Archive | Dim sum RSS feed for this section

dim sum bar

2 Nov

Over the past few months, Café Deco Group has been busy increasing its repertoire of yummy restaurants and I had the pleasure of visiting one of them on Monday night. dim sum bar, over on what we have established is actually not-such-a-dark side, opened its doors in Harbour City at the end of August, serving its namesake both in the form of old trusty classics and interesting modern treats. Behold my second dim sum review on The Dim Sum Diaries…

dim sum bar is by no means your average dim sum restaurant. With its modern interior and no trace of the oh so classy chandeliers we know to associate with dim sum restaurants, dim sum bar gives off more of a clean, organised feel, whilst still maintaining the casual, down to earth café vibe. Dishes are presented in an elegant manner, with some even served in tiny individual bamboo steamers.

Steamed Siu Mai with Truffle

Whilst old favourites such as char siu bao, char siu cheong fun and pork and shrimp siu mai can be found on the menu, it’s worth branching out and trying dim sum bar’s signature dishes which you certainly won’t find on any other dim sum menu.

Steamed Cheong Fun rolled with Crispy Rice Nest and Seafood

The cheong fun with crispy rice nest and seafood is delicious; an unusual yet perfect contrast between the soft doughy rice noodle and the crispy rice nest. Even more delicious in my opinion, however, is the steamed cheong fun with fresh scallops; perfectly cooked scallops and chunks of choi sum that simply melt in the mouth.

dim sum bar’s version of a turnip cake comes as a deliciously gooey turnip base topped with a crispy shrimp paste. Admittedly this didn’t look incredibly appealing but tasted divine. Siu mai is also prepared with an interesting twist: beautifully presented as pictured above, dim sum bar’s siu mai is topped with finely chopped and very delicately flavoured truffle in place of the standard roe.

King's Dumplings in Lobster Bisque

The King’s dumplings in lobster bisque are a real treat: luxury har gao filled with prawns and incredibly tender lobster submerged in a wonderfully smooth and creamy soup.

Even the fried rice comes with a twist; traditional Cantonese fried rice with shrimps, wrapped in a fresh lotus leaf. Although it was just a little on the dry side, I can never get enough chow fan.

Baked Chocolate Cream Bun

Save space for dim sum bar’s signature cream buns (and signature baked char siu buns which are as delicious as expected) as these are out of this world. I have always thought that dim sum should also come in sweet form and even considered opening a dim sum desserts restaurant! dim sum bar offers a couple of options that would fit right in to my dream restaurant: baked almond cream buns and baked chocolate cream buns. I tried the almond one first; the sweet, warm almond cream immediately delighted my taste buds. It was, however, after a few mouthfuls just a tad too sweet for my liking so I could only manage half. The chocolate bun was amazing; not too sweet, not too sickly, just warm, comforting, delicious chocolate which oozed out of the fluffy, crumbly bun. Why don’t all dim sum restaurants serve these?

Other desserts include all-time favourite mango pudding, black sesame soup and papaya and almond pudding amongst others.

The service at dim sum bar is very good and the waiters are all very friendly, differing from a lot of Hong Kong’s dim sum joints. Prices range from $15 to $85 per dish so are very affordable for upmarket dim sum.

If you love dim sum but get a little bored (if that’s even possible) of the bog standard dishes and fancy something to get your taste buds tingling that little bit more, then make the “trek” to TST and try dim sum bar, even if it’s just to satisfy your chocolate cravings and taste the baked chocolate cream bun!

dim sum bar

Shop G103, G/F Gateway Arcade
Harbour City
Tsim Sha Tsui
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2175 3100

Date visited: Monday 31st October 2011

The Grand Stage at Western Market

23 Aug

I am very aware that I call my blog The Dim Sum Diaries and yet there is not a single dim sum review on here. There isn’t really an excuse for it other than that I always go back to the same dim sum restaurants and it is generally against the ethos of my blog to write about an already visited restaurant. I have begun to rectify this by trying The Grand Stage at Western Market.

Western Market, completed in 1906, is the oldest surviving market building in Hong Kong. Obviously it has been renovated a couple of times, but it still maintains the beautiful Edwardian structure, with classical red brick and granite façades and a high ceiling.

The Grand Stage on the second floor is quite an amazing setting, looking out over the few market stalls still in existence. Apart from the all-important chandeliers, it is very different to any other dim sum restaurant in town. There is less hustle and bustle, no need to queue for a table (in fact we were given a table for seven without any delay), and the food is generally presented in a more fancy manner, though not at too much of a price difference.

I think we ordered enough food to serve an army, yet looking through the menu now, I notice things I wish we had ordered. This is always the case with dim sum as no matter how much you order, you never seem to even make a dent in the menu. I always prefer to go in a bigger group, however, as the waiters don’t give you as many dirty looks for ordering far too much food and not eating it (though more often than not, even in a small group, Gweilos will make a pretty good job of finishing it all!).

Highlights at The Grand Stage were poached pork and vegetable wontons in chilli oil, xiao long bao (always a winner), pan-fried turnip cake (essential choice), pan-fried pork buns in Japanese style and har cheong fun (in this case as individual portions with one whole prawn inside rather than pathetic little ones).

I wasn’t too impressed with their egg custard buns, even though they did attempt to make them fancy by adding a touch of grated coconut. The filling just didn’t ooze quite enough for my liking. I like a lot of ooze. The sautéed snap beans with minced pork weren’t wonderful either, as there was too much oil and not enough pork.

Just as in many HK dim sum eateries, the waiters don’t speak amazing English, although they do try their best, and service is passable. Including a tip, we paid $200 each. Obviously you can get dim sum for cheaper in other places, but the atmosphere at The Grand Stage is really worth it. I would recommend it to show off to visitors as an alternative to the fun and lively City Hall, another of my favourites.

Craving something sweet and unable to resist Honeymoon Desserts on the ground floor of Western Market, we popped in there for some mango pudding, mango dumplings and mango sago. So worth the extra calories. Although calories don’t count on a Sunday anyway.

The Grand Stage

2/F Western Market
323 Des Voeux Road
Central
Hong Kong

Tel: +853 2815 2311

Date visited: Sunday 21st August 2011

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 388 other followers