Saturday 6 March 2010

Dim Sim Café, Northbridge


BBQ Pork Buns

Sticky Rice

Prawn & Chive Dumplings

Rice Flour Rolls & Steamed Greens with Oyster Sauce

Egg Custard Tarts

I grew up eating dim sum (or yum cha which means 'drinking tea' and is used to describe the whole dining experience) which I guess for a white girl living in the burbs was pretty 'crazy'. My Uncle Jim used to travel to Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore all the time and thought he would culture his super-white niece and nephew by frequently taking us out for sushi (in the 80's kids didn't like seaweed!), Asian noodles and, of course, dim sum. He use to take my family out on a Sunday at 11:30am and my brother and I used to LOVE going, because seriously, what's not to like - lazy Susans, chopsticks and steam baskets - it was novel and totally fun! My brother and I were suckers for the pineapple custard buns and the pork dumplings with the little red blob on top (yeah, we were like 7 years old so we didn't actually know the proper names!)

Ross and I are of course big fans of dim sum! We are always trying different places, so this morning we decided to try out Dim Sim Café (next to Icey-Ice) on William Street in Northbridge. Dim Sim Café is owned by the people who ran Hoi's Kitchen which used to be a renowned dim sum institution until it closed in 2006. I am pleased to report Dim Sim Café is just as amazing!!!

We were a bit early this morning as I had to open the shop so it was quiet and really easy to get a table. Usually at around 11:30am there is a massive crowd out the front waiting for tables! We started with some Chinese tea which was delicious (note: I love their rectangular tea cups...so cute!). We picked the following dishes: BBQ pork buns, sticky rice, steamed prawn & chive dumplings, steamed greens with oyster sauce, rice flour rolls with pork, and egg custard tarts...phew sounds like a lot but its not!

Everything was so fresh and the highlight was the pork which is usually a fluoro-red colour but Dim Sim Café uses a deep rich brown mixture and was quite amazing. My favourite all-time dumpling is the prawn and chive and I am pleased to say it was magnificent!

The service was really professional and since there was only a few tables of people they were really attentive. The decor was simple but really that kind of thing isn't really important as dim sum is a tradition for families to get together and eat and share each other company which I think is really nice :)

Overall we'll definitely go back to Dim Sim Café perhaps with my brother and mum and to try out the squid tentacles- yum!

P.S: I was away in Sydney last week so sorry there was no post! Going out for brekky by your lonesome is just not as fun!

The Verdict

Chinese Tea 4/5
The Eggs (the meal!) 4/5
Service 4/5
Atmosphere 3/5

Overall 15/20

Would we go again?
We'll be back with our families in tow!

Dim Sim Café, 297 William Street, Northbridge WA 6003

T: (08) 9328 9388


Dim Sim cafe on Urbanspoon

4 comments:

Conor @ HoldtheBeef said...

Matt from Abstract Gourmet told me about this place ages ago when I reviewed Jade Seafood, and I totally forgot to get down to check it out. Thanks for the reminder, sounds like a goodie!

I like the sound of Uncle Jim. Growing up in Gero meant I was a dim sum virgin until last year but I've been making up for lost time since then.

Liz @ Breakfast In Perth said...

I just can't get in to Dim Sum... I read this and it sounds yum but my first dim sum experience was when I was extremely hungover and I couldnt stomach it. I have tried to go a few more times since but it's just not working for me!

oh.. and how mental does it get in Northbridge (especially trying to drive down William) on weekend mornings because of dim sum!

Ross said...

Hey PBB! You should totally try it again and maybe not after a big night! Go with a bunch of people and choose an assortment of stuff- and go to Dim Sim Cafe- its cheap and yum!

Ross said...

Traffic on William Street is an experience in itself - it's like driving in southeast Asia; lanes are irrelevant and double-parking and standing is the norm. Its fun watching all the Okker Anglo-Saxons getting angry at the loose driving on display! Try and get there before 10:30am to get a car park, or prepare for a bit of a walk.