27 Sunshine

Profile

27 Sunshine, formerly called HSF, has been stuffing generations of Chinatown families full of dumplings since 1972, but its success is not merely the result of inertia. To understand its appeal, arrive by noon, find a spot at one of the many crowded tables you'll probably end up sharing, and when the appropriate cart rolls by, order some hakao. These translucent-skinned, shrimp-filled dumplings are standbys, a snack you thoughtlessly indulge in every time you go for dim sum, no matter how bland and underwhelming they often are. Yet Sunshine's are soft, with a sweet shrimpiness that nearly obviates the little dish of chili sauce that is hakao's natural accompaniment. The rest of Sunshine's dim sum selection—from pan-fried turnip cake to clams in a soupy black bean sauce—stands up to the example set by the hakao, and includes items like Hong Kong–style barbecue ribs, ubiquitous elsewhere in the neighborhood but a rarity at dim sum restaurants. If there's any complaint to be made, it's that a renovation left it without the big Wheel of Fortune that plenty of now-grown children must fondly remember playing with decades earlier. Well, cheer up, dear, and have some more turnip cake. — Matt Gross

Hakao, $4.95; turnip cake, $2; clams in black bean sauce, $6.95