Best Dim Sim / Yum Cha in Hong Kong
 

Hi de ho Guys!

We're off to Hong Kong for 3 days and would love to know your suggestion on the best Yum Cha place in Hong Kong.

We are staying at the Salisbury YMCA.

Thanks IN advance!

Eek

High-end? Mainstream? Really old-fashioned and low-end?

One mainstream place really close to the YMCA Salisbury is the Serenade at the Cultural Center across from the hotel.

There's almost infinite choice, and no doubt someone will paste in a list from local magazines.

I like Shu Zhai at Stanley Market (quiet interior away from the bustle, reasonable prices, everything well done); harbourside operations on Lamma and other outlying islands (late breakfast with views followed by a pleasant walk); and the vast operations in the New Territories where reception and the waiters have to use walkie-talkies to communicate, and everything comes on trolleys as it should.

City Hall Chinese Restaurant used to be a convenient city-centre trolley-using establishment with reliable dim sum. But do I remember reading it had closed some time ago?

I used to enjoy the 80-year-old Luk Yu Tea House, at 24-26 Stanley St, guarded by an impressively moustached Sikh of immense dignity. Its open-fronted woody ground floor, full of carved benches and stained glass, would originally have been the haunt of hoi polloi—the higher floors, reached by wooden staircases with shiny brass handrails, were for those higher up the social ladder. It was still the haunt of senior Chinese businessmen (one of whom was assassinated there, Godfather-style only about five years ago), and by 10.30am tea pots marked with eminent names were placed to reserve tables. By 11am unfamiliar faces might be turned away.

Dim sum service here predated the trolley, and was brought round in slender silver trays suspended by cords from the necks of slightly elderly waitresses, as if both trays and servers had survived from old-time cinema auditoriums. There were discreet balconies with frosted glass windows, a small mutter of conversation, many heads deep in newspapers, and a general air of privacy and discretion. The tick from the pendulum clock on the wall was almost audible. This was as far as you could get from the usually raucous dim sum experience.

I put all this in the past tense because I haven't been for quite some time, and I think I heard this place had shut, too. Perhaps locals could kindly help on these two places?

Peter N-H

how about some "really old-fashioned and low end" ones, rkkwan or peter? We're also staying at the Salisbury FWIW, not going to the New Territories, islands, nor probably Stanley.

Love getting the info from you all - thanks!

SFRiley -

Check out this thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...ing-report.cfm

And read the post I made on Jan 13, 05. 3:38am. For my breakfast on 12/26/04 at "Tak Yu".

One that's still old-fashioned, but a bit more higher-end is "Lin Heung" at 160-164 Wellington Street in Central. Plenty of reviews on many travel/dining websites about it.

I think “best” is relative, and may also relate to what items you prefer (I always look for the best steamed barbeque pork buns), and also perhaps how much money you want to spend; of course sometimes the money spent may have an inverse relationship to the actual quality of the food. Per the request above, I can report that Maxim's Palace City Hall Chinese restaurant is still in business and would certainly be a good choice and a pleasant ride over on the Star Ferry from your hotel. If you can avoid Sundays, when it is most crowded (along with most other dim sum places in town), and otherwise try to get there on a weekday at about 11:30 am or so before the real lunch time crowds hit, you may even get window table. They don’t take bookings to the best of my knowledge, so at peak times you have to just wait with the others. (Saturdays can be a bit crowded too, but not as bad as Sundays. Of course going on a Sunday to see all the families having lunch together can be part of the experience, just be prepared for a wait.) Luk Yu is also still running; it would not make my list of favourites but is certainly in every guidebook (along with Maxin’s City Hall) so it is clearly popular with lots of others, see a guidebook or Frommers.com where you can find addresses and reviews for both it and City Hall.

I have a long list of restaurant reccos for Hong Kong, which includes a list of dim sum places, these are my personal choices and may not necessarily be to your taste. In any event I would be happy to e-mail it to you if you send me a message at [email protected].

There used to be a good dim sum place in the basement of the Kowloon Hotel (a block west and behind your hotel) which unfortunately closed a while ago. It was called Wan Loong Court. I mention it because sometimes it still gets listed on this board as a place to go.

Thank you all for your generous advice!

i will do a report once we get back.

just as a side note, someone mentioned that there was a fab goose restaruant in HK that I had to try.

Has anyone heard anything about this? I certainly have never heard of a famous goose restaurant in hk.

Thanks again!

eek

You are staying in Salisbury YMCA.
Right next door from YMCA is Kowloon hotel.
It has an Chinese restaurant called Loong Yat Heen, also outstanding Dim Sum.
Luk Yu Tea House is overpriced but still a “worth to try” dim sum experience.
Some restaurants like Shui Heung, Ming Shing…..on Nathan Road has discount dim sum meals before 9 am, ask hotel coinciege for more details.
Dim Sum brunch is not only to fill up stomach but a Hong Kong culture.
Most of the old tradition dim sum houses in Hongkong are gone and replaced by highrises.
If you are interested in the fading old fashioned Hongkong Dim Sum culture.
Pay a chav tribute in the morning to, Lin Heung Restaurant, 160, Wellington Street, Sheung Wan or Tak Yu Restaurant, 378, Shanghai Street, before they vanish in the town centers.
I also had excellent “Har Kau” at the breakfast table in Inter Continental Hotel, Tsim Sha Tsui.

<b>eekthecat</b>, I believe that the goose restaurant you may be referring to is Yue Kee, it’s famous for its roasted goose. It’s quite rich but good. The restaurant is in the Tsuen Wan district in the New Territories. They even have a website in English, see http://www.yuekeerest.biz.com.hk/en/index.htm and you can get all the info.

IMO the dim sum place in the Kowloon Hotel is a pale imitation of the restaurant which <i>used</i> to be there (see my post above on this), but to each his own really.

Dim Sum Restaurants in Hongkong have to meet with tremendous competitions & expensive rents.
They rely heavily on special occasion diners rather than selling dim sum to make up profits.

Wan Loong Court didn't make it because of its basement location.
Most Hongkong Chinese didn't want to have wedding or birthday banquets to be held in a basement restaurant.

There are 2 dim sum restaurants in Asia that serve dim sum, nothing but dim sum only.
They are Foo Shan & Ming Yuan Dim Sum Restaurants, both located in the old town district, Ipoh, Malaysia.
Business hours are from 7:30am to 2:30pm.

As of roast goose in Hongkong.

Yue Kee in Tsuen Wan is famous.

so do
Yung Kee on Wellington St.
http://www.yungkee.com.hk/whatsnew/whatsnew-e.htm

& the original Chan Kee Roast Goose in Sham Tseng.

Yung kee is indeed famous for their roast goose but I was never impressed by the goose or anything in that restaurant. Their goose are more expensive than most.

Roost duck or goose have to be fat to be good, It's best to wash down with a rich red wine if you like wine.

I had roast goose in Sham Tseng twenty some years ago. It was exceptionally good then.

Luk yu teahouse is worth a visit. It's the most traditional teahouse in town. The decor is interesting.

I have heard Ipoh has the best food in Malaysia. i have yet to go there to find out for myself.

I only go to Yung Kee, Yue Kee or Chan Kee with friends.
They are not bad but all contracted with the "too famous" syndrome.

I rather have roast goose in "Cha chaan teng" or Café de Coral in Hongkong.

Most restaurants in Hongkong has excellent food.

Malaysia has great food also but that's off the topic.

We enjoyed Dim Sum lunch at Tao Heung Super 88 located in the Silvercord Mall. This is on the 3rd floor of Silvercord Mall, southwest side of Kowloon Island. www.taoheung.com.hk Shop B, 3/F., Silver Cord, 30 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, KLN. Business Hours: 7:30am - 1:00am. They have several locations.