Dim Sum

Dim Sum
Sing Woo Road, Happy Valley Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2834 8893


If you ever have the great fortune to find yourself in Hong Kong, Pearl of the Orient, then you absolutely must head down to this incredibly popular and renowned restaurant.

Located in Happy Valley, a short walk from the racecourse, this little restaurant serves dim sum all day and all night. Dim sum is traditionally eaten at lunchtime so it is pretty rare to find a place in Hong Kong serving it all day.

The restaurant was very popular when we lived in Hong Kong and on a return trip eight years later it remains as full as ever so they are doing something right. The restaurant does not take reservations, you have to turn up, give your name to one of the girls running around and then wait your turn. On a Saturday or Sunday lunchtime you may have to wait for up to an hour.

Inside this small restaurant tables are packed in whilst booths run down one wall. There are lots of carved rosewood tables, panels and chairs and old Chinese cigarette adverts adorn the walls. It’s all very 1930’s Shanghai.

Gweilos are given a big picture book with all the dishes in it and you place your order by filling in a little card by ticking the numbers that correspond to the pictures you like! The food is absolutely fabulous; the dishes probably lean more towards northern Chinese cuisine but all the old favourites are there, and they are very, very good.

They have a good selection of teas, though Gweilos tend to be served a pot of jasmine unless you ask for something different. You should try the ‘bo lay’ or the ‘tie guan yin’.

The food comes at you pretty fast and furious, lots of little bamboo steamers filled with divine morsels or little plates with their fried pastries or dumplings. Once you have managed to get your table you can sit and linger as long as you want, and you can keep ordering more if the mood takes you. Even though this is considered expensive for dim sum you will be very pleasantly surprised how cheap it is, certainly compared to eating out in Dubai.

This place is one of my most favourite restaurants in the world, a trip to Hong Kong would be wasted if you didn’t stop in here for lunch. Trust me on this!