![]() If you don't like caffeine, you can order a straight "chrysanthemum tea" which is "Gook fa". The waiter/waitress will then hurry away happy. Then you order "Seven-up" or whatever for the teens. So, you just show your expertise and say: "Gook bow", which is a standard dim sum tea. However, the purpose is to wait for your tea order. The moment you get to your table and before you are even seated, a waiter/waitress would be standing at your table, maybe he/she will be mumbling something, maybe not. ![]() If your teens don't drink tea, then order a soft drink for them and tea for the adults. Sticky rice packages usually come two in a basket.ĭim sum is called "yum cha" by the Chinese - "tea drinking", so the tea that you order is important. wrapped in sticky rice wrapped in a leaf. If you see something that looks like it's wrapped in grape leaves, this is a "sticky" rice package which will usually have mushrooms, Chinese sausage, etc. The other two favorites are the aforementioned "ha gow" which is made in the shape of a small potsticker, but contains shrimp ("Ha" is shrimp in Cantonese)and is steamed and "siu mai" ("see-you my"), which is made with pork and crab. These come either steamed (white colored) or baked (yellow and brown colored, because of the egg added to the flour). If you don't see any coming around on the carts, you can ask for the barbecue buns, which is a perennial favorite with Westerners and should please your two teens. You can also call one of the waiters/waitresses over and ask for specific "on cart" dishes, if the carts don't carry what you want over immediately. Don't order from the cart-pushers, order specific dishes from the waiters/waitresses. If you want to "sample" what the Cantonese Chinese like with their dim sum, order a "chow fun" instead, usually a beef chow fun. If you are going to order off-cart, ask for a chow mein dish, like chicken/beef/whatever chow mein. You can also order "off cart", so to speak. They may be speaking mutually unintelligible dialects or languages, but it doesn't phase them from ordering! So go ahead and order! A lot of the Asian diners around you can't understand the cart pushers either. Dim sum is usually made with one of these three meat ingredients.ĭon't feel nervous about the language barrier. If a cart comes by and has several stacks of baskets, just ask the server to lift the covers off the top baskets, take a peek inside, and if you like what you see, order it! Use simple words like "Pork?" "Shrimp?" "Chicken?" to ask the server. If you go on a weekend, go as early as possible to avoid a long wait.Īs has been described, you order small plates or baskets of individually wrapped pieces (generally), as they arrive hot from the kitchen on carts. Places for dim sum in SF Chinatown: try either the New Asia Garden or Miriwa, both on Pacific, about 1/2 block off Grant Street, the main drag for Chinatown.ĭim sum is usually served between 10:30am to 2 pm. Oh, dim sum is only available during lunch. Hence, the turnover is quicker and the dim sum is fresher. That is when most Chinese go out for dim sum. ![]() I strongly suggest you go to dim sum on a weekend. Instead, you'll get a dim sum menu and you order from the menu. In some newer restaurants, they may not have the dim sum carts going around. You can stay as long as you want and keep ordering more if you are still hungry. For a family of 4, you probably will need about 12 dishes or so? The nice thing is you will probably order several dishes from different carts, so you will have at most 3 or 4 dishes on your table at a time and you can take your time to enjoy the food. The more expensive the ingredients are, the pricier the dish. Restaurants tend to have 4 or 5 price tiers. If you don't know what the dishes are, the staff will do a show & tell, and explain to you what each dish is, so that you won't end up ordering chicken feet by accident (unless you do like chicken feet).ĭim sum is priced per dish. When the carts come around, the staff will stop at each table and ask the diners if they want anything from the cart. Each dim sum dish usually has 3-4 pieces. ![]() Each cart contains 7 or 8 different dim sum varieties. In most traditional restaurants, they will have staff pushing heated dim sum carts around the tables. I cannot help you with a dim sum place in SF, but I can answer your question about ordering dim sum. That is not a stupid question at all! If one doesn't ask, how does one learn? ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |