Dimdimsum Hong Kong: A Taste of Dim Sum Heaven
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| This was taken at the Jordan branch (the first of all branches). |
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| All of their branches have this Newsweek post. This was awarded to them in the year 2012. You have to admit, though, the mere picture of Anthony Bourdain (bless his soul) there would definitely pull you in! |
Whenever I go to Hong Kong, I
never fail to visit a branch of this restaurant. This dim sum place is, for me,
the closest that you can get to dim sum heaven! As a person who counts dim sum, and Chinese
food in general, as among her favorites and who never fails to check out any
newly-opened Chinese restaurant and/or dim sum place in the metro, I would have
to say that the dim sum of Dimdimsum Hong Kong (or “Dimdim” as we’d like to
call it as the whole name is quite a mouthful) is a cut above the rest. It’s
even better than a Michelin-starred dim sum restaurant that opened in the
Philippines a few years back but whose long queues have since died down.
Before I proceed to a list of my favorites, please take note of the following tips:
1. Similar with other
restaurants in Hong Kong, most of the staff are not friendly. If you’re used to
waitpersons in the Philippines who’d greet you as soon as you enter and serve you with a smile, expect the opposite here. Some of the staff act as
if they don’t want you there and that the sooner you leave, the better. Don’t
take such attitude to heart, though. This is just how they are in Hong Kong. But I would have to say that the branch nearest the place of
my sister (Hung Hom branch) is an exception. They always look happy to see us
every time we go there. This is probably because they already know my sister
and brother-in-law (both based in Hong Kong) as they are regulars there.
2. Since this is
a well-known restaurant in Hong Kong, expect a long queue, especially during
lunch break and dinner time. Also, be prepared to share your
table. Don’t expect to solely occupy a four-seater table when there’s only
three in your company.
3. Be on the
lookout, and always ask the staff, for their special deals. They sometimes give
out discounts when you dine on certain times of the day.
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| Note the "Cash Only" and 20% off (from 2PM - 6PM) signage. |
4. Ask for the
“English menu with pictures”. They’d usually just give you a list of viands
where you will indicate, opposite each item, how many you will order. While the
list describes each of the item, it’s different when you actually have an idea
of what the food will look like.
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| Order/Price list as of August 2018. |
5. Tea is HKD3 (PhP20.70)*
per person. While you may have gotten used to complimentary tea in Chinese
restaurants in the Philippines, there is no such thing here. We actually
don’t mind shelving these extra dollars as they are very generous in serving
their unlimited tea. We also use their tea in cleaning the utensils by soaking
them in this piping hot concoction before using them.
6. They only
accept cash and octopus card.
7. DO NOT FORGET TO ASK FOR LOTS OF SOY SAUCE AND CHILI SAUCE. There's something about their soy sauce that brings out, and intensifies, the flavor of their dim sums. It has the right amount of saltiness so you don't need to add any lime or lemon.
7. DO NOT FORGET TO ASK FOR LOTS OF SOY SAUCE AND CHILI SAUCE. There's something about their soy sauce that brings out, and intensifies, the flavor of their dim sums. It has the right amount of saltiness so you don't need to add any lime or lemon.
While Dimdim has a vast selection of dim sums/rice toppings, and though I cannot say that I've tasted everything on their menu, the following are my favorites (so far):
1.Crispy Rice Flour Rolls with Shrimp ( HKD32/P220.80)
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| Single order of Crispy Rice Flour Rolls with Shrimp. |
I am simply wowed by this! It is made up of shrimps, vegetables and crisps (made of egg whites maybe) wrapped in rice flour. The rice flour wrap is silky smooth and thin that you'd get your fill of the generous serving of the contents of each square. Dip this dim sum in Dimdims's soy sauce and I assure you that, once you put it in your mouth, your taste buds will do somersaults!This is a crispy delight that you definitely must not miss here!
2. Seafood Stuffed Hot Peppers (HKD 25/PhP172.50)
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3. Seafood Stuffed Eggplant with Teriyaki Sauce (HKD24/PhP165.60)
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| Photo not mine. Credits to the owner of the pic; grabbed from tripadvisor.com |
The stuffing, sesame seeds and sauce are the same as that of the Seafood Stuffed Peppers. Since it has eggplant as its base, it has no tint of spiciness. The eggplants are also reasonably sized. Since this is almost the same as the Seafood Stuffed Peppers, we'd usually just order either of the two (the Seafood Stuffed Peppers most of the time as each order has 4 pieces, haha!). But please do try this one also.
4. Egg White, Shrimp and Vegetable Dumplings (HKD25/PhP172.50)
Please don't hate me when I say that I wasn't much of a fan of the xiaolongbao of Din Tai Fung after trying it out when they opened their first store in the Philippines (at SM Megamall) to much fanfare (to each his own, right?). I remember telling myself then that I would much rather prefer this particular dim sum of Dimdim over the xialongbao of Din Tai Fung. I have since called the Egg White, Shrimp and Vegetable Dumplings of Dimdim as the "better-version xiaolongbao".While this dim sum does not resemble a xialongbao in appearance and content (as it has shrimp instead of pork), I like to compare this with xiaolongbao since it is also a broth-filled dumpling.
Each dumpling has generous amounts of shrimp, vegetables and tasteful broth/soup. One tip my sister gave me is not to dip this in soy sauce as the soy sauce would overwhelm the succulence of the broth/soup inside the dumpling.
5. Shrimp and Pork Dumplings with Crab Roe (Siu Mai) (HKD30/PhP207.00)
Siu Mai (or "siomai" in the Philippines) will always be among my favorite dumplings. As I've already tried the siomais of various Chinese restaurants, I can definitely say that this version of Dimdim does not disappoint. It's made of pure meat and shrimp, with crab eggs on top as added bonus. I don't think there was any taste of meat extenders in Dimdim's Siu Mai. While you may find this a bit expensive by Philippine standards considering that a 4-piece siomai is just less than PhP50.00 in Hen Lin, the size and taste/quality of the siomai of Dimdim is, without doubt, worth its price!
6. Chicken Feet and Spareribs on Steamed Rice (HKD30/207.00)
As a person who eats a lot of rice as part of a staple diet, I almost never miss ordering a rice meal when eating out. While I have never really liked chicken feet, I do like Dimdim's version of it. The meat and skin are very soft and tender and I enjoy eating the chewy cartilage of the chicken feet. Added are their delicious spareribs, plus one or two stalks of vegetables, and each bowl makes for a surely satisfying delicacy!
7. BBQ Pork Buns (Cha Siu Bao) (HKD18/PhP124.20)
Siopao ("Filipino pork bun") has always been my favorite merienda ("snack"). You would never get shortchanged with this snack as you'd get both proteins and carbohydrates, just enough so you won't get hungry for the rest of the day. I can honestly say that the Cha Siu Bao of Dimdim's is above par compared with the siopaos I've tried from other Chinese restaurants. Each order has three soft buns with ample filling of bbq pork. I like that its pork filling is very tasty and has just the right amount of sweetness.
I'm sure the rest of the dimsums of Dimdim are equally tasteful, but I just can't get enough of those that I listed. The fact that the prices of Dimdim are reasonable, it has considerable number of branches that are easy to locate and, most especially, its savory, satisfactory and unforgettable food, these would all make you want to go back and eat there again and again. After eating here, you'll just come to the conclusion that you have to eat here again. I myself can't wait to go back. Writing this article, I can already sense my taste buds sending signals to my mind to plan the next food trip in Dimdim!!
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