Jade Cathay Chinese Cuisine
Jade Cathay Chinese Restaurant has been in business well over 25 years. This family owned place perfected its dim sum cuisine over the many years it has served it.
Jade Cathay may not be the latest, greatest dim sum place in San Jose. But they are consistent, produce quality fresh food and provide decent service to its customers.
You can’t please everyone and if you are in the food business long enough, you will always have critics and nay sayers come to your restaurant, eat your food, criticize it and blast it all over social media. Some places truly deserve the negative feedback, but other places don’t.
I like Jade Cathay! I have been eating here for over 10 years. I’m sure this place has its negative moments, but the fact they have been in business 25 plus years, always having a stream of people coming to eat, tells me the quality of food and service are consistent and good.
Cart Service
Jade Cathay is one of the few restaurants that still provide dim sum cart service on the weekends.
Dim sum simply means small dishes of dumplings and other eats either fried or steamed.
Cart service gives you the chance to make on the spot decisions as you visually inspect the food. And you get immediate eating time from your choices.
This place gets very busy on the weekends so be patient. There are only so many cart servers and food baskets in the cart to go around.
It’s always a good idea to pick extra baskets of your favorite dim sum on the first go around, so the wait doesn’t feel too terribly long for more food, on the servers next visit to you.
The Food
One of my first choices is the crispy fried duck. I love the crunchy salty skin and the oily duck flavor of the tender meat. It’s a great replacement for bacon since it’s not an option here!
Siu Mai
Siu Mai is my all time favorite at Jade Cathay.
This pork and shrimp dumpling is the tastiest morsel on my buds! I dip it in a mix of soy sauce, vinegar and hot Chinese chilly sauce!
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Beef Tripe
Beef tripe soaked in ginger is very flavorful on the palate.
The texture almost feels like your are eating something crunchy but it’s not. It’s hard to describe but I love eating it.
Stuffed Shrooms
Mushrooms stuffed with shrimp in an Abalone based sauce is pretty dang good.
Chicken Feet
Chicken feet is not for everyone. It’s an acquired taste. If you can get over the fact chickens walk in crap and dirt all day you’ll be just fine!
To me, it’s tasty and the tendons melt in your mouth. Once the tendon is gone then it becomes grisly and chewy. Typically the time I discard the remains.
Pork Spare Ribs
Pork ribs chopped up into small bites.
It has black bean with a few tiny slices of jalapeno. Very tasty. Watch out for the small cut bones. That does not go down well in the stomach.
Chinese Broc
For you vegetarians out there Jade Cathay does serve Chinese broccoli and other vegetables.
And not that I noticed or anything, but they do have a full bar here!
Jade Cathay has many other food choices. I showed you just a few of my favorites.
Unfortunately Jade Cathay does not have a website, but can be found on Yelp.
They are open 7 days a week. On the weekends (during their dim sum brunch times) they are open 10am to 3pm with cart service.
Located at 1339 North First St. San Jose, Ca.
I love that place!
Awesome!!
Very well done. We are going to have to give it a try.
Thank you!
Great. Thank you!
Ah yes, a favorite stop after landing at SJC!