What better way to celebrate the Year of the Rat that by eating ALL the dim sum? As long as the restaurant you go to doesn’t have a rat problem…

When I head to my favourite spots in Chinatown to indulge in dim sum, there are three things that I know will happen without a shadow of a doubt: One, we will order WAY too much and yet somehow only spend under $50 each. Two, a nap will be necessary – STAT! And three, I will be sneaking into the fridge for those leftovers a mere hour later.

I find the predictability of these aspects of dim sum both familiar and comforting on a deep level.

What is dim sum?

If you have no idea what exactly dim sum is, I mentioned in a previous post about eating your way through Toronto’s Chinatown that it’s essentially the Chinese version of Spanish tapas.

Sometimes referred to as “yum cha” which is a Cantonese phrase translating to “to drink tea,” it is a meal that consists of small dishes – both savoury and sweet – and served with tea.

Essentially, dim sum is the Chinese version of brunch (and you know how I feel about brunch).

Now that you know what dim sum is, the question becomes do you know what dishes to order? Allow me to help you out as I am a self-proclaimed dim sum expert.

This is how happy I am about All Day Dim Sum

RELATED READING:

➳ A Guide To Eating Your Way Through Toronto’s Chinatown
➳ What ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Means To Me, A Canadian-Born Chinese
➳ How to Eat Your Way Into A MuuMuu in Montreal in 40 Hours

If you’re going to celebrate the Chinese New Year by devouring a dim sum feast, impress your friends and family by ordering these essential dishes:

1/ Rice Noodle Roll

Rice noodle roll (cheung fun) has ALWAYS been what I look forward to the most at dim sum. It’s a long, wide strip of crepe-thin noodle rolled up and comes plain or stuffed with a variety of fillings like shrimp, bbq minced meat or even fried bread (zhaliang). The best part is that it’s drenched in an addictive sweet soy sauce. I always beg for extra sauce.

2/ Har Gow

A staple dish in dim sum, this shrimp dumplings arrive to your overladen, plastic covered table in a traditional bamboo steamer. Snag these translucent, plump morsels with the dainty pleats along the top and pop ’em into your maw with a smear of sriracha or chilli oil.

3/ Shumai

This traditional steamed pork dumpling is served alongside har gow so often that they’re collectively referred to as hagaau-siumaai. You’ll be able to recognize it by its distinctive yellow wrapping pleat border stuffed with chopped mutton, scallion and ginger. Gotta be quick with the chopsticks with this one!

Juicy, soup-filled xiao long bao!

4/ Xiao Long Bao

What better way to ring in the Chinese New Year than by slurping juicy xiao long bao? Symbolizing wealth and good fortune (and who doesn’t want more of that?!), these Shanghainese steamed dumplings (technically, technically they’re buns hence the “bao”) are FULL of umami and piping hot broth. Learn how to properly slurp down these delights by reading my post about eating your way through Chinatown.

5/ Chicken Feet

Not for the faint of heart, steamed chicken feet (feng zhua also called “Phoenix Claws”) is one of the most adventurous items you’ll find on the menu. Once you wrap your head around the idea, it’ll become a must-order and give you real dim sum street cred. The chicken feet are steamed, braised and deep fried until they’re super soft then submerged in a sticky marinade that will have you licking your chopsticks

6/ Congee

If Chinese people had self-help books (which they most certainly do NOT), it’d be called “Congee For The Soul”. Also known as “jook,” it is comforting AF and essentially rice and water (or broth) boiled down into a thick porridge. May not sound exciting but it serves as the ideal blank canvas to add delicacies like thousand year old egg, preserved veg, pork jowl – whatever your heart desires!

Clockwise from top right: congee with pork and preserved egg, shu mai, fried taro dumplings, sticky rice

7/ Cha Siu Bao

Tear apart these fluffy white steamed buns (bao) to reveal a flavourful barbecue pork tenderloin (cha siu). The dough is light as air and slightly sweet while the pork filling is slow-roasted and diced, mixed with a sticky combo of oyster sauce, hoisin, roasted sesame seed oil, rice vinegar, shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch.

8/ Sticky Rice

A dim sum classic, sticky rice (lo mai gai) is glutinous rice bundled securely in lotus leaf then steamed. My pau pau (grandmother on my mom’s side) would make massive ones with Chinese sausage encased within but they come with a wide range of fillings from dried shrimp to chicken to mushrooms. Beware: Eat too much and risk being overfull.

9/ Turnip cake

Not only does this dim sum mainstay not sound very appealing but the name “turnip cake” (lo bak go) is also inaccurate. Western-style turnip is nowhere to be found in this fragrant dish. Rather, shredded radish and plain rice flour is combined before being pan-fried for a crispy exterior while the interior is remains soft. Grab a chunk, add a dollop of spicy sriracha and you’re in business!

10/ Fried Taro Dumplings

Don’t be fooled by the delicate, latticed exterior of these dumplings. Wu gok are surprisingly hefty with mashed taro and diced mushrooms, shrimp, pork and scallions hidden within the thin crust.

Where To Go For Dim Sum In Downtown Toronto

+ Rol San: All day dim sum. ‘Nuff said. PLUS their cheung fun is my favourite….very soft and served with plenty of sweet soy sauce.

Rol San’s back room

+ Rosewood: A convenient spot for me to get my dim sum fix in a relatively sleek and contemporary space…well, for a dim sum place. Their mushroom/veggie/bamboo dumplings are so yummy!

+ Sky Dragon: Located on the fourth floor of Dragon City you’ll experience the authentic Hong Kong-style cart service with a bird’s eye view of Chinatown.

+ New Treasure: Another spot that does cart service from 11:30am – 1:30pm, I used to be a regular back in my poor university student days.

+ Crown Princess: If you’re looking for a fancier dim sum experience (that’s an oxymoron) try the Crown Princess.

From rice noodle rolls to har gow to chicken feet, you don’t have to choose. Order them all! Eat until you need to unbutton your pants let the lights dim sum to take a nap 🤣  

If you can’t get enough Chinese food, check this post out for how to eat your way through Chinatown in Toronto.

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