點心 Dim Sum Guide: Recs on WHAT and WHERE to order.
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Dim Sum, the ultimate Cantonese snack and expensive breakfast. It gets stupid expensive, really fast.
For breakfast version of dim sum you call it Yamcha (飲茶)
In Cantonese it refers to a snack but another way to read means point to your heart, which what dim sum literally does to you considering all the oils and cholesterol in the food.
So let's get to it, what to order at dim sum, a SLAENT guide for anyone going out to get dim sum with friends or colleagues. This thread will be updated with more recommendations and places to eat depending on where you live.
My dim sum experience mostly comes from Japanese style Dim Sum and Hong Kong and Macau dim sum.
If you have other variants like from Taiwan feel free to share.
Below are entree items with how to read in kanji and in english
Starters
茶 Cha
Start your day and meals with tea.
Entrees
小籠包 Shaolongbao (steam buns usually served with red vinegar)
Usually pork but can be done with seafood. The one of many Cantonese buns.
蝦餃 Har Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumpling)
燒賣 Shumai (Pork/Shrimp Stuffed Dumpling)
Very similar to wonton but bigger and steamed rather than boiled. Wrapped rather than filled.
叉燒包 Chashu Bau (Steamed/Baked Pork Bun)
Steam
Bake version is sweeter and honey glaze
鳳爪 Fungzhau (Stewed Chicken Feet)
Barbecue then stewed chickens feet in shoyu and five spice.
粥 Juk (okayu/congee)
Served with a variety of toppings ranging from duck egg, zhaliang, green onion, and more.
Cantonese variant is much thinner than Japanese and eaten much more often.
豬腸粉 Cheung Fan (Rice Noodle Rolls)
Served with either chashu, shrimp, or beef and topped with sweet shoyu.
芥蘭 Kai Lan (Baby Kale Broccoli)
Served stewed and with oyster sauce
臭豆腐 Chou Doufu (Fermented Tofu)
Fried Items
芋頭角 Wu Gok (Fried Taro Dumpling)
Pork, Shrimp, and Mushroom filling wrapped in taro dough and deep fried.
炸兩 Ja Leung (Deep Fried Breadstick wrapped in Rice Noodle)
Served with juk in Hong Kong/Cantonese cuisine but with soy milk in Taiwan.
蘿蔔糕 Lo Baak Gau (Daikon Cake)
Deep fried turnip cake served with shrimp and even egg.
餃子 Gauzi (Gyoza)
Served either fried or boiled with seafood/chicken/pork filling. Served with shoyu+vinegar
燒味 Shu Mei (Roast Pork/Roast Duck)
Fucking oil to the max, eat with rice and cabbage PLEASE.
Desserts
豆腐腦 Doufu Fa (Tofu Pudding)
Mango Pudding
菠蘿包 Bo Lo Yau (Melonpan, Baked bread with taro/custard filling. Cookie like crust)
蛋撻 Dan Tat (Egg Custard Tart)
簡易芝麻糊 Hei Zhi Ma Hu (Sweet Black Sesame Soup)
As you can see from the abundance of vegetable dishes this is extremely healthy.
Restaurant Recommendations
Northern California:
Tao Yuen Pastry - Oakland
Gum Kuo - Oakland
Gourmet Seafood Delight - Oakland
Gum Wah - Oakland
East Ocean Seafood Restaurant - Oakland
Peony Seafood Restaurant - Oakland
Imperial Tea Court - Berkeley
Great Eastern - San Francisco (Obama ate here)
Hong Kong Lounge I - San Francisco
Joy Luck Palace - Cupertino
Koi Palace - Daly City, Dublin, Milpitas, etc.
Cooking Papa - Sunnyvale
Southern California:
Washington:
The Noble Court - Bellevue
New York:
Japan:
飲茶はるのそら (Yamcha Haru no Sora) - 札幌市 (Sapporo)
星華楼 (Seikarou) - 札幌市 (Sapporo)
美麗華 (Bireika) - 札幌市 (Sapporo)
中国料理桃花林 (Chugokuryori Tokarin) - 札幌市 (Sapporo)
鼎泰豐 横浜店 (Din Tai Fung) - 横浜市 (Yokohama)
Where ever else SLAENT lives.
For breakfast version of dim sum you call it Yamcha (飲茶)
In Cantonese it refers to a snack but another way to read means point to your heart, which what dim sum literally does to you considering all the oils and cholesterol in the food.
So let's get to it, what to order at dim sum, a SLAENT guide for anyone going out to get dim sum with friends or colleagues. This thread will be updated with more recommendations and places to eat depending on where you live.
My dim sum experience mostly comes from Japanese style Dim Sum and Hong Kong and Macau dim sum.
If you have other variants like from Taiwan feel free to share.
Below are entree items with how to read in kanji and in english
Starters
茶 Cha
Start your day and meals with tea.
Entrees
小籠包 Shaolongbao (steam buns usually served with red vinegar)
Usually pork but can be done with seafood. The one of many Cantonese buns.
蝦餃 Har Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumpling)
燒賣 Shumai (Pork/Shrimp Stuffed Dumpling)
Very similar to wonton but bigger and steamed rather than boiled. Wrapped rather than filled.
叉燒包 Chashu Bau (Steamed/Baked Pork Bun)
Steam
Bake version is sweeter and honey glaze鳳爪 Fungzhau (Stewed Chicken Feet)
Barbecue then stewed chickens feet in shoyu and five spice.
粥 Juk (okayu/congee)
Served with a variety of toppings ranging from duck egg, zhaliang, green onion, and more.
Cantonese variant is much thinner than Japanese and eaten much more often.
豬腸粉 Cheung Fan (Rice Noodle Rolls)
Served with either chashu, shrimp, or beef and topped with sweet shoyu.
芥蘭 Kai Lan (Baby Kale Broccoli)
Served stewed and with oyster sauce
臭豆腐 Chou Doufu (Fermented Tofu)
Fried Items
芋頭角 Wu Gok (Fried Taro Dumpling)
Pork, Shrimp, and Mushroom filling wrapped in taro dough and deep fried.
炸兩 Ja Leung (Deep Fried Breadstick wrapped in Rice Noodle)
Served with juk in Hong Kong/Cantonese cuisine but with soy milk in Taiwan.
蘿蔔糕 Lo Baak Gau (Daikon Cake)
Deep fried turnip cake served with shrimp and even egg.
餃子 Gauzi (Gyoza)
Served either fried or boiled with seafood/chicken/pork filling. Served with shoyu+vinegar
燒味 Shu Mei (Roast Pork/Roast Duck)
Fucking oil to the max, eat with rice and cabbage PLEASE.
Desserts
豆腐腦 Doufu Fa (Tofu Pudding)
Mango Pudding
菠蘿包 Bo Lo Yau (Melonpan, Baked bread with taro/custard filling. Cookie like crust)
蛋撻 Dan Tat (Egg Custard Tart)
簡易芝麻糊 Hei Zhi Ma Hu (Sweet Black Sesame Soup)
As you can see from the abundance of vegetable dishes this is extremely healthy.
Restaurant Recommendations
Northern California:
Tao Yuen Pastry - Oakland
Gum Kuo - Oakland
Gourmet Seafood Delight - Oakland
Gum Wah - Oakland
East Ocean Seafood Restaurant - Oakland
Peony Seafood Restaurant - Oakland
Imperial Tea Court - Berkeley
Great Eastern - San Francisco (Obama ate here)
Hong Kong Lounge I - San Francisco
Joy Luck Palace - Cupertino
Koi Palace - Daly City, Dublin, Milpitas, etc.
Cooking Papa - Sunnyvale
Southern California:
Washington:
The Noble Court - Bellevue
New York:
Japan:
飲茶はるのそら (Yamcha Haru no Sora) - 札幌市 (Sapporo)
星華楼 (Seikarou) - 札幌市 (Sapporo)
美麗華 (Bireika) - 札幌市 (Sapporo)
中国料理桃花林 (Chugokuryori Tokarin) - 札幌市 (Sapporo)
鼎泰豐 横浜店 (Din Tai Fung) - 横浜市 (Yokohama)
Where ever else SLAENT lives.
Updated. These are all places recommended by Cantonese family members and friends.
I'm Japanese so all this stuff tastes amazing to me.
I'm Japanese so all this stuff tastes amazing to me.
Can't forget XO Sauce, one of the BEST condiments and sauces ever.
Slightly spicy seafood sauce with five spice, chill oil, chill peppers, dried shrimp, dried scallops, garlic, onions, etc. Can even be fermented with cognac and alcohol.
Throw this in a soup, noodle, rice, whatever dish and it will pack a ton of flavor.
Slightly spicy seafood sauce with five spice, chill oil, chill peppers, dried shrimp, dried scallops, garlic, onions, etc. Can even be fermented with cognac and alcohol.
Throw this in a soup, noodle, rice, whatever dish and it will pack a ton of flavor.
gimme this and sweet/sour sauce
By Labor Go To PostThere's a somewhat expensive spot out here in Kyoto, but these pics tho
all dim sum in Japan is expensive
And not as much variety, missing some stuff tho pretty good. I like the cafe style places.
All dim sum everywhere is expensive. Especially if eating in a group, that destroys your wallet.
All dim sum everywhere is expensive. Especially if eating in a group, that destroys your wallet.
By Shun Go To PostAnd not as much variety, missing some stuff tho pretty good. I like the cafe style places.
All dim sum everywhere is expensive. Especially if eating in a group, that destroys your wallet.
always felt it not too bad in Washington...
Japan is on some 50 dollars a head shit
shumai and har gau are two favorites. I like Juk a lot too, but mostly have it on its own. I learned how to cook it for myself, but I am not sure if I even remember at this point. Don't tend to bother with soup at dim sum.
One I would add to your list is Lo mai gai. Chicken and rice steamed in a lotus leaf.
I've been to East Ocean many times. Good and very affordable if you go for lunch. There are other Oakland/East Bay places that I've been to, but they tend to melt together. I only remember East Ocean due to how big it is and the quality of the food. I am surprised I never went to the one in Daly City, as I've to that shopping plaza many times. I know there's another in Daly City that has a hong kong style cafe next to it.
One I would add to your list is Lo mai gai. Chicken and rice steamed in a lotus leaf.
I've been to East Ocean many times. Good and very affordable if you go for lunch. There are other Oakland/East Bay places that I've been to, but they tend to melt together. I only remember East Ocean due to how big it is and the quality of the food. I am surprised I never went to the one in Daly City, as I've to that shopping plaza many times. I know there's another in Daly City that has a hong kong style cafe next to it.
By Shun Go To PostAll dim sum everywhere is expensive. Especially if eating in a group, that destroys your wallet.WHAT.
Dimsum is like the cheapest meal where I'm from and gets cheaper in a group setting.
Last time I went to dim sum a group of three of us, I picked up the tab. It was like $65 and we were full as can be.
It might just be the places I go to and how much my friends order then because I always feel guilty after eating, looking at the food and the bill.
But dim sum I usually go in a group of 5-8+. Cafe style is just a couple pieces for a snack.
Maybe it's because I'm in college and it just seems a lot to me.
But dim sum I usually go in a group of 5-8+. Cafe style is just a couple pieces for a snack.
Maybe it's because I'm in college and it just seems a lot to me.
By db Go To PostWalnut Prawns pls.
Ask and you shall receive. I was wondering what this was so I made an attempt at making Coconut Walnut Prawns for first time.
By Shun Go To PostAsk and you shall receive. I was wondering what this was so I made an attempt at making Coconut Walnut Prawns for first time.Gimme.
I agree with whoever said they don't get soup with dimsum. I've tried the stomach soup and every time i get it it's sorta bouncy and disappointing.
some other favorites though:
Pai Gwut/ Steamed ribs: these are kinda gross looking and.... well its steamed meat. But they're super succulent and delicious:
also i always get some char siew bao at any dim sum place. steam version, egg wash bake version, it's all good
these chive and shrimp / pork dumplings are too fucking great
some other favorites though:
Pai Gwut/ Steamed ribs: these are kinda gross looking and.... well its steamed meat. But they're super succulent and delicious:
also i always get some char siew bao at any dim sum place. steam version, egg wash bake version, it's all good
these chive and shrimp / pork dumplings are too fucking great
/drool
By Fenderputty Go To PostI wasn't a fan of the chicken feet when I tried them. Not enough to them IMO.I prefer sucking on feet in the privacy of my own home too..
By Fenderputty Go To PostI wasn't a fan of the chicken feet when I tried them. Not enough to them IMO.
too stringy for me
It's mostly skin and I wasn't into the skin.
