Banquet in the ’burbs

Behind the deceptive Italian facade of a former Johnny Carino’s in Natomas, you’ll find an ornate slice of Hong Kong.

The atmosphere at Yue Huang mirrors a traditional Cantonese banquet hall: Elaborate interiors and round tables fit the whole family, even distant cousins. Every day until 3 p.m., carts of steamed dumplings weave through the room to spark impulsive orders. Plush chairs lull you to melt into the upholstery after eating too many small plates that sneakily add up.

The restaurant opened last summer, giving Natomas and north Sacramento a sorely needed dim sum restaurant. Sacramento at large has solid grab-and-go dim sum options—like Lam Kwong Deli & Market downtown and ABC Bakery in the Pocket—and the greasy-delicious banquet of King Palace in south Sacramento. But this family-style brunch place offers something else: An elegant room that makes you feel at home to chow down for an hour or more. The dim sum also tastes lighter and more healthful (read: you can fit even more in your belly).

Stacked woven bamboo baskets contain steamed dumplings, and plates on carts present baked and fried, savory and sweet treats. The dinnertime menu lists pages upon pages of Cantonese banquet plates, including white abalone and crab ovaries, sea cucumber soup and congee.

Among the steamed dumplings, the dried scallop with parsley ($3.50) stood out as a tasty combo you won’t find just anywhere. Inside the chewy rice-noodle wrapper, the mix contained more than described: Shrimp and cabbage added to the flavorful blend of juices infused throughout the seafood.

Other shrimp dumplings also satisfied, including the fried shrimp balls ($5.50) surrounded with ethereally crispy ribbons in haphazard shapes like Medusa’s hair. They came with a sweet-and-sour sauce that complemented the large balls of minced shrimp on the inside. The steamed shrimp dumplings ($4.50) were also juicy, but the rice-noodle wrappers were a bit starchy and thick.

The traditional baked barbecue pork buns ($3.50) offered chewy, glazed golden buns with a dessertlike sauce that softened the tender strips of meat. These beat out the crispy barbecue pork buns ($4.50), a new special. The sugary sauce and vanilla buns made for a cloying combination, and a confusing one with the sprinkling of parsley throughout the bread.

But the egg desserts were on point. The egg cream buns ($4.50) came with pillowy, bubble-patterned steamed buns—a heavenly light counterpoint to the creamy egg on the inside. The Portuguese egg white tarts ($5.50) offered the Macau-style of torched egg custard, burned to a caramel-like sweetness inside a flaky, buttery crust.

The dinner menu gave few reasons to return at night time, though. The clay pot of braised tofu with fish fillet and pork belly ($12) had overly crisped pork and a sweet gelatinous glaze that tasted too subtly of ginger and garlic. The Fairview Tofu ($10.50) was tastier with a salty mushroom flavor throughout the soft fried tofu. The accompanying oyster mushrooms had a refined earthiness, but the side of Chinese broccoli came out on the tough side.

Instead, come early to Yue Huang, when you can score the freshest dim sum baskets of the day. And bring a cousin or three, just because you can.