Hong Kong: Adventures in Dim Sum

We stood there like typical tourists, a bewildered look on our faces. We were wondering if this was in fact the place the hotel desk clerk was referring to when she told us where to get dim sum for breakfast. We had just arrived at the hotel at about 8:30 am and although I had a list a mile long of recommended dim sum restaurants we were both too exhausted, hungry and still too disoriented to set out to find them just yet.

We knew right away there would be little English at this place and while we enjoy jumping feet first into other cultures, Chinese is a whole different ball game. I mean, you can’t make any type of wild guess at what words mean when reading the language. Whereas with languages like Portuguese or French you might recognize a word even if you don’t know the language much at all.

We were about to leave when what turned out to be one of the most adorable waitresses I’ve encountered greeted us in English. We asked if they had dim sum and she said yes as she seated us at a table with two women and one man. The place was obviously popular with an older group, like a retiree hangout. We were quickly welcomed without reservation.

Right away the group tried to show us how to prepare for our meal by cleaning the tea cup and chopsticks. Unable to understand, the woman next to me finally grabbed all my things and did it for me and then gestured for me to show my husband. We all laughed with each other in that way only a true language barrier can create.

They motioned for us to try our chopsticks and smiled and gave us the thumbs up when we succeeded which I have to admit was not an easy task. I am used to using my lightweight bamboo chopsticks at home and these things were heavy and not to mention a bit slippery. I’m sure I made quite a few faux pas as I tried my best.

Next we were given a lesson in the language as we were instructed to repeat the names of dishes. I received some nods, smiles and tiny cheers as I sounded my way through pronouncing them.

Fortunately, there was a menu available with English and although it wasn’t the official menu for the time we were there, they allowed us to select from it. We jumped right in and picked a variety of things. Some we’d had before, others were new and one was unidentifiable. Not bad for your first meal in a brand new country.

Along with the BBQ pork buns pictured above we ordered another favorite, steamed shrimp dumplings. The pork buns were some of the best I’ve had because they were not overly sweet. I’ve had some before that are more similar to a dessert, but these had a balanced savory flavor. The shrimp dumplings need little description. Hot and steamy, filled with tender shrimp surrounded by a delicately chewy dumpling exterior, they rank as my favorite dim sum dish.

Then this is where things got confusing. We thought we ordered steamed chicken with yam, but ended up with some rolls which can be seen in the photo above. It definitely wasn’t a disappointment, they were very good, filled with vegetables and shrimp, but I’m not exactly sure of all the ingredients.

Speaking of not knowing the ingredients our unidentifiable selection was quite interesting. It was listed as assorted meats wrapped in bamboo with oyster sauce. When it arrived, the um, meats, were certainly assorted. Actually I think the proper translation for the menu should have been meat parts. It included a piece of imitation crab and a piece of ham, the rest looked to be animal fat or cartilage of one variety or another. We ate what we could identify and tasted what we couldn’t. The flavor was actually very good, but the texture kept us from downing the whole thing.

Last, but not least, I have to show you my new favorite – pan-fried pumpkin cakes. Apparently, you can take me away from October and autumn in Kentucky, but you can’t take the pumpkin from me. These little bundles were fantastic. They had a crunchy outside layer and were filled with a thick, sweet paste on the inside.

The responsible traveler in me can’t even tell you exactly what the name of this place was as we didn’t see an official translated name. I can tell you it is on the third floor of the Emperor shopping plaza on Wan Chai road though.

As we were leaving I told my husband that dim sum experts may not have recommended that as the best in town, but nothing could compare to diving in with that cultural experience right from the start of our visit to Hong Kong.