cognac and brandy, in that it’s prestigious and usually expensive. Finely made with dried shrimp, scallops, peppers, onions, and garlic, it was added moist and dry to the Chinese broccoli, but fried alongside the Rice Noodle Rolls. We’ll be returning to Gitlo’s Dim Sum Bakery to sample over 50 different dishes!
