When I go for Dim Sum always think the food the Chinese people have ordered looks more exciting than mine. Does anyone have a typical Chinese Dim Sum order ?

I'm not sure of any of the names but I usually get some grilled dumplings (that might be called wo tip). I like the steamed dumplings too - pork and prawn or prawn and ginger. I nearly always order some green veg like choi sum or pak choi too. One of my friends always orders mooli cake (I think that's what it's called) which is a kind of mashed turnip fritter. That's ok but a little bit heavy for me. I like most things but I've never been brave enough to eat chicken feet. They look gross!

Chicken in black bean sauce is my favourite!! yummy!!:D

It all depends what you like.

This is what OH and I usually order:

chicken feet in black bean sauce (hot) and/or chicken feet vietmese style (cold, marinated in rice wine vinegar)
beef meatballs
char sui (roast pork) buns and/or chicken buns (theres lotus seed bun or custard bun, they're sweet)
sui mai (has prawn and pork)
prawn har kau (dumplings)
spare ribs in black bean sauce
veg roll or vietmese spring roll
*ham shui got* have no idea what the english name is!! Its a big oval crispy shell inside it has minced pork,prawns,waterchestnuts filling
sponge cake (steamed)
char sui cheung fun (filling rolled round with rice noodle) You can choose prawns or beef

and plate of house special ho fun or crispy noodles

majority of the time we never finish the noodles and some of the dim sum cos our eyes are bigger than our tummy :hihi: so we take it home and have it for dinner :D

If we go for dim sum with my parents these items would be added: stuffed green peppers, sticky rice in lotus leaf, shredded turnip puff, fried turnip cake, stuffed bean curd roll.

For main, if you do have it, for something different try Rice pot with spare ribs or congee is lovely


Hope ive given you some new dishes to try for next time :)

mmmmm my mouth is watering loooking at that list above

damn its only 8 in the morning as well :( :( :(

Chicken in black bean sauce is my favourite!! yummy!!:D

It all depends what you like.

This is what OH and I usually order:

chicken feet in black bean sauce (hot) and/or chicken feet vietmese style (cold, marinated in rice wine vinegar)
beef meatballs
char sui (roast pork) buns and/or chicken buns (theres lotus seed bun or custard bun, they're sweet)
sui mai (has prawn and pork)
prawn har kau (dumplings)
spare ribs in black bean sauce
veg roll or vietmese spring roll
*ham shui got* have no idea what the english name is!! Its a big oval crispy shell inside it has minced pork,prawns,waterchestnuts filling
sponge cake (steamed)
char sui cheung fun (filling rolled round with rice noodle) You can choose prawns or beef

and plate of house special ho fun or crispy noodles

majority of the time we never finish the noodles and some of the dim sum cos our eyes are bigger than our tummy :hihi: so we take it home and have it for dinner :D

If we go for dim sum with my parents these items would be added: stuffed green peppers, sticky rice in lotus leaf, shredded turnip puff, fried turnip cake, stuffed bean curd roll.

For main, if you do have it, for something different try Rice pot with spare ribs or congee is lovely


Hope ive given you some new dishes to try for next time :)
How do you/parents know so much about it?

When I go for Dim Sum always think the food the Chinese people have ordered looks more exciting than mine. Does anyone have a typical Chinese Dim Sum order ?

know exactly what you mean here.Once asked the waiter about this and he was a bit coy about it all muttered something and walked away.

Thanks funkyukgal, thats really helpful. I am never sure how much Dim Sum to order and cant find the crispy noodles and any of the more substantial dishes people are tucking into. I always want to ask what people are eating but it seems a bit rude.

You shouldn't be afraid to ask what each one is. It's all part of the customer service. Obviously pick a waiter/waitress which seems to be knowledgeable in describing the dishes as well as their standard of English.

To be honest, some dim sums translations are not that well known. So the employee themselves may not know it. Some employees may only know the Cantonese (chinese) name, but they won't know the English description. So be prepared to explain a word or two.

Normally, I kind of tend to go for a more healthy selection by choosing steamed ones, coupled with a few cripsy ones, but mostly seafood.

Format as such : English descriptive name (cantonese pronounciation)

Steamed chives and prawn dumplings (Gow Choy Ghow)
Steamed Shanghai little buns (Sil Lung Bao)
Steamed Roast Pork Rice Rolls (Char Sil Cheung Fun)

Roast Pork in Filo Pastry (Char Sil Sow)
Deep-fried Squid Cake (Mak Yu Beng)
Crispy Prawn Dumplings (Ming Har Gok)

(NB: These are not bog standard translations either, but I think the waiter will get what you mean. Actually, there's no bog standard translations of the Cantonese names of dim sums into English ones. Excuse my bad translation, as I was not following proper translation methods. As long as you say it as it is written, you'll be okay.)

[Added] Oh well. You can always take out what you can't eat. Most chinese families do this too. So don't worry about it.

There's only one type of dim sums, which are those served in small dishes. The friend noodles, and the fried rice which you see people order comes in a large dish and is considered as a 'main dish'. It's like ordering a sweet and sour pork. People order such dishes as a kind of main course. So the portion size is larger. Dim sum dishes comes in small plates and contain either 3 or 4 pieces only. Except for a handful of exception like deep-fried salt and pepper squids or a bowl of congee.

How to order dim sum.

1) learn to speak chinese.
2) Get talking to chinese girls
3) invite them out for dim sum
4) enjoy trying her favorite things first and them work down the menu over time as you take out a new girl.

Works for me. I think I've had dim sum with about 20 or so girls so far and have got to know the menu quite well.

Made some good friends as well as enjoying good food.

Try China palace in Doncaster. Great dim sum.:thumbsup:

How do you/parents know so much about it?

cos im chinese :D


Oh another dish you could try if you're brave enough is fish belly (i think thats what it is :hihi:) Its spongy but very tasty :D You'll get it if you order bean curd roll, theres one thats got a filling of pork and prawn patty and the other which is alot nicer has half chicken wing, chinese mushroom and fish belly rolled up in bean curd skin. Another to try is jellyfish (served cold). Its a little bit spicy and springy, doesnt taste of anything really.

Ok last one! I highly recommend if you've never tried it before. its a meat main dish that will go well with rice or noodles. Crispy roast belly pork :) Go to Noodle Inn for lunch or dinner and order that with rice or noodles or better yet order 3 roast (its got roast duck, crispy pork and roast pork (char sui) )

A little tip for everyone when you go to Noodle Inn, if you want to try chinese pudding which are hot, ask for it at the end of the meal. You only get one choice. Its different most weeks, I love the red bean pudding and sago pudding (like little frog spawns :hihi:). They also have mixed bean pudding (red, yellow and green) and bean curd skin pudding. Best way to describe the puddings, they are abit like soup but sweet.


Try going to Glamorous restaurant in Manchester for dim sum, their portions are BIG.

How to order dim sum.

1) learn to speak chinese.
2) Get talking to chinese girls
3) invite them out for dim sum
4) enjoy trying her favorite things first and them work down the menu over time as you take out a new girl.

Works for me. I think I've had dim sum with about 20 or so girls so far and have got to know the menu quite well.

Made some good friends as well as enjoying good food.

Try China palace in Doncaster. Great dim sum.:thumbsup:
I think anyone who is chinese don't mind going out for dim sums as a social gathering. You make it sound like you're serial dating ! lol.

China Palace in Doncaster is good for dim sums too. Thumbs up. Dim Sum on London Rd is good too, but it's pricier. Wrong Thing is the latest competition to the dim sum scene in Sheffield. Sizes of their dim sum seems to be a little bit smaller, but more reasonably priced.

China Palace has an order form for you to tick the dim sums that you want to order. Just try and memorise the ones that you like best, and remember those positions. A cousin who can't read chinese just do the same. He remembers the position of the things that he likes in menus or in order forms.

I used to be the same. I didn't know my dim sums as a kid. I only try new things when I'm with a big group than if I was in a small group.

How to order dim sum.

1) learn to speak chinese.
2) Get talking to chinese girls
3) invite them out for dim sum
4) enjoy trying her favorite things first and them work down the menu over time as you take out a new girl.

Works for me. I think I've had dim sum with about 20 or so girls so far and have got to know the menu quite well.

Made some good friends as well as enjoying good food.

Try China palace in Doncaster. Great dim sum.


Yes, China Palce in Doncaster is very nice.

When ordering Dim Sum, ask for the English menu instead. Most Chinese restaurants will have an English Dim Sum menu. China Palace in Doncaster certainly does and so does Dim Sum on London Rd.

I think anyone who is chinese don't mind going out for dim sums as a social gathering. You make it sound like you're serial dating ! lol.


I'm just lucky to know a lot of chinese girls :D

It's handy as I love dim sum but they are just friends and nothing naughty is going on. (OK now and again before I got engaged - I'm not a robot :) )
My chinese is still rubbish but I'm getting better thanks to all the chinese people I know.

Some have an english menu but most don't as us english are unaware of dim sum and are missing out on some of the best of chinese food.
I still can't read chinese but I can name all my favorite dishes from memory so I can get away with it.

Try going to Glamorous restaurant in Manchester
Good, isn't it :thumbsup:

Anyone fancy a dim sum party ? A sort of unofficial forum dim sum meet.
For all you english out there that have never tried dim sum it's well worth having a go.

Bago - think that will make up my complete list ! Have a much better idea of what to order now, thanks very much. Not sure about fish belly funkyukgal but 3 roast sounds good. Where is Noodle Inn ?

Im lazy, i just tell the waiter/ess what i want and they tick it for me :D

upinwath - Im up for that, sundays best for dim sum

burnt stones - noodle inn is on london road opposite from the chinese bakery Creamy Coffee. If you havent been, try the lovely buns. :)

upinwath - Im up for that, sundays best for dim sum


I'm free this sunday and a friend (mainland chinese girl) fancies it as well.

Anyone else game for this Sunday ?

Unable to join you. I wish there was a dim sum meet when I was in Sheffield. >.< !
It's no fun going on your own really. Dim sum is definitely one of those things that you gotta try with a group of people.

Unable to join you. I wish there was a dim sum meet when I was in Sheffield. >.< !
It's no fun going on your own really. Dim sum is definitely one of those things that you gotta try with a group of people.

Spot on. Well I'm going to dim sum (london road) on sunday at about 1pm with a friend.
All welcome to join us.

sorry wont able to make it to this one upinwath. Im off to london for a few days. maybe next sunday.....

I love it in Dim Sum but everytime we go my boyfriend tells this stooooopid joke:

"Mine looks beeter than yours- some you win, dim sum you loose" :hihi:

I tried the Dim Sum tonight and had well ermm dim sum! Some of which was really nice (like the steamed beef buns and glutinous rice in lotus leaves) some was rather less nice (like the tripe with ginger and spring onions :gag:). If you do try it be carefull with the chilli in oil it's VERY hot!!!

If you do try it be carefull with the chilli in oil it's VERY hot!!!

Wimp. :D

I'll bring some sambal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambal) back from malaysia if you want to try hot.

(Warning. Put bog roll in fridge the night before if you are a wimp.:hihi: )

I tried the Dim Sum tonight and had well ermm dim sum! Some of which was really nice (like the steamed beef buns and glutinous rice in lotus leaves) some was rather less nice (like the tripe with ginger and spring onions :gag:). If you do try it be carefull with the chilli in oil it's VERY hot!!!

Oooh, you went straight for the intestines? :gag: It is an acquired taste. Other things are nicer.

Not as hot as the sauces from Nandos! lol... Some chinese restaunt's chilli oil are hotter than others. It depends on their own recipes. I once went into this place thinking that it had added dried scallops or something (they call this combo "XO sauce"), but only to realise they ground the chilli to small bits and it wasn't scallops that I was tasting! OMG. Did I sweat buckets. :hihi: