Best dim sum los angeles 2016 free#

At an authentic restaurant, rest the lid of the teapot so it is covering the opening slightly-make sure it’s not fully closed.

Alternatively, you may receive a slip of paper upon being seated that you use to mark the dim sum dishes you want to order. The server will then mark the slip of paper from your table to indicate what you’ve ordered and the items are added to your bill. When the cart comes to your table, ask or point at the dish you want and they will serve it to your table. Servers push around a cart of various dim sum dishes that come straight from the kitchen.

At an authentic restaurant, you can expect to order from a push-cart.

This is typical especially for the more authentic dim sum restaurants than the modernized dim sum restaurants (the list in this article will differentiate between the two).

If you’ve come to eat in peace and quiet, you’re better off ordering take-out. Because dim sum is meant to be eaten with family and friends, large groups often dine together to eat and socialize.

Expect to be eating in a convivial and casual environment.

Here are some things you should know before you dine at a dim sum restaurant in LA: But once you understand the customs of dim sum dining you will be hooked on dim sum! If you’re new to eating dim sum, it can be intimidating for your first time. If you’ve had dim sum before, then skip this section and read on to find out what LA’s 9 best dim sum restaurants are.

Best dim sum los angeles 2016 free#

Thank you for supporting this free content! Note: This post contains affiliate links, which earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase using one of these links. These are the 9 best dim sum restaurants in LA! Things to Know Before You Order Dim Sum in LA While there aren’t as many truly authentic dim sum restaurants today (unless you’re in Hong Kong or Guangdong-a province in southern China where dim sum originated), there are still dozens of restaurants in LA that hit pretty close to home for Chinese people-I can attest to this as a Cantonese Chinese person myself!ĭon’t waste your time trying to scour the web for the best dim sum in Los Angeles-I’ve done it for you.

These teas compliment dim sum because they are meant to help digest the meal, which tends to be on the heavier side due to the starch and oil used in many of its dishes.ĭim sum has evolved throughout centuries to meet the modern-day palate. Tea options commonly include oolong, jasmine, chrysanthemum, and pu-erh (a fermented black tea). Hot tea is served with your meal, and this is an essential part of the dim sum experience. You are supposed to eat and share various dim sum dishes, preferably with a pot of tea!ĭim sum consists of an assortment of meat, seafood, and vegetarian dishes that are prepared either by steaming, pan-frying, deep-frying, or baking.

Served during breakfast and lunch hours, dim sum (or as Cantonese speakers also call yum cha, which translates to “drink tea”) includes a variety of savory and sweet Cantonese-style Chinese food that can be consumed within a few bites.Īlthough each dish is small, this is on purpose. What is the meaning behind this translation? Simply put, dim sum is comfort food for Cantonese people because it is a meal that is enjoyed in the comfort of family and friends.

Inside each basket is a hot and tasty dish that will “touch your heart” – this is the English translation of the Cantonese word dim sum. Some baskets are even piled high atop one another. Enter a traditional dim sum restaurant, and you will be seated before a spread of small, round bamboo baskets that fill up the dining table.