So the question for many first timers or people who are not familiar with the deal, is ‘what should I order and where to begin?’

Here is my top 5 pick of the most classic, most popular must eat dim sums for first timers and seasoned yum cha pros alike:

1. BBQ pork bun /char siu bao (cha-seu-bao)

   

   Next on this list is something savoury yet sweet at the same time – barbequed pork buns. This one is also another classic and is my grandpa’s favourite – he orders it every time at yum cha (which is nearly every day for him).  Remember to peel off the cooking paper at the bottom of the bun before you eat! Don’t laugh, it happens, my uncle thought the paper was part of the bun until he met my aunt.

2. Egg Tart / Dan Tart (darn-tard)

   

   And finally something sweet to finish off the meal! Due to the 100 years of British occupation of HK, you can’t expect to not have at least one HK/British fusion dish at Yum Cha! This is it – an adaptation of the custard tart – this Chinese version uses fluffy, light flaky pastry and is baked with soft creamy egg filling inside.  Some even say that you haven’t had yum cha until you finished off with some dan tart.
   

When you’re done with all the eating, make sure you flush it all down with a bit of hot tea, sit back , relax and the rest of the day.

The post Top 5 must eat Dim Sum at Yum Cha appeared first on Yum Cha Guide.

They serve more than 30 different types of Dim Sums but here are the top 5 dishes that we liked the most at Dim Sum Bar:

1. Baked abalone and chicken pastry

Baked abalone and chicken pastry is one of the signature dishes at Dim Sum Bar in Tsim Sha Tsui HK

This luxurious dish uses chicken pieces that have been soaked in rich abalone sauce that takes 6 hours to cook and is combo-ed with an entire abalone, all contained in a crispy, buttery tart pastry – similar to that of the pastry in custard tart.  The abalone on top has a soft chewy texture and the chicken pieces having soaked up all the abalone sauce provides an extra kick of ‘abalone’ flavour. The pastry is crunchy yet still crumbles in the mouth without hurting the gums and provides the perfect textural contrast to the soft chewy abalone.  Few restaurants in Hong Kong serve this dish.

This gem is priced at $58HKD each so if you are one of those who can get your money’s worth at a buffet you might want to consider their all-you-can-eat sessions at night where you pay $188HKD and get one tart plus a few other signature dishes which makes it worth while.

2. Steamed Cheong fun

It’s an interesting remake of the traditional dish ‘steamed cheong fun with ja leung’

This dish is a remake of the traditional dish ‘steamed cheong fun with ja leung’ (savory bread stick wrapped with rice paper).  The Chef swaps the traditional bread stick with a light, crispy rice nest with crunchy bits of prawns and veges resulting in a more complex texture and exciting flavours compared to the traditional dish.  The rice paper in this dish was thin and delicate with a subtle rice flavour. It takes a lot of skills to make thin yet chewy rice paper rolls.

3. Steamed king’s siu mai with truffle

These siu mai as they are slightly bigger in size and are topped with truffle which complimented the siu mai fillings

This was one of the juicier Siu Mai that we’ve had in a while, juice literally burst out of the Siu Mai and landed in the bowl. The truffle on top of the Siu Mai worked really well bringing out the flavours of the prawn and pork. Usually siu mai are served in sets of 4 in a bamboo steam tray but this comes by itself in one steam tray as it’s slightly larger than the average siu mai.  And have we mentioned that it’s extra juicy?!

4. Braised chicken feet in abalone sauce

There are many ways to do chicken feet, this one is braised in abalone sauce (an expensive ingredient used in Chinese cooking) and is super soft and easy to eat.

You can’t go yum cha without eating chicken feet  This stuff is a great source for collagen which is good for your skin and bones!  Chicken feet are commonly cooked in black bean and garlic sauce but this dish uses abalone sauce, which is  a step up from the usual black bean and garlic sauce. The chicken feet were particular soft from the braising so the skin fell off the bone as soon we put it in our mouth.

5. Baked cream buns

Left to right: almond cream, taro cream and char siu (not cream). These buns are slightly crunchy on the top and fluffy inside.

These cream buns come in 4 different flavours: chocolate, almond cream, taro and char siu.  The bun is done in Mexican style – Conchas which has a sweet and crunchy crust. The filling inside is very creamy, similar to thick custard and slightly on the sweet side.

Other dishes

– king’s dumplings in lobster bisque: (best to eat this as soon as it arrives at the table as the dumpling skin will go soggy if left sitting around for too long)

King prawn dumplings place in a tomato based lobster soup, this dish is also one of the few signature dishes at Dim Sum Bar

– Pork siu mai with a quail egg, Dim Sum Bar is not all about creative dishes as this is a classic/traditional dim sum dish:

Pork siu mai topped with a quail egg. Note that quail eggs are quite high in colesteral though!

– Braised fish maw and chicken in hua diao – this is a another traditional dim sum dish that uses Hua Diao Jiu. Hua Diao jiu has a special taste and is a type of rice wine that is made in ShaoXing near Zhejiang (next to Shanghai region):

Chicken pieces cooked in hua diao (a type of rice wine) with Goji (a type of berry) – this is a traditional dish

Interior:

The restaurant deco feels fresh, clean and modern, we also checked their kitchen out and it’s pretty clean!!

How to get there:

Dim Sum Bar gmap

Restaurant details:

Hours: 9am-11pm daily

Location: Shop G103, Ground Floor, Gateway Arcade, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Ph: +852 2175 3100

Which dish did you find the most interesting? Tell us in the comments section below! 

The post Dim Sum Bar @ Tsim Sha Tsui HK appeared first on Yum Cha Guide.