Dim Sum

Leslie Williams searches out the hard-core DS in Dublin

Dim Sum, the Chinese tradition of small, snack-style dishes is literally translated as "so close to the heart" and is a speciality of Cantonese cuisine in the Southern part of China. Dim Sum is always served with tea and originated in the tea houses along the Silk Road. Dim Sum is very much a daytime tradition and is not usually available after 6pm except as a series of starters.

For the purposes of this article I visited four Dublin restaurants and, thanks to the recommendations of a Cambodian friend, I discovered two absolute gems. All the restaurants were good but some dishes were outstanding. Generally dim sum costs in the region of 3.50-4.00 euros per serving (usually 3-4 bite-sized pieces) and a very satisfying meal for two plus a child will cost between 35 and 45 euro (excluding wine but including lots of tea and a couple of beers).

Traditionally the Chinese begin with steamed dishes and move on to the sautéed and deep fried dishes, and finally the sweet dishes. Steamed dishes include various dumplings, buns and round and crescent shaped transparent skinned dumplings (har gao) made with glutenless flour and stuffed with pork, shrimp, prawns or perhaps peanuts and green vegetables. Buns are sometimes stuffed with savoury things such as char siu (roast pork) but more often with sweet custard or mango.

Deep fried dishes include won tons, spring rolls (often Vietnamese style), deep fried squid and prawns in tempura or won ton style batter, deep fried tofu balls and yam croquettes.

Many dishes are served with their own dipping sauces - sweet and sour, oyster sauce, soy and ginger, orange flower water and chilli.

Tea is an absolute must and goes far better than wine with the dishes. Eating dim sum without tea is like eating chips without salt and vinegar. The Chinese generally say they are going for yum cha (to take tea) when they mean they are going for dim sum. If beer is on offer a bottle of Tsing Tao or Tiger beer goes extremely well with the dim sum but make sure to order a pot of tea as well.

The Imperial on Wicklow Street is one of the longest established Chinese restaurants in the city and has been my regular haunt over the past few years when I have craved dim sum. The large number of Chinese eating in the restaurant always bodes well but I have noticed that most are not eating dim sum. The brusqueness (some would even say rudeness) of the staff is the only obstacle here but the dim sum is of very good quality with particular mention going to the deep fried squid and prawns plus the Cheung Fun and the sweet steamed buns. I tried their steamed chicken feet in black bean sauce and it was good if a little strange at first. The chicken feet are deep fried and then steamed and served in a spicy or savoury sauce. The dim sum menu here is one of the longest and most varied with a good selection from all parts of the dim sum spectrum. They are tolerant of children and are usually too busy to care what they are up to as long as they are not tripping up the waiters. The best policy to adopt for the brusqueness is to simply ignore it and pretend you haven't noticed; though for those trying out dim sum for the first time it can be an intimidating place as staff are usually too busy to explain the menu.

Next we returned to the Good World restaurant on South Great Georges Street, another old favourite of ours and as popular with the Chinese community as Dubliners. Staff here are very friendly and although our waitress did admonish me once or twice (for example for trying to help clear dishes) it was done with charm and, I felt, for my own good!! Our two year old had his blond curls rubbed by each member of staff as they passed as well as by a number of (Chinese) customers. He gobbled up his child size portion of prawn crackers (for which I don't think we were charged) and used the chopsticks as drum sticks, and was quite happy with all the attention he received.

The dim sum here was generally good and the char siu cheung fun probably my favourite dish of the meal. Our deep-fried squid and Vietnamese spring rolls were crispy and delicate and were well complemented by the dipping sauces. Yam croquette (deep fried crispy stuffed sweet potato) was unusual and interesting with a lovely light creamy texture. Shanghai meat dumplings were richly savoury and full flavoured with good meaty texture and excellent with the dipping sauce. Deep fried fish cake was a thin chewy disk flavoured with lemon rind and prawns and star anise. The chewy texture was unusual but it had good flavour and was a nice contrast to the other dishes we ordered. The fried rice we ordered to accompany the dim sum was good if not excellent. Beer is not served in the Good World but there is an extensive wine list and of course perfect green tea.

The following week, thanks to a recommendation, we travelled to Blanchardstown Shopping Centre to visit the Ming Court which is beside McDonalds and Xtravision. Our waitress recognised us, as she had been one of the customers rubbing the curls of our two year old in the Good World the previous week. Staff here were also friendly and quite welcoming to the small blond fella but there was less curls rubbing. The restaurant is upstairs (lift access for wheelchairs) with good light and a more relaxed atmosphere compared to the bustling Imperial and Good World.

The food here was a revelation. I had never tasted such crispy won tons (each stuffed with a generous tiger prawn) or such delicate dumplings. My favourite dish, and one of the nicest things I have ever tasted in my entire life, was called fun quoi; a light as a feather crispy delight with a moist shrimp filling that was rich flavoured while still being light and delicate. The Deep-fried bean curd was good and the Vietnamese spring rolls were the best I have ever tasted. The fried rice was also the best I have ever tasted and the Shanghai dumplings and har gao dumplings were also very good. My steamed custard buns were moist, sweet and sticky and a good finish to the meal. My only quibble was the cheung fun which arrived a little cool. The Ming Court also serves beer (I had a Tsing Tao) and has an acceptable wine list.

The following Sunday we were in The New Millenium beside the Gaiety Theatre on South King Street and this was perhaps the most interesting of all. For a start all the staff (we had encounters with about 6) were some of the most charming I have ever met and the whole experience rivals the best restaurant experiences we have ever had. They were delighted with our 2 year old and kept coming over to talk to him, make funny faces, rub his hair, tweak his nose etc. The food is very good with the emphasis on steamed dishes rather than on deep-fried so it will appeal particularly to the tastes of more adventurous diners. Steamed pork dumplings were excellent with good rich meaty flavour while still remaining light. Har gao (crescent shaped translucent dumplings) stuffed with peanuts and green vegetables and fun guoi (flat transparent dumplings) stuffed with pork and peanuts and vegetables were also excellent. The one deep fried dish we ordered was deep fried tofu but what arrived was deep fried prawn (or the most cunningly disguised tofu I have ever tasted!) and was truly excellent as was the dipping sauce.

I had been told by my Cambodian friend to try the chicken feet in spicy sauce and they were indeed excellent. Flavoured with Chinese 5 spice and in a delicately spicy, mildly hot sauce; they were moist and full of flavour. I ate them all (something that can't be said for the black bean sauce ones from the Imperial) and one of the staff members even convinced Caitriona to try a bit. The taste is mostly that of the skin but they are definitely worth trying, and no, you don't eat the bones (though they are quite soft and some do enjoy crunching them). Next time I promise I will try the steamed tripe or the chicken and fish maw or the duck feet - though perhaps not all three together! The New Millenium is perfect for hard-core dim sum addicts out there but don't let me put novices off as the steamed dishes (and the fried dish we tried) were all excellent. The staff were incomparable on the day we visited and very helpful in explaining how the dishes were cooked. One nice touch was that it never occurred to them to offer us cutlery as they assumed we knew what we were doing with the chopsticks and our fingers - the most satisfying way to eat dim sum. Tiger beer is served here also but not Tsing Tao. As we left they presented the two year old with a small packet of jellybeans - much to his delight.

In conclusion; go to the Ming Court for the deep fried dishes, to the New Millenium to be adventurous and to be charmed, to the Good World for the cheung fun and to the Imperial for the range of dishes on offer.

Imperial Chinese Restaurant, 12a Wicklow Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 677 2580

Good World Chinese Restaurant, 18 South Great Georges Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 5775373

Ming Court Chinese Restaurant, unit 453, Blanchardstown Centre, Dublin 15. Tel: 824 3388 / 824 3372

New Millenium Chinese Restaurant, 51 South Kings Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 635 1525

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