Our group came to experience the dim sum at Dim Sumlicious on a Saturday morning around 9:45 AM PDT. We were pleased to find this smallish, clean, and bright neighborhood Chinese restaurant open before the usual 10 AM or 11 AM opening times of similar Chinese restaurants.
I immediately noticed Dim Sumlicious doesn't offer cart service since their restaurant layout seemed to be configured for sit-down service, and their menu appeared to be limited. Secondly, other seated diners were also Asians, so I felt this would be a legitimate and solid place to eat. I'm not knocking this neighborhood restaurant for its sit-down menu service. Still, we're accustomed to having our dim sum served as sort of like a "foodie parade" on wheels that features a savory and sweet variety of Cantonese dumplings, buns, and congees; all served from wheeled carts on small plates designed to encourage sampling and sharing. The female server seemed quite friendly and spoke to us in Cantonese and English when she gave us the menu. The first order was to request hot tea, which we noted is charged per person, unlike Hawai'i, where tea is complimentary. We asked for and got oolong (wūlóngchá or 烏龍茶). Then, a cascade of plates came to our table:
Salt & Pepper Calamari or Squid: served piping hot, deep-fried with lovely, light, and flavorful battered crust; some of the squid pieces were, unfortunately, a bit rubbery and greasy. Still, there were many tender and flavor pieces in this serving, which we finished. $8.39
- Har Gow or Ha Gow is considered one of the classic dishes of Cantonese cuisine and is traditionally ordered with siu mai (steamed pork & shrimp dumpling), cha siu bao, and dan tat (egg tart). The wrappers were translucent and thin, with at least ten pleats each. The filling was made up of whole and chunks of shrimp meat. These dumplings are among my favorite dim sum dishes and hit the spot for a neighborhood restaurant. 4/$5.39
- Shumai or Siu Mai is another Cantonese classic. These steamed pork and shrimp dumplings were tender and savory. The open-face pork dumplings' thin wrappers held Its minced, not ground, pork and shrimp filling had a nice "bouncy" mouthfeel when bit into. 4/$5.39
- Baked BBQ Pork Buns: the sugar-coated baked BBQ Pork Buns (cha siu bao) were savory and sweet. Their tender and sweet baked dough encased tasty chunks of Chinese BBQ pork. There were no huge air pockets as the dough surrounded the filling. Was this supposed to be dessert or a tastebud contrast to the savory dim sum? Either way, these cha siu bao were delicious. 3/$5.39
- Phoenix Claws or Chicken Feet: Okay, so people ask, "Why would you eat that?" Although there is hardly any meat on the chicken feet, this bird part contains textures, flavors, health, and cosmetic benefits. Preparing this dish is time-consuming but worth the effort, and knowing that, I'd instead order and eat it at restaurants. Dim Sumlicious' chicken feet were delicious, and if I were eating alone, I could eat this serving myself. $5.39
- Pork Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce: tender pork spareribs with black bean sauce are another savory go-to of ours. Dim Sumlicious' spareribs were tender, but I thought there wasn't much black bean flavor to this dish. Also, the bone shards were pesky to get around these bite-sized pieces. $5.39
- Shrimp Chive Cake?: these shrimp and chive-filled dumplings were prepared and served like potstickers. The bottoms were pan-fried crisp, while the rest of the wrappers were steamed. Their savory shrimp and chive fillings were mouthwatering. 3/$5.39
- Baked Salted Egg Cream Bun: these baked buns were another example of perfect savory and sweet flavor balance. Their brilliant orange salted egg yolk filling oozed out of the puffy, sugared dough bun. The sugaring on the buns' exterior looked similar to the Shanghai-origin pineapple buns. $5.39
- Egg Tarts or Dan Tat: we ended our brunch with this Cantonese classic. The egg custard was silky, eggy-tasting, and not overly sweet in a flaky tart crust. The custard appeared to have a natural yellow from its fresh use of fresh whole eggs. Served warm, these tarts were the perfect finish to our meal. 3/$5.39
Dim sum to us is not just about the food. It is really about spending time with family, uniting with friends and those that you love, and enjoying each others' company. We enjoyed our brunch at this restaurant, even with its limited menu. read more