

Dim sum has a big significance and history in tea houses. Tea is paired with dim sum for good reason. Dim sum hours typically range from morning until mid-afternoon, although I prefer going as early as possible to make sure they don’t run out of my favorite dishes! Ordering guide: How does dim sum work? Start with the tea My favorite local places to order dim sum locally in Southern California are Capital Seafood, China Garden, and Seafood Cove. Obviously, there are a lot more types, but these are my general distinctions. And in both of these categories, there are further distinctions: steamed, stir-fried, deep-fried, and baked. I like to break down dim sum into two main types: savory and sweet. While you could find street vendors selling dim sum, you could also find tea houses serving various dishes for patrons to enjoy alongside steaming hot pots of tea. If you’ve ever wondered why tea is always served with dim sum, it’s because it actually reflects the tradition of serving delectable snacks with tea in Chinese history. The word dim sum translates to “touching heart” (referring to the snacks served) and is often associated with the term “yum cha” meaning to enjoy a brunch of eating dim sum and drinking tea. 5 Deep fried & stir-fried dim sum dishesĭim sum has been around since the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE) in China and it’s most associated with regions of Guanzhong and Hong Kong.3 The best & most popular dim sum menu items.2 Ordering guide: How does dim sum work?.
