Dim Sum: Culinary Vertigo in Hong Kong

Last month, me and Cez headed to Hong Kong to meet up with fellow travel bloggers – Audrey of That Backpacker and Sam of Nomadic Samuel. We met at the Central Station from where we walked to Audrey’s favorite Dim Sum restaurant called Dim Sum Square where I had one of the best food in Hong Kong.

Dim Sum Restaurant, Hong Kong
Dim Sum Restaurant, Hong Kong

The Restaurant

The restaurant Dim Sum Square (聚點坊) is located at 88 Jervois St, Sheung Wan in Hong Kong. It is a very small but cozy place where you can get a great variety of dim sum dishes, freshly prepared in a few minutes.

Inside the Dim Sum Square Restaurant
Inside the Dim Sum Square Restaurant

Once you sit down at your table, there is a menu in front of you from where you can order your dim sum. The menu is written both in English and Cantonese so you will not have any problems reading it. There are also pictures of food attached so you can see what you are ordering.

Dim Sum Square Restaurant, Hong Kong
Dim Sum Square Restaurant, Hong Kong

You will be given a clean bowl, teaspoon and a pair of chopsticks. While waiting for your order to be processed, you can have a cup of hot tea which is free of charge. The restaurant has some great reviews on the Internet. It is considered as “Everyone’s favorite place for dim sum in da hood”. We need to agree with that. Dim Sum restaurants are not opened during night hours, but this one serves all the dishes all day long. Food is excellent, if you haven’t tried dim sum, it’s very accessible but also includes more adventurous dishes. E.g. From pork dumplings to chicken feet.

four people are eating dim sum in Hong Kong
Me, Cez, Audrey and Sam having our Dim Sum

What is Dim Sum?

Dim sum (點心) literally meaning “touch the heart”, are small, bite-sized portions of food that are often served in traditional bamboo steamer baskets. Dim sum is often served in three pieces (never four because this number brings bad luck). The food can be cooked, steamed, fried, baked with shrimp, chicken with pine nuts, spinach and mushrooms or vegetables and rice noodles. Some dishes contain broccoli, fried eggplant, bamboo shoots topped with sticky sauce. The selection of food can give you a real headache. If you don’t know what to order, you can follow our recommendation and check Sam’s Guide to Eating Dim Sum out.

Dim Sum dishes
Dim Sum dishes

The Menu and Prices

This dim sum restaurant is very affordable. It costed us around HKD130 which is about $16 to feed 4 people (about 8-10 dishes). Every dish is no more than $2 so you can order plenty of them and try a little of everything.

See also  Photo of the Day: Hong Kong from Above

Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow/虾饺)

They are made with shrimp and wrapped with a translucent skin. When you bite into it, you can feel its softness. There are usually two types of filling you would find in har gow: a lump of shrimp meat usually with mince size pieces of bamboo and minced shrimp combined with either bamboo or water chestnut.

Shrimp dumplings
Shrimp dumplings

Pork and Shrimp Dumplings (Siu Mai/燒賣)

It is traditionally made with pork and shrimp. The wrapping is a very thin, round sheet of unleavened dough, with a pleat border. There is only one kind of filling, which mainly consists of chopped or minced mutton, scallion and ginger.

Shu Mai dish
Shu Mai dish

Chicken Feet Dim Sum

The chicken feet are very crispy, little bit spicy and so yummy! There isn’t any meat on the phoenix claws, you’re basically eating the skin and softened cartilage. The gelatinous pectin filled bites is what makes this dish extremely tasty leaving a piling of little bones on your plate as a trophy of your courageous dim sum domination.

Chicken feet dim sum
Chicken feet dim sum

We have also heard that crispy BBQ pork bun tastes like magic so don’t miss it!

A girl is eating dim sum in Hong Kong Dim Sum Square Restaurant
Locals having some dim sum

Have you ever tried Dim Sum in Hong Kong? What was your favorite?

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Agness Walewinder
Agness Walewinder
Travel freak, vagabond, photography passionate, blogger, life enthusiast, backpacker, adventure hunter and endless energy couchsurfer living by the rule "Pack lite, travel far and live long!"
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47 thoughts on “Dim Sum: Culinary Vertigo in Hong Kong”

  1. Avatar of Mike

    Oh my gosh, I haven’t breakfast yet and now I’m starving, Agness! Thank you very much. I would eat those shrimp and pork dumplings all day long. Not too sure on the chicken feet though. But, I would try it since you gave it a thumbs up. Phoenix claws?! Hey now! :) Loved the pictures! Thank you so much for the insert on our contest! You guys rock as always and we appreciate you dearly! :)

  2. Avatar of Jessica Wray

    I love dim sum so much! One day I’ll get to Hong Kong to try the REAL stuff.

    After all that time in Asia and I still never tried chicken feet. No one ever described it to me in an appealing way so I had no motivation. Now I can almost understand the what’s good about them. Next time ;)

  3. Avatar of Steph (@ 20 Years Hence)

    I love love LOVE dim sum and tried to eat as much of it as I possibly could while in Hong Kong. I love that you get such little portions so that you can try so many things! I’m sad that I never heard of this restaurant and so missed out on it. That said, I don’t think it’s really possible to have a bad meal while in HK, however, and I know I’ll be back so I’ll just add this on the places to stuff myself silly when I return! :D

  4. Avatar of Rachel M

    I never considered chicken feet palatable, but I would love to try the chicken feet dim sum.
    I love the bamboo steamer baskets.

  5. Avatar of Franca

    I absolutely love Dim Sum stuffed with tasty veggie, mushrooms and noodles. I’m always on the look for an Asian shop here in Europe that might sell some.

  6. Avatar of Constance

    I love dim sum!! This restaurant looks great and the prices are very reasonable! It will definitely be on my list of places to eat at the next time I go to HK!

  7. Avatar of Simon Lee

    Hi Agness,
    Good to hear that you love Chinese food:)

    If you happens to come Malaysia, let me show you with some other authentic dim sum made by Malaysian, i guess you will like it too:)

    Ps. it should be Siew Mai instead of Shu Mai:) But its ok, the photo speaks a thousand words!:)

    Simon Lee

    1. Avatar of Agness Walewinder

      Hey Simon, many thanks for that! It would be amazing to have some Malaysian food with you. I’ll keep you posted on my plans!

  8. Avatar of Zara @ Backpack ME

    I love dim sum – I’d probably skip the chicken feet above, but as for everything else I’d be in!
    One of my most memorable meals EVER was dim sum in Hong Kong: at a place called One Dim Sum. Super recommended for anyone to look to indulge into ridiculously good dim sum in HK (on a budget)!

    1. Avatar of Agness Walewinder

      Thanks Zara for sharing. We’re coming to Hong Kong more likely in 2 weeks so I can’t wait to dine out in your restaurant :).

    1. Avatar of Agness Walewinder

      I’ve actually noticed that you did not post any photos of dim sum when in Hong Kong. That’s a real pitty, but I am glad you’re catching up right now. Enjoy!

  9. Avatar of Michelle

    Mmmm I LOVE dim sum!! My fav is shu mai. :) Always make sure I get them. They’re so easy to find back home in Toronto, but very difficult in Germany! Some of the places I have found here charge like 4 euros for 1 small plate of dim sum! crazy!!!

    1. Avatar of Agness Walewinder

      I have not seen any dim sum places in Berlin, so I guess it must be super difficult to have it there. Shu mai is Cez’s favourite! 4 euro? Wow, that’s a rip off!!

  10. Avatar of Audrey

    Such a good little spot for dim sum! I was feeling so stuffed after that meal, I can’t believe we actually went to another restaurant and had some Indian food on top of that! Bloggers are such foodies!!!

  11. Avatar of Heather

    I love dim sum! My friend’s father is from Hong Kong and he took me to one of the old school places that still has the push carts. He said you can tell if a restaurant has a good dim sum chef just by tasting the shrimp dumpling. I could really go for an order right now!

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