Yum Yum Dim Sum
by Diana Oliver |
What is better than ordering an entrée, in which you get to try only one dish? What is better than the typical buffet, where the food is usually mediocre since it's not very fresh and often of poor quality? If you like a variety of dishes to sample, prepared a variety of ways, that are also fun to eat, then you'll love dim sum. You are in luck if you live in Houston because there are several great places to get freshly prepared, delicious dim sum. Recommendations to follow.
Dim sum, a wide variety of Chinese appetizer-sized dishes, is traditionally eaten in the mornings or for brunch, but in some Houston restaurants you can find it all day. In Cantonese the phrase dim sum, literally translated means "touch the heart" or sometimes loosely translated "small snack that touches the heart" or "heart's delight".
Most dim sum dishes are steamed, baked, pan-fried or deep-fried, but some are prepared other ways. Because they usually come with four pieces to a serving, it is fun to go with a group of four people so each person gets one sample; however, any size group, even two, can have just as much fun. Some dim sum pieces are cut in half with kitchen shears, after being placed before you, for easier handling and truly rendering them bite size. You will usually be supplied with chop sticks, but ask for a fork if you need one and it is not already on the table.
Condiments such as soy sauce, chili sauce, red chili oil, and Chinese vinegar are usually on the table or brought to you. Experiment by mixing them on your plate to your liking, and then dip your dim sum in the mixture. Dim sum is so flavorful that I prefer no condiments at all on most items.
Be sure to order some hot tea to go with your meal. A mild tea, like chrysanthemum tea, or other white tea, is very palatable, even for non-tea drinkers. Tea is reputed to aid in digestion and cleans the palate between samples, plus it is part of the entire enjoyable experience of eating dim sum. In fact, yum cha is Cantonese for "drinking tea" - the Chinese custom usually done on leisurely weekend mornings in which the family gets together to chat, eat dim sum, and sip Chinese tea. When dining in a Chinese restaurant, it is customary to remove the lid from the pot to signal that you need more tea, but many restaurants realize that non-Asian patrons are unaware of this, so they check the pot periodically.
There are two types of restaurants that serve dim sum: those in which you order from a menu and those that you choose your food from rolling carts that come by your table. In Houston, there are both types. Carts usually have a small selection of the same type of dish, such as only fried dishes, only steamed dishes, or just desserts. Instead of menu items being broken into categories such as appetizers, entrees, and desserts, they are generally broken into sizes: small (about $1.99), medium (about $2.75), large (about $3.75), and one or two special sizes (about $4.50-5.95). Grouping according to size is a bit of a misnomer because servings are all about the same size. Prices seem more fitting. (Size does sometimes refer to the size of the dish in which it is served.) One thing that makes eating dim sum so fun is that they are generally so inexpensive that you can try many, many dishes.
Whether you order dim sum from a menu or from rolling carts, a bill is placed on your table soon after you are seated. Each time a dish is placed on your table, the servers stamp your bill in the appropriate column of the size you ordered: small, medium, etc.
At restaurants in which you order from a menu, the food will come to you as the food is finished being prepared, not all at once. Interestingly, dessert items can be eaten at any point during the meal. Because of this, typically you will be served your dessert dishes whenever they are ready, not at the end of the meal.
There are usually some "exotic" dishes available such as chicken feet. You may find some of these good and some to be completely unappetizing. I find pork blood to be pretty good, but chicken feet to be every bit as awful as it sounds. At least I think so; must be an acquired taste. Being of the adventurous sort, I placed an order for some chicken feet on my second dim sum outing, receiving a huge grin from my waitress. Later, in the meal, she asked me how I liked them, knowing full well I couldn't eat them. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole kitchen staff got amusement from my misadventure. It's better to stick with the popular, recommended dishes at first.
Don't ever let unfamiliarity with the cuisine keep you away from trying dim sum. All of the menus that I've seen in Houston have the names of the dim sum in English, along with the Chinese name, and several local restaurants even have photos. There is absolutely nothing to fear and lots to gain. Occasionally, you may order a dish that you wouldn't order again, but most dishes are good, and you'll soon learn which ones are your favorites.
Below is a list of recommended dishes to get you started, followed by a list of Houston restaurants known for their dim sum. All of the restaurants are recommended unless otherwise noted in their summary. (I've listed some well-known ones that it's best to stay clear of.) Sunday is the busiest day for most of these restaurants so your best bet is to go on Saturday or during the week, and go early - before 11:30 a.m. Restaurants in which you 'order from the menu' are listed first, followed by restaurants that use the rolling cart method.
Recommended dishes to order for the dim sum newcomer:
Shrimp Dumplings - a translucent, thin-skinned steamed rice dumpling with a shrimp filling
Taro Puffs - deep fried, crunchy taro (a root) on the outside with a soft pork & shrimp filling
Stuffed Eggplant - pan-fried, stuffed with shrimp
Pastries - baked, flaky pastries, similar to French pastries with various meats on the inside
Steamed Dumplings - with a variety of fillings, from meats to vegetables
Pan-fried Dumplings - in general, taste better than steamed ones
Buns - steamed (baked in a steamer); soft, white, puffy, thick exterior; interior with various fillings, such as BBQ buns (sweet meat) and Lotus paste buns (also sweet)
Baked Buns - look like browned dinner rolls, and has a filling, such as BBQ pork
Sesame Balls - a dessert with a chewy rice dough filled with sweet red bean paste
Shark Fin Dumpling - gets name from its appearance, it looks like a shark fin but does not contain shark fins; filled with pork, shrimp, mushrooms and bamboo shoots
Yum Yum Cha Order dim sum from menu (with pictures)
Rice Village Key map 532C 713-527-8455
2435 Times Blvd. between Kelvin & Morningside BYOB
Mon 11a-5p; Wed-Thurs 11a-3p, 5p-10p; Fri 11a-3p, 5p-11p; Sat 11a-3p; Sun 11a-9p
This is my favorite dim sum restaurant. It's very small and cozy; and the food is cooked fresh when you order. There is a nice variety from which to choose, and a flip-card menu on each table makes decisions easier. Besides color photographs, there are also descriptions - a great help for the dim sum novice.
I have never gone during their busy time, which is on the weekends around lunchtime, but I've heard there is usually a wait at that time. Service is good; prices are good. The restaurant tends to be a little too warm during the summer months; parking is tough, typical of Rice Village - both minor inconveniences for such a wonderful and inexpensive meal.
Dim Sum King Order dim sum from menu (with pictures)
New Chinatown Key map 530E 713-270-6788
9160 Bellaire at Ranchester (between Bltwy 8 and Gessner) in Diho Square, in HPD alcove
Mon, Wed, Thurs 10a-8p; Fri-Sun 10a-9p (closed Tuesday)
Small $1.90 Medium $2.80 Large $3.40 Limited beer and wine
This newly opened (spring 2008) little restaurant can be hard to find unless you know exactly where it is. It's in Diho Square on the north side of Bellaire; enter the door on the right just at the entrance to the Police Department alcove.
Soon after being seated, we were offered a special menu that had pictures of their dim sum. It looked as though they didn't have many picture menus, so if you are new to dim sum, don't be bashful about asking to see one if not offered. The interior of the restaurant is typical of authentic Asian restaurants: small, plain, simple, and filled with a mostly Asian clientele. This is a great restaurant to visit whether you have never tried dim sum, as well as for those familiar with it. Service is good. Food is freshly cooked.
There is ample parking.
Ocean Palace Dim sum from carts
New Chinatown Key map 529F 281-988-8898
11215 Bellaire at Boone, just W of Wilcrest at Hong Kong City Mall
Restaurant hours Mon-Thurs 10a-10p; Fri 10a-11p; Sat 9a-11p; Sun 9a-10p
Small $1.99 Medium $2.75 Large $3.75 Full Bar
This is a huge restaurant with a long covered entryway and water gardens filled with koi fish and water lilies in full bloom in the summer - an attractive, tranquil, and shaded respite from the summer sun.
On weekends, dim sum is served upstairs at this two-story restaurant. Upstairs, you'll find one large room that resembles a hotel banquet room and large tables filled with contented Asian families. Carts are wheeled around by waitstaff whose English is usually poor, so you often have to just look at the fare offered on each cart that passes and respond with a yes or no. Ocean Palace has a big selection of dim sum on weekends; and with the large crowds that come, the carts are replenished frequently so the food is fresh. If you know what you want, ask for it. Our experience is that the staff has been happy to get that cart over to us or they will get an English speaking person to help out.
In the back of the room, is a steam table with odd dishes like pork blood, which isn't as bad as it sounds, if you have a culinary adventurous spirit. Pork blood has the consistency of tofu and tastes similar to liver. To get food from this table, just take your bill with you, and ask for something you want to try. They will serve it to you cafeteria-style and will mark your bill for you.
On weekdays, dim sum is served downstairs, and the selection is very limited. The regular lunch menu ranges from $4.95 - $6.75. I have not tried the lunch specials here, but the shrimp dumplings and taro puffs on the dim sum carts are good. Some people get a lunch entrée and one or two dim sum dishes too.
Ocean Palace is definitely not my first choice if you are new to dim sum. If you go on the weekend, you are most likely to feel overwhelmed and out of place, unless you go with an experienced dim sum person or with the Leisure Learning class*. (See more about the class below.) If you go during the week, the dim sum selection is limited, and although friendly, their English is poor. For these reasons, there are better restaurant choices for beginners. If, however, you are familiar with dim sum, this restaurant is Houston's most popular, both with the Asian and non-Asian communities.
*Leisure Learning (www.llu.com) offers a class called "Chinatown Walking Tour & Dim Sum Lunch" by Dorothy Huang, a Chinese cooking instructor and author. The cost is $40 which includes your food. It is offered about once a month on Saturdays. This is a great class that will introduce you to a big variety of dim sum. You will sit at a table with 7 or 8 other students and sample new dishes, learn about the cuisine, chat, and generally have a good time. Dorothy is very good to choose items that newcomers to dim sum will most likely enjoy. It is because of this class that I fell in love with dim sum. You get a handout so you can make notes of your favorite items. After everyone is stuffed, there is a tour of Hong Kong City Mall, with most of the attention at the grocery store, where you can learn which foods to buy if you have an interest in making Chinese food at home.
Fung's Kitchen Dim sum from carts on weekends, menu on weekdays
New Chinatown/Sharpstown Key map 530G 713-779-2288
7320 SW Freeway (N side) between Bellaire and Fondren
Restaurant hours Sun-Thurs 10:30a-10p; Fri-Sat 10:30a-11p
Dim Sum hours: M-Sa 10:30a-3p; Sun 10a-3p www.fungskitchen.com
Small $1.95 Medium $2.89 Large $3.95 Wine and beer. BYOB
This large, upscale, chandelier-dotted restaurant rivals Ocean Palace, and many prefer it. Our visits have yielded excellent dim sum, with a nice presentation. Service can be attentive, by English-speaking servers, but is often not. On weekdays, dim sum is ordered from a menu, there is a good selection, and food arrival is quick and efficient. On the weekends, dim sum is by cart.
Besides a variety of dim sum, there is an extensive list of other menu items. They range in price from inexpensive to outrageously expensive. Dinner is better than lunch and the pricier items are better than the cheap ones. This is truly an authentic Hong-Kong style restaurant, so when you are here, try their fresh shellfish or other seafood, or get their dim sum. Go someplace else if you simply want to get a boring noodle dish that you can get at a million other places; it will be cheaper anywhere else.
Gigi's Asian Bistro & Dumpling Bar Dim sum from menu
Galleria Key map 491U 713-629-8889
5085 Westheimer in the Galleria
Enter from inside the mall or from the street, next to Del Frisco's Steak House
Sun-Thurs 11:30a-10p; Fri-Sat 11:30a-11p Full Bar
This new restaurant has the nicest setting of all the restaurants we've tried that serve dim sum, but it also has the highest price tag. The chic Asian décor and pleasant ambiance makes for a nice date or to entertain out-of-town guests. There are separate private rooms if you are with a group.
The dim sum menu is limited to only 8 items, and cost three times what you'll pay anyplace else in Houston. I recommend that you skip the dim sum here and get a salad, entree and/or dessert instead - they are that good, and better than the dim sum and the soups. Pad Thai, at $15, is one of the least expensive entrees, and is truly the best I've ever had. The crispy baby snapper is delicious. The jackfruit crème brulee and molten chocolate cake are great to finish. Everything served is beautifully presented.
Dim sum cart service and a dumpling bar are expected to develop in the future.
Kim Son 2 locations serve dim sum Not Recommended for dim sum
Stafford 12750 SW Fwy 281-242-3500 Serves dim sum on weekends 10a-3p
New Chinatown 10603 Bellaire between Wilcrest and Beltway 8 281-598-1777
Neither location is recommended for their dim sum. Some years back, around 2005, it was good, but in the last two years it has become bland and tasteless, and the service is horrible. Oddly, the buffet at the Chinatown location on Bellaire is a much better choice than their dim sum. The buffet has a great variety of items, including, but not limited to, hot pot cooking. A hot pot is a broth filled pot with a heat source underneath for tabletop cooking. You share it with your family or friends at your table; and choose your own meats and vegetables from the buffet, cooking them yourself at your leisure.
There is a popular Kim Son location in the downtown area, on Jefferson, that serves a huge variety of Vietnamese cuisine, but it's not reviewed here since they don't serve dim sum.
New Golden Palace 8520 Bellaire 713-776-8808 Not Recommended
There are better places to go than this restaurant. The food is very inconsistent, and fair at best. Service is hit-or-miss.
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