Lin Heung Tea House - Travel back to old Hong Kong dim sum dining for the everyday man

Street level entrance, proceed upstairs for the tables *

What I love about Hong Kong is that there's dim sum for all budgets and all levels of society. You can find these morsels at a 'dai pai dong' (open air food stall) or a six-star hotel and everything in between.

Large Chicken Bun had to be split into 6 to share

This 80+ year established reminds me of my very first dim sum experience. What a trip back in time! No reservations allowed. Washing dishes at the table because there might still be some bits of food stuck to my chopsticks. Groups of strangers sharing tables and the hustle and bustle of activity as people try to elbow each other to get to the freshest offerings.

Fried Egg pastry (Dan so) with golden syrup

Arriving with a group of 12, it was pretty dismal because at 10 o’clock in the morning, this place was ALREADY jam-packed. The waiters suggested we split up into two or three different tables and share with strangers. This well-intentioned advice was not well-received as my multi-national Cantonese class wanted to stick together.

At last one table was offered to us, what luck! This table (with a red Chinese character sign) is reserved for the wait staff. But they made me promise to return the table by 11. ‘OK, I will try.’ ‘No try, we MUST have it back by 11 to eat our lunch!’ ‘Yes, sir!’

Would you believe, we got INCREDIBLE service after that because they wanted this huge table of 12 to eat our lunch in 45 minutes and pay and leave! We got fresh chopsticks right away when one of the pair decide to escape. We got food fresh from the kitchen before anyone else got theirs. We even ordered 4 more baskets of ‘Char Siu Bau’ (BBQ Pork Bun) steamed especially for our table. Excellent! This is definitely the way to go!

At this restaurant, one person from each party, armed with their paper ordering form, leave their table and descend upon the middle-aged ladies with the dim sum carts. The ladies show you what they have and you order and they stamp your card. Be quick because items often run out before the cart makes it to your table so it’s perfect acceptable to walk half-way across to restaurant and mob the kitchen door. Our table was special – we even got dishes that I didn’t even order. No harm done, we ate almost everything!
The waiter even advised us to order dessert as it was
approaching the magic hour.

Sticky rice in lotus leaf, the fragrance is intoxicating when you unwrap

Their signature dish is the Large Chicken Bun – it’s huge and filled with all kinds of goodies with un-boned chicken pieces and quail’s egg; the BBQ pork puff pastry got a nod of approval as well; the Shrimp Dumplings were quite large and the shrimp was large and fresh; Savory chicken and sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf was described as a Chinese tamale, very fragrant and the rice was hot and moist; Fried egg pastry was light and crispy but needed more syrup as it could be quite bland when served on its own.

For our table of 12 who ordered and ate non-stop and were full to the brim, the cost per person came to only HKD40! What a deal! (Take your order card and pay at the counter.) My companions said they would definitely come again. The food was standard fare, nothing fancy but fresh and tasty. My only gripe was that the Fried egg-shaped dumpling was cold. Otherwise, come for the history, for the atmosphere and for the good deal.

Lin Heung Tea House
160-164 Wellington Street
Central
2544-4556

*Photo of restaurant courtesy of Allison Matthei

Best Shanghai Dumplings - Din Tai Fung

Star of the show

I have to say, I am a HUGE fan of Din Tai Fung. With 52 branches all over the world and first class Japanese-style production techniques which maintains the high standards of every dumpling served, you can count on having a wonderful meal at every seating.

My favorite is their signature dish 'Steamed pork dumplings' ($48 for six). What most dim sum restaurants in this city fail to appreciate is that the paper wrapper that lines that bamboo basket is simply inadequate to deal with this 'soup dumpling'. How do paper liners spoil this experience? The dumpling's wrapper sticks to paper, therefore when you try to pick up the dumpling with your chopsticks, your dumpling rips and all the delicate juices are spilled before it is even close to its destination. What Din Tai Fung and restaurants in Shanghai has done is to serve the dumplings on CLOTH liners, thereby eliminating this unfortunate outcome. The focal point of this dish is that you dip the dumpling into the soy sauce/vinegar/ginger sauce and then put the whole thing in your mouth. Then as you bite into it, the dumpling explodes, releasing the 'soup/juices' to fill your palate with a combination of all the flavors. Ahhh, heaven. It is sooo good, it's literally impossible to stop at one.

Our other favorite dumpling dish is the 'Spicy Shrimp and pork wanton' ($45), served in a mild chili oil, it gives the shrimp and pork wantons a bit more heat but not so much that it burns your tongue. It's firmer than the steamed dumplings and is a great accompaniment to the meal.

Just a hint of chili

To cool things down, the 'Tossed sliced cucumber with chili and garlic' ($28) is fresh, crunchy and is the right size for a bite. In fact, all the vegetables are fresh and crispy, the 'Bok choy' ($40) and 'Sauteed Chinese white cabbage' ($40) were both adequate staples and bring balance to the meat-heavy meal.

Mix the noodles well to serve

Here are some more highly recommended dishes:
Egg fried rice with shrimp and shredded pork ($50) - very good flavor, rice not greasy, shrimps are a very good size
Noodle with minced pork and bean sauce ($35) - Mix it well then serve, the noodles tastes homemade - al dente
Boiled glutinous rice dumpling stuffed with pork ($36) - one of the weaker dishes, it's just that everything else is so delicious that this one pales in comparison, it is a dumpling that is similar to a Mexican tamale, it needs to be dipped in soy sauce for more flavor

Almond pudding always ends the meal on a high note

Our party tried out three delicious desserts:
The best dessert voted by my party is the 'Almond pudding with fresh fruit' ($28), served cold it's a gelatin and rice flour based dessert, very light and jelly-like. It is extremely refreshing after all the dumplings we ate. It comes in a medium size ramekins, it could be shared by two. The fruit are two slices of strawberry.
Chilled sago soup with coconut milk and fresh fruit ($28)- the coconut milk flavor is a hit and so are the melon balls but it's a little bland after the fantastic main course.
Boiled glutinous rice dumpling stuffed with red bean paste ($28) - only for those who like sweet red beans. It's standard fare, nothing to write home about.

Chinese people love chilled sweet sago soup

The overall impression is that this is a great place to go. There are two locations in Hong Kong. For a party of five who ate way too much (did we really order five baskets of Shanghai dumplings?), the bill came to $200 per person. Great food, good deal. Prepare for long waits in line!

Din Tai Fung
68 Yee Wo Street (ground floor of Regal Hotel)
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
3160-8998

and

Shop 130, 3rd Floor, Silvercord Shopping Centre
30 Canton Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
2730-6928

Hidden Gem in Wanchai Hopewell Center

Did you know that a lot of restaurants offer special promotions during the off-hours of the day to lure in customers?

Cuisine Royale is located on the 7th Floor of the Hopewell Center on Queens Road East. The dim sums are above average in quality and the prices are just right for everyone. 30% off for Monday to Sundays 9am to 12pm and after 2pm, except Saturdays when it's 30% ALL DAY. Yes, you read right, 30% off all dim sum dishes (not a la carte). Only exception are Public Holidays.

What's good there? Well, my favorite hands-down was their own specialty, which is not available elsewhere, the 'Crispy Rice Flour Roll w/Vegetable'. It's basically a 'cheung fun' rice roll stuffed with fried dough crispies and just the right amount of veg. You dip the pieces in soy sauce and it's heaven!

The 'char siu bau' (BBQ pork buns) were moist and delightful, very good version of this dim sum staple. The fried wontons were excellent, lots of prawns and very crispy.

They also offer 'Siu Long Bau' (Shanghai Soup dumplings) but they are just OK, not as good as in 'Din Tai Fong', certainly. Also OK were the Chiu Chow Fun Gor - (Chiu Chow Steamed Dumplings and the steamed spongcake.

Save up your appetite for the scrumptious mini-desserts. We tried four types, the Chilled Tofu & Minxed Fruits with Almond Flavour- very refreshing and light with some canned fruit. The Chilled Mango Pudding was a good staple. the Sweetened Grapefruit Soup w/Mango was a surprising chilled sweet soup - make sure you stir with soup before drinking as the grapefruit sinks to the bottom of the bowl. The Chilled Pomelo Pudding with Aloe Vera was a light jelly. At HKD8 a bowl and in cute little portions, you can try several different kinds and not feel guilty. There are a total of 13 to choose from, both cold and warm desserts.

Menus are bilingual, which is very helpful but no photographs. This is a 'mark down what you want on the order form and we will bring it to you' kind of restaurant. Also, in the morning they don't do a la carte so you must order from the dim sum menu. The ambience is 'luxurious' with lots of crystal chandeliers but the color scheme is in soft cream so it's not too overwhelming. It's clean, lots of elbow room and the staff speaks Cantonese only but try to be helpful so bring your Dim Sum Guide.

My party of 11 ate very well and the bill came to just HKD 60 per person tip included.

Restaurant
Cuisine Royale
7th FloorHopewell Centre,183Queen's Road East,Wan Chai
phone: 2804-1300

Specialty
Crispy Rice Flour Roll s/Vegetable
Char Siu Bau (BBQ Pork Bun)

The Graces Garden, Times Square

Beware of the Dim Sum restaurant with no one lining up on Sundays.

Not that there is anything obviously wrong with the food here at The Graces Garden. They really try to make an effort. They have a bilingual paper dim sum menu with over 50 items with color photos, which by the way, is the BEST thing about this restaurant. The restaurant is clean and presentable with the right amount of understated gaudiness. But where it counts the most, the food, it's just OK.

Housed in the probably the most expensive piece of real estate in Causeway Bay, on the 12th Floor of Times Square, you'd expect it to be better than average to keep up with other restaurants in the 'Food Forum'. Unlike other dim sum restaurants around town on Sundays, it's nice to be able to just walk in and get seated. We were welcomed with a small plate of freshly roasted peanuts ($10 per dish), which were delicious, and a pot of oolong tea. But the dim sum chef definitely needs to work on his dough-making skills.

The wrapper of the steamed rice sheet rolls with BBQ pork were too thick and doughy so although the BBQ pork was flavorful and in nice big chunks, its flavor got lost in the huge amount of wet gooey dough in my mouth.

Same with the steamed Chiu Chow dumplings - the filling of pork and peanuts were good but again the dough was too thick and sticky. A healthy dose of chili sauce added flavor to this dish but it didn't stand as a good choice on its own.

Even the fried egg-shape dumpling was a little disappointing. The outside was nicely brown and crispy but the dough was just a little too thick. The filling was a delicious minced pork and gravy concoction though.

The fried string beans with garlic sauce and fried e-fu noodles with prawns were very plain and limp.

The best dishes of the day? It's the Assorted Seafood & Mushroom Thick Soup ($38). Tasty, flavorful and no dough. Also, the sticky rice balls with taro filling and coconut shavings were very nice as dessert. The coconut overshadowed the taro flavour but the sticky rice balls were soft and melt-in-your-mouth so at least the meal ended on a sweet note.

This restaurant is recommended if you don't want to wait in line and want a menu with photos in english. Just don't order any dumplings or anything doughy.
Lunch for two came to HKD250.

Lok Cha Teahouse in Hong Kong Park

Gorgeous colonial building houses Lok Cha Teahouse

If you are a tea connoiseur or a vegetarian and wants some good dim sum dishes in a quiet, rustic environment then this is the place for you.

Situated inside the Museum of Tea Ware, in Admiralty, it's as if you travelled to an idealistic Chinese teahouse dream. Immaculate wooden furniture, chinese frosted windows and staff dressed in traditional Chinese clothing made me feel as if I was transported from the big metropolis that is Hong Kong to a quaint, quiet countryside location.

I went on Sunday evening and a traditional Chinese trio played classical music while I sipped my tea. This is a regular event for every Saturday and Sunday night and well worth the extra $50 per person price (if you are not ordering the set tea of $80 pp which happens to be pu'er tea that evening). Although the tea was not cheap, as each person has to make one order, the atmosphere was magical. The tea was especially good because it was of very good quality (much better than the tea you get in other big dim sum restaurants). It is served Taiwanese style, in small claypots and thimble-like teacups. The idea is that you pour hot water into the purple clay teapot filled with leaves, let it seep for 2 minutes, pour that into a ceramic jar then serve that into your thimble-cups. You can do this for up to 7 or 10 times, each time the flavour and the fragrance of the tea changes. It's quite a delight. It is important not to let the tea leaves seep for more than 2 minutes as the impurities of the leaves will go into the tea e.g. caffeine, bitter aftertaste. Drank this way, you get all the antioxidant properties (especially from green teas) and none of the ill side-effects.

As for food, they have a small menu of vegetarian dim sum and desserts. I didn't try any so cannot vouch for them this time but this just gives me an excuse to go back.

They also sell very pretty tea ware ranging from affordable to exquisitely expensive.

Tea with performance came to around HKD240 for two.

http://www.lockcha.com/teahouse/lang=eng