Diary of a Chef | Day 6: "Tales of Jing Fong's Dim Sum and 18,000 Plates"

Photo | Jing Fong 1000 seater

My early start was worth it to secure a place in the long queue for New York's largest luxury Cantonese restaurant - the 1000 seat Jing Fong Restaurant on Elizabeth south of Canal.

It was 11.25am and I was handed ticket number 49 as the dining room was already full. Minutes later, we're in and GOB SMACKED! We'd entered a room as big as a football field covered in tables, every one of them full!

Laden trolleys of Dim Sum pushed by older Chinese ladies in flowery hats pass by. We feasted on six plates each (is that 18000 plates per sitting?). Our table was part New Zealand contingent along with 6 other nationalities (UK and Taiwanese).They laughed when we told them the population of Queenstown was 10,000 and here we were sitting with 1000 others in the dining room!

I discovered the most ginormous pizzas I have ever laid eyes on at historic Lombardi’s – opened since 1905. My queueing skills were put to the test once again and the queue was still there when we left at 9pm. Everything is supersized – Italian staff appeared everywhere apart from the Mexicans who cooked the pizza!

Back home to the bar below our apartment to watch the Chicago Bulls deal to the Miami Heat – nothing more American! Our 'local' was packed with cheering Americans (men and women) who were all good natured and lots of fun!