Brunch Review: Hakkasan Dim Sum

By Betty Richardson

Lord knows we love us some old school dim sum here at That's Shanghai. And maybe Hakkasan, known for such opulences as caviar topped Beijing roast duck and Champagne brunch sets, doesn't spring to mind for traditional yum cha...

Nevertheless, we wanted to see if we couldn't try a more economical side to this Bund-based Canto palace, by eating only from the traditional à la carte menu with dishes that start from RMB28.

Here's how that went down.

Definitely start with the fist-sized char siew bao (蚝皇叉烧包, steamed BBQ pork buns, RMB28), which are the cornerstone of any rational dim sum feast. These happened to be some of the fluffiest we've had recently. Inside they're filled with not-too-sweet braised barbecue pork.

Siew mai pork dumplings are another classic, which originated as a cheaply purchased teahouse breakfast food sometime inbetween the Ming and Qing dynasties. In keeping with their humble origins, we weren't sure if Hakkasan's more luxurious scallop topped siew mai (鱼子带子烧卖, RMB38) would work.

Proved us totally wrong. These are pure, delicately wrapped and made with care. In fact, the thinly sliced scallops on top help seal in the juiciness inside.

They slightly lost us with the oddly psychedelic har gau with gold leaf (金箔鹅肝虾饺, steamed shrimp dumplings, RMB88), which come with little nuggets of foie gras inside. Best stick to their traditional counterparts, on the menu for RMB38.

Chicken feet in black bean sauce (豉汁凤爪, RMB28) was another highlight. Some people are squeamish about eating chicken feet, but we say eat them at least once so you can tell the folks back home you've tried.

What would dim sum be without cheung fun rolls? Hakkasan serves our favorite variant, which contain juicy steamed shrimp and crispy fried beancurd (脆皮虾肠粉). Each plate sets you back RMB38.

Being just two, we were starting to flag by this point. Nevertheless we soldiered on for you, dear reader, and tried the fried ho fun noodle with beef and yellow chives (干炒牛肉河), pricey at RMB108, but worth it for this beloved Canto heavyweight.

We didn't like the black pepper roast duck dumplings (黑椒火烤鸭, RMB38). Save your stomach space for the more traditional offerings.

Lastly, liusha bao (流沙包, steamed custard buns, RMB33) for dessert. If you haven't tried these before, we definitely recommend. You can't get them everywhere, and Hakkasan's are a prime example.

These guys have extremely hot molten centres, so proceed with caution.

All this, plus a pot of jasmine tea (茉莉花茶, RMB48 per pot) will set you back RMB408 (omitting the duck dumplings). Tack on the obligatory 10 percent service charge and that comes to RMB448 for two. Worth it for a bund view and good quality dim sum? We think so.

> Hakkasan, 5F, No.18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, by Nanjing Dong Lu.

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