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Splurge, Save, Steal: Dim Sum For All Budgets

2018-04-23 Sophie Steiner ShanghaiWOWeng

Everyone is getting in on the brunch game lately, but what about Cantonese brunch? Dim sum has been around in Shanghai long before Western-style brunch made its debut in the city, and now that free flow mimosas and patios are all the rage, dim sum is being pushed aside like an annoying little sister. Well, I’m here to stand up for that little sister and to bring her back to the grown-ups table.

 

Here are a few dim sum options for everyone’s budget to help you discover what Cantonese brunch is all about.

 

Splurge (RMB 250+ per person)

 

Seventh Son

 


Address: Room E2-E3, 2/F, Jing’an Kerry Center, 1515 Nanjing Xi Lu

Tel: 021 6266 3969

Hours: Monday-Friday 11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-10pm, Saturday-Sunday 11am-3pm, 5pm-10pm

 

For a classy Michelin-starred dim sum affair with white tablecloth, Seventh Son in the Jing’an Kerry Center is worth the extra Maos. From start to finish, guests are greeted with high-end service, elegant tableware, and the highest quality ingredients you could ever hope for when eating dim sum.

 

 

Start your meal off with one of my all-time favorite dim sum items, Char Siu Pineapple Buns (RMB 48). Despite their name, the bun includes no pineapple as an actual ingredient, but rather these buttery rolls are crispy and sugary on top, baked in an etched pattern to look like the outside of a pineapple. Stuffed to the gills with sweet, roasted char siu pork meat in a thick tangy sauce, you’ll be licking your fingers clean and ordering a second round before you know it.

 


The Fried Radish Cakes in XO Sauce (RMB 51) at Seventh Son are easily the best radish cakes I’ve ever had. Perfectly crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, these salty, savory cubes come with a hint of garlic seafood, and every bite goes down easier than the last.

 


For a not-so-ordinary Pan-fried Scallion Cake with Cantonese Style (RMB 45), Seventh Son takes a street food classic and kicks it up a notch by blowing it up like a balloon. With a texture similar to an Indian Puri, but the flavor profile of a Chinese scallion pancake, these are just as tasty as they are fun to eat.

 


Most importantly, don’t skip the Barbecued Slice Suckling Pig (RMB 358). This generous portion of sinfully fatty pork is slowly roasted for hours so you’re left with the crunchiest layer of skin on top and pork meat below that just melts in your mouth. The layers of fat dissolve into the meat, creating the most tender, addicting morsel imaginable.

 

Save (RMB 100-250 per person)

 

PuBen

 


Address: No. 2, 5/F, Wharf Wharehouse, 579 Waima Lu

Tel: 021 6339 1188

Hours: Monday-Friday 5pm-10pm, Saturday-Sunday 11:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-10pm

 

For a reasonably-priced dim sum meal in a high-end setting and an incredible view of the Bund, look no further than PuBen located at the Cool Docks. Experience all the amenities of a Bund view restaurant without the break-the-bank price tag. Every dim sum item is presented with care and attention to detail so each dish is a masterful work of art. While dim sum is available on both the lunch and dinner menus, PuBen is now launching a new brunch set menu on weekends starting April 28th.

 


Dive right into the dim sum experience with an order of the Asparagus Crystal Shrimp Dumplings in XO Sauce (RMB 58). These take the somewhat boring classic Har Gao (shrimp dumplings) served at every other dim sum restaurant and elevates them to a new level by adding cut up asparagus and small fried and dried shrimp tossed in XO sauce. The dumpling itself is stuffed with big, tender pieces of shrimp that have the perfect snap with every nibble. The texture combinations are balanced expertly with perfectly savory and seafoody flavors.

 


The Pan-Fried Dumpling with Pork, Sichuan Pickled Vegetables, and Fresh Bamboo Shoots (RMB 28) are crispy and crunchy on the bottom, yet chewy and thick on the top. Filled with ground pork and spicy pickled vegetables, I’m reminded of authentic, salty Sichuan pickles found in Chengdu, giving these dumplings a more exciting flavor than your average potsticker.

 


The Yunnan Edible Rose Pastry (RMB 28) was significantly better than any flower pastry I ate during all my travels in Yunnan. Rose petal pastries can be found everywhere in Dali and Lijiang, yet PuBen’s version put them all to shame. Filled with slightly floral and sweetened rose petals, the flaky, filo-like pastry provides an excellent crisp texture, matched with the nuttiness from the layer of sesame seeds baked into the bottom.

 


Finish your meal with their most famous and unique dim sum item, the House Specialty Black Gold Egg Custard Buns (RMB 38). These custard buns gained their popularity in that they were invented for a meal shared between President Xi Jinping and former United States President, Barack Obama.

 


Unlike regular baozi, these buns are pitch black and painted with gold accents. Take one bite, and the inside explodes with molten lava eggy custard, so sweet and rich without the cloying sugariness. The thick custard is smooth with an interesting texture, like raw cake batter before the sugar has fully dissolved. Indulge in a few of these egg custard buns, the grown-up version of licking the bowl.

 

Steal (RMB 100 per person)


Dim Dim Sum

 


Address: 5/F, 818 Square, 818 Nanjing Xi Lu

Tel: 021 5273 7520

Hours: Monday-Sunday 10am-10pm

 

When my WeChat balance is low but I’m craving pillowy baos, crispy, and fried treats, and tender char siu meat that can only be satisfied by a real dim sum meal, Dim Dim Sum is where you will find me. A chain restaurant originating in the hip neighborhood of Wan Chai in Hong Kong, this dim sum spot does everything right at questionably low prices. I always leave satisfied with a happy tummy and equally happy bank account. 

 


The OG, simple Char Siu Baos (RMB 16) at Dim Dim Sum are constantly a highlight of my meal. These fluffy baos pull apart like cotton balls and couldn’t be filled with more char siu if they tried. Every time I bite into one, I think I must be remembering it wrong, thinking "it can’t possibly be that good," but time again, I’m happily proven wrong; they are still some of the best char siu baos around.

 


For a more unique dim sum option, I was pleasantly surprised when taking my first bite of the Taro Curry Puffs (RMB 16). The slightly sweet and pleasantly chewy mashed taro is fried for an excellent crunch. The curry chicken stuffed inside has hints of cumin and coriander, thus creating an interesting play on an Indian curry puff.

 

(Photo Credit: Dianping User: 小花)

 

When I want something savory, hearty, and more filling than a fluffy baozi, I opt for the Lotus Leaf Wrap, known in Cantonese as Lao Mai Gai (RMB 20), a large serving of sticky rice surrounding fatty pork and vegetables. The ingredients are rolled together in large lotus leaf pocket and steamed.

 

(Photo Credit: Dianping User: Sofia)

 

As the heat cooks everything, the sticky rice absorbs the melting fat from the meat so that every bite is packed with salty meaty goodness.  

 

(Photo Credit: Dianping User: Cinty116)

 

Cheung fun rolls, or rice noodle rolls, are a popular Cantonese staple. These thin, chewy rolls are filled with anything, like veggies, seafood, meat, egg, or even youtiao; the filling combinations are endless. The Char Siu Pork Cheng Fun Rolls (RMB 28) at Dim Dim Sum are filled with savory pork and splash of soy sauce are light, flavorful, and deserve a spot on the dim sum table.



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