dim sum bar: A Fresh Take on Dim Sum in TST

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 fairly standard 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, GW, Gateway Arcade, Harbour City, 17 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
2175 3100 www.cafedecogroup.com/outlet.php?oid=43&name=dimsumbar

Read more about Alejandra’s adventures through food (and love of yum cha) in Hong Kong on her fab blog, The Dim Sum Diaries!