So, I found myself down under in Australia, right? And after a while, you just get that craving. You know the one. For some proper dim sum, or yum cha as they sometimes call it here.
It wasn’t like I had a specific place recommended. I just sort of asked around, checked online a bit, but you never really know until you try it yourself. Ended up picking a place in one of the bigger city Chinatowns. Seemed busy enough, which is usually a good sign, isn’t it?
Getting Started
Walked in around lunchtime on a weekend. Place was buzzing. Loud, lots of chatter, families everywhere. Exactly the kind of chaos I actually like for dim sum. Felt kinda authentic, you know? Got shown to a table pretty quick, squished in between a few others.
Then the main event started – the trolleys. Man, I love the trolley system. None of that quiet ordering off a menu stuff for me, not for dim sum anyway. I like seeing the steam coming off the baskets, pointing at what looks good. The ladies pushing the carts were yelling out the names, mostly in Cantonese I reckon. Didn’t understand much but you get the gist.
The Food Situation
Okay, so what did I actually eat? Went for the classics first.
- Har Gow (Prawn Dumplings): These are always the first test. They were pretty good! Skin wasn’t too thick, decent amount of prawn. Passed the test.
- Siu Mai (Pork & Prawn Dumplings): Also solid. Juicy, good flavour. No complaints there.
- Char Siu Bao (BBQ Pork Buns): These were okay. The bun was fluffy enough, but the filling? A bit on the sweet side for me, and maybe not as much pork as I’d hoped. Still ate ’em though.
- Lo Bak Go (Turnip Cake): Got this pan-fried. Had that nice crispy edge, soft inside. Pretty tasty, actually.
- Fung Zhao (Chicken Feet): Yeah, I went there. Love these things. They were decent, flavour was right, maybe could have been a touch softer, but still good.
Tried a few other bits and pieces, some steamed greens to feel healthy, some Cheung Fun (rice noodle rolls). Mostly, it was all pretty decent. Nothing absolutely mind-blowing that made me rethink my life, but definitely hit the spot.
Final Thoughts
The tea flowed freely, they kept topping it up. The bill came, stamped all over the place with what we ate. Wasn’t super cheap, but not crazy expensive either for a city centre spot.
So, dim sum in Australia? Yeah, it works. It felt familiar. The atmosphere was right, the food was mostly good. Maybe some dishes were slightly different from what I’ve had elsewhere, maybe slightly adapted, but that’s okay. It’s like anywhere, you get good spots and average spots.
This place? It was a solid B+. Did the job, satisfied the craving. Would I go back? Yeah, probably. Or maybe I’ll try somewhere else next time, keep exploring. That’s half the fun, right? Finding those hidden gems.