Cantonese

During a dim sum meal, a Cantonese friend once casually mentioned that part of the Chinese characters that spell liu sha bao — the fluffy, springy steamed buns that ooze sweet egg custard — translate as “gold quicksand.” I loved that mental image, and it comes to mind again when I carve into Ryan Wong’s liu sha bao-inspired French toast at his Silver Lake restaurant Needle.Wong unites two slices of milk bread, encasing between them a filling of vanilla-scented custard made with salted duck egg yolks. He deep-fries the…