The Best Dim Sum I Ever Ate
By Sherry Li 
August 31, 2010 
29 Comments
This is the third of a series of articles on my trip to China. One | Two | Three
What can I say, I was watching the Food Network today so I’m borrowing a little inspiration. Originally, I was going to include all my food adventures in Suzhou (a very large city near Shanghai) in one big post… but this dim sum was seriously t-h-e b-e-s-t I’ve ever had in my life, so I think it deserves its own post!
Before we get to the food, though, let me first preface this food-filled post with a disclaimer. I’m a northern Chinese, so dim sum isn’t really my specialty – as in, I’m not from Canton or Hong Kong, where dim sum thrives. So when I say it’s the best I’ve ever had, it might just be mediocre to the true Cantonese. Nevertheless, it was unforgettable.
I forge the name of this place, but it’s on the top floor of the Jiuguang ä¹…å…‰ department store (an extremely upscale shopping “mall” chain in China) in the new development area of Suzhou. First, we start off with tea. Their tea list comes on a small wooden plaque and is expensive to boot. Our pot of rose tea was 68 yuan (around $10). But they served it up in style – there was a separate pot to steep the tea and hot water was refilled as soon as we finished our cups. It was like an assembly line of tea making, right at our table!
Then the food started coming. First came the spring rolls, with their own dipping sauce (in a very pretty plate). The crispy layers of rice paper reminded me of home… and then I realize, I was home! Ah, this is what proper Chinese cooking tastes like!
You really couldn’t make a trip to the Shanghai are and NOT have soup buns. My favorite kind is with crab meat, which you can’t really see in this picture – but I can assure you that it tasted really really good! When I pierced the bun, the soupy gelatin oozed onto my spoon and plate. I had to catch it really quickly with my lips or else I’ll let all that good juices go to waste! Soup buns are so fun to eat that way!
My friend who I was travelling with is a Suzhou-area native and told me that this (*points above*) is the pasty I have to try! In Chinese the name says it has a thousand layers. And I believe it! I forget completely what kind of filling was inside the pastry – it could’ve been any number of things from roast pork to durian to ice cream for all I care – but the best part about the pasty is really the dough. The moment I bit into it, it almost fell apart, with tiny pieces of the thin dough crumbling into my mouth. It wasn’t grainy or doughy… it merely melted away like butter. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water!
Mmmm, one of my favorite dim sum dishes is the fried turnip cake, except all the places I get it at in Chinatown makes it really greasy. Turnip cake doesn’t look like a star on the plate, but it tastes fantastic! I really like the soft texture of it after it’s been cooked and the subtle flavor. Goes great with a spicy bean paste for a kick!
Another must-have of mine is chive potstickers. Being from the North, dumplings are a weekly phenomenon in my house. But we don’t make it quite like the Southerners do. They like to use a thin – almost transparent – egg-based wrapper, so that you can see the contents, I suppose. The aftereffect is wonderful. The yellow and the green, and the slightly charred brown made for an appealing display for my eyes. And of course, my stomach was quite happy too.
Another look at that dumpling. It’s saying “EAT ME!” How can I resist?
You really can’t say you’ve had dim sum without having some kind of cheong fun è‚ ç²‰. Rice flour makes for a great wrapper that’s kind of sticky but also light so you can eat everything else too. I’ve had many different kinds of cheong fun, but it was my first time having one with a silver fish filling. They also added in one of my favorite pickled vegetables from childhood, so it was like I was back in my grandfather’s kitchen during the winter.
And it wouldn’t be the end to a great meal without some fruit! Even the watermelon looks exquisite!
After all our eating (and the waitresses snickering at how much food 2 little girls ordered), the bill came out to be a reasonable one, around 300 yuan ($60). For a delicious meal that brought back childhood memories, it really isn’t about the money.
In my next articles, more on the beautiful gardens of Suzhou… and more food, of course!
Photos by Sherry Li for Appetite for Good.
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I have NEVER seen soup dumplings in tins before haha, that’s ingenious. No more skin/steamer sticking problems!
Definitely! Though I do like it when they use napa cabbage to keep the buns from sticking. I like to dunk the leaves into the juice from the buns… so it’s like double the enjoyment!
Curious why you’re using Chinese characters yet naming xiao long bao “soup buns”? Highlighted no less? Is there utter confusion in the intended readership?
I highlight all the food names that I mention (or at least I try to). It wasn’t intentional that I switched between English and Chinese. I explain everything in English anyway, so I didn’t think it was a big deal. Sorry you got confused!
I’m jelious I love love love dim sum! Great photos!
Thanks! Dim sum is soooo good! I wanna eat it every week!
Mouth watering…
Thank you! Good dim sum is irresistible!
Fabulous pictures and what great food!
Thanks so much! If you’re ever in Shanghai, you’ll be in for a real treat
I love The Best Thing I ever ate at food network too
boy..those dim sum makes me drool!!! I Love dim sum!!!!!
Haha it’s a great show! I was watching the last supper episode and it made me drool!
Thanks! Dim sum is so yummy
I literally drooled on my keyboard. It’s kinda embarrassing. Those cheong fun….
Hahaha, glad the pictures were able to capture the deliciousness that I enjoyed!
I drooled too – that meal looked fantastic ! I’m jealous !
Haha thanks! Dim sum is soooo yummy! If you’re ever in China, don’t miss out!
The soup dumplings and the chive potstickers definitely are my favorite!!! I can resist ordering them everytime we go for dim sum…. you are making my hungry!
OMG, yes, me too!!! I order them everywhere I go. Absolutely delicious!
LOVE dim sum- everything looks so good!
Thanks! Dim sum is definitely one of my (many) guilty pleasures
Wow – what a feast. We’re kinda short on excellent Dim Sum restaurants here in Ireland so thanks for sharing.
It definitely was! Awww, not too many Chinese places in Ireland? That’s too bad! I detect an underserviced market! Hahaha…
I LOVE dim sum and those pictures make me hungry, especially the xiao long bao and the radish cakes, YUM!!
Haha thanks! I loooove turnips… they’re really underrated. I had this amazing fried turnip cake on the way to Wuzhen at some grungy rest stop. Not the Cantonese kind, but it was absolutely delicious (and greasy)! Yummmmm
Looks wonderful. You must have had a great time. Great pictures
Thank you!! I wish I can can teleport to China whenever I wanted! The 15-hour flight and 12-hour time difference is such a pain! But oh, the foooood!!
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Penelope
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thx
Sorry, Penelope! We don’t have email subscriptions currently. But we’ll definitely let you know when we do!
Happy reading!
We share the same taste in dim sum! All the same ones I like except I don’t usually order the spring rolls, too much deep frying. Definitely something to eat out and not make at home. I get asked to teach this and it’s so ridiculous! Chefs take years to perfect those thin dough skins or buns but western folks don’t understand.