Yum Cha (Hong Kong) – Cutest Little Buns

Since my last visit to Hong Kong over three years ago, I haven’t been back to see my friends who have decided to move there for work. So it was super great catching up with them after all this time and dining over some whimsical eats at Yum Cha.

Yum Cha is a play on words as the literal pronunciation of “yum cha” in English, is the way you would say the word “Dim Sum” in Cantonese. They offer regular dim sum items you would typically see at any Chinese dim sum restaurant as well as some unconventional items you won’t find… anywhere.

We totally over ordered and completely regretted our decision about half way through. To start, we had some greens, namely asparagus cut in the shape of feathers. It was clean and barely tossed with garlic and oil. A good way to start the meal.

As always, one of my favourite things to eat is squid ink. Don’t ask me why because I have no idea. But this was Squid Ink Fried Rice with Egg White and Scallops and it was super delicious. The complete contrast of black and white as well as the salty yet light flavours really balanced the whole dish out.

The Cold Drunken Chicken was meaty and filling. I don’t normally eat this dish, but when I do, I want the wine flavour fully marinated into the meat and this place did that right.

This Preserved Egg and Silken Tofu appy definitely needs a palate that can take the pungent and strong flavours of preserved egg. If you happen to love the flavour of it, then you would love mixing this with white rice. 🙂

Another cold dish that we ordered was the Shredded Chicken and Glass Noodle with sesame sauce. I personally thought this dish was pretty standard and while it was delicious, it didn’t stand out for me. Plus, I could tell the chicken was cut and not hand shredded like it’s supposed to.

Now onto the unique and unconventional items! On the left you have BBQ Pork Piggy Buns and on the right are Custard Buns with eyes on it. 🙂 These are the quintessential items to get if you ever plan to dine at Yum Cha, and yes, taking pictures of them are quite necessary. At Yum Cha, they clearly market these to the younger crowd and encourage their diners to play with their food, which I’m all for!

See?! No shame playing with le food.

I didn’t have the stomach capacity to get to the Dan Dan Noodles but I heard they were good.

Tonkotsu Chicken with a squeeze of lemon. Simple but perfectly executed.

For the more substantial protein dish, we ordered the Pork Ribs which turned out to be quite wonderful. Served with melon balls and peas, it oddly all worked out well as a whole and wasn’t overly greasy. I would highly recommend this.

Yum Cha at the end of the day is a modern take on dim sum and will appeal to most travelers. I highly doubt there is any place like Yum Cha anywhere else in the world so if you want to experience dim sum but don’t want to go to a ratty old hole in the wall, Yum Cha will be a good alternative. For the dim sum purists, don’t even attempt to come here because this is by no means an ‘authentic’ Hong Kong style dim sum restaurant.

Service Rating: 3/5

Food Rating: 3.5/5

Price: $$-$$$

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

 

Happy Eating!