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DIM SUM AROUND THE WORLD 203
Left (top to bottom) Four types of
gao, or steamed dumplings; the main
gateway into Sydney’s Chinatown;
dim sum dishes with, in the foreground,
“phoenix talons” (chickens’ feet) with chili pepper and green onions
Below (top to bottom) Paper
lanterns strung across Gerrard Street,
in the heart of London’s Chinatown;
rolled and skewered steamed pork
LONDON, UK SAN FRANCISCO, CA
London’s dim sum scene has exploded since San Francisco’s Chinatown is one of the largest
the upmarket and innovative Hakkasan outside Asia and the oldest in America.
opened in the late 1990s, making Chinese Beneath ornate 19th-century buildings,
food hip, upping the bar for dim sum cooking including a dragon-embossed Bank of America,
everywhere, and making London arguably the lie dim sum restaurants that are fairly
best city for Chinese food outside Asia. conservative, but with high-quality food.
Phoenix Palace moderate Yong Kee inexpensive
5 Glentworth Street, NW1; www.phoenixpalace.co.uk 732 Jackson Street; (415) 986 3759
You know where you are with Phoenix Palace’s A carry-out bakery that’s a favorite with local
enjoyably familiar dim sum selection – barbecued Chinese, with many dim sum offerings – though it’s
pork buns, sesame shrimp rolls, and crunchy fried pretty well mandatory to try their big chicken buns
yam dumplings – all cooked to perfection and and handmade char siu rolls. There’s no English sign
served in a polite, bright setting. outside, but it’s not hard to find.
Yi-Ban moderate Ton Kiang moderate
London Regatta Centre, Dockside Road, Royal Albert 5821 Geary Boulevard (between 22nd and 23rd Ave.);
Dock, E16; www.yi-ban.com www.tonkiang.net
A converted warehouse serving first-class dim sum Though most of the excellent dim sum menu here
with a stylish Docklands view. Their shrimp and chive is mainstream Cantonese, Ton Kiang is unusual
dumplings, pork and preserved egg congee, and in also serving Hakka dishes from northeastern
marinated pork with jellyfish are good enough to Guangdong province, on the border with Fujian
make you overlook the occasionally offhand service. (Hokkien). Shrimp-stuffed eggplant is a Hakka classic.
Hakkasan expensive Yank Sing moderate
8 Hanway Place, W1; www.hakkasan.com One Rincon Center, 101 Spear Street;
Hakkasan’s success has brought it a Michelin star. www.yanksing.com
The stylish wooden decor invokes a romanticized This family-run institution has been feeding the
image of China, which suits the food – venison puffs community since 1958, building up an enviable
and flying fish roe have never appeared on menus in reputation for fresh tastes and skillful presentation.
dim sum’s homeland. Don’t miss the magnificent Must-trys are the xiaolong bao, chicken fan gwor
seafood dumpling consommé. dumplings, and steamed rice packets.
On the Menu Foong jow Literally “phoenix talons,” Nor mai gai Chicken pieces steamed
actually chickens’ feet, prepared in various inside a glutinous rice packet, wrapped
Char siu bao A steamed bun, light and ways. The skin has a classic, gelatinous in a scented lotus leaf. They tend to be
fluffy around its savory stuffing of crunchiness, but they’re fiddly things to rather heavy and filling.
barbecued pork. eat, with dozens of tiny bones. San jook ngau yuk Steamed,
Cheung fun Thin, light rice noodle sheets Har gau Steamed, clear-skinned shrimp springy-textured beef balls, served with
folded around shrimp or roast meat fillings dumplings; the shrimp should be slightly a distinctive, aromatic soy sauce.
and flavored with a soy-oil dressing. crisp and the wrapping light. A yardstick Siu mai Ubiquitous, open-topped
Chun goon “Spring roll,” the best-known for a fine dim sum kitchen. steamed pork-and-shrimp dumplings.
dim sum outside China, though not so Jook Bland rice porridge, perked up with Inevitably ordered because of their good
popular at home. Usually stuffed with pork savory ingredients; an ideal complement looks, they can be delightfully firm and
shreds and bean sprouts, and served with to richer dim sum dishes. Sometimes juicy, but are often rather heavy.
a sweet-and-sour sauce. known by its Indian name, “congee.” Woo gok Crisp and curiously “hairy’”
Dan ta Flaky pastry cup filled with egg Law bak go Fried turnip-paste patty fried taro croquettes, filled with minced
custard. Macau’s Portuguese-influenced flavored with dried shrimp and lap beef. Surprisingly filling.
version is grilled on top. cheung sausage. Xiaolong bao Addictively tasty steamed
Fan gwor Clear-skinned dumplings from Mong gwor pu deen A refreshing, pork and shredded cabbage dumplings
Chaozhou (Teochew) in China’s eastern un-Chinese dessert of Southeast Asian from Shanghai. They fill with broth during
Guangdong province. Usually filled with origins, comprising puréed mango pulp cooking, making eating tricky – bite
seafood and light-flavored vegetables. set with gelatin. a hole in the side to drain them first.