How to Order Dim Sum: A Beginner's Guide to Yum Cha

Yum cha (飲茶 yám chàh, literally "drink tea") is the Cantonese ritual of sharing a pot of tea and a table full of small dishes called dim sum. To order well on your first visit, plan on two to three dishes per person, begin with a few steamed classics such as har gow and siu mai, mark your choices on the paper tick sheet, and keep room for a second round once you have tasted the first.

What yum cha actually is

Dim sum (點心 dím sām) are the dishes; yum cha is the occasion. In Guangzhou and Hong Kong, families have long gathered in teahouses on weekend mornings to catch up over tea while bamboo steamers, rice rolls and pastries arrive at the table a few at a time. The pace is unhurried. Nobody orders a plate for themselves: every basket goes into the middle and is shared, and the meal grows as the conversation does.

Most dishes come as three or four pieces. That is why yum cha rewards a group of four or six more than a couple: more people means more baskets, and more baskets means more variety. A table of two can still eat very well. It simply means choosing a little more carefully.

How many dishes should you order?

A useful rule of thumb is two to three dishes per person to start. For four people, that is eight to ten dishes in the first round, then a few more if the table is still hungry. Light eaters can stay at the lower end; a table of teenagers will not.

Order in two waves rather than all at once. Steamed dishes come out of the kitchen quickly and are best eaten hot, so let them lead. Pan-fried items, heartier dishes and desserts can follow. Ordering this way keeps every basket at its best and lets you double up on whatever vanishes first.

For a balanced table, aim for roughly this shape:

• one or two shrimp dishes
• one or two pork or beef dishes
• a rice roll
• something pan-fried or baked, for crunch
• one filling dish, such as sticky rice or clay pot rice
• a dessert to finish

Clay pot rice takes longer than other dishes, so if it appeals, put it on the first round.

A first-timer's order from our menu

Here is a starting order for a table of four, drawn from Neptune Palace's dim sum menu. Every item is house-made and steamed or cooked to order.

1. Neptune Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow) — a thin, translucent wrapper pleated around sweet, snappy shrimp. Many people judge a dim sum kitchen by this one dish.
2. Shrimp & Pork Siu Mai with Flying Fish Roe — open-topped and juicy, and marked as popular on the printed menu.
3. Steamed BBQ Pork Buns — soft, cloud-white buns around sweet-savoury char siu. For a crackly sugar crust instead, choose the Snow-Top Baked BBQ Pork Buns.
4. Rice Rolls with Jumbo Prawns & Yellow Chives — silky sheets of steamed rice noodle wrapped around prawns, served with soy sauce.
5. Spareribs with Pumpkin in Black Bean Sauce — small, tender pieces of rib steamed with fermented black beans.
6. Pan-Fried Daikon Radish Cake — browned at the edges, soft and savoury in the middle.
7. Sticky Rice with Pork in Lotus Leaf — the filling one. Unwrap the leaf at the table and the fragrance comes with it.
8. Freshly Baked Egg Tarts — flaky pastry and a just-set custard to close the meal.

If the table is curious, add one of the dishes that longtime regulars treat as essential: Chicken Feet in Special Sauce, Beef Tripe with Ginger & Scallions or Beef Tendon in Chu Hou Sauce. They are about texture as much as flavour, and they tell you a lot about how Cantonese cooks think.

A note on allergies and diet: our printed menu marks dishes that contain peanuts and dishes that are spicy, so check the sheet and tell your server about any allergy before you order. At our Burnaby location, the Plain Rice Rolls and Vegetable Spring Rolls are marked vegan.

How the tick sheet works

The rolling carts that once defined dim sum have largely given way to paper order sheets, and that is how we take orders at Neptune Palace. Each dish is listed with a code and its name in Chinese and English.

Write the quantity you want next to each dish, then hand the sheet to your server. The codes help if you would rather point than pronounce. When you are ready for the second wave, simply let your server know and add to your order. If you are unsure about a dish, ask: describing what you like ("something crispy", "no pork") is a perfectly good way to order.

Tea, the tea charge and a few small customs

Soon after you sit down, you will be asked which tea you would like. At Neptune Palace every guest pays a tea and condiment charge of $1.99, whether you drink tea or water. Teas often poured at Cantonese teahouses include pu'er, jasmine, tieguanyin and shoumei; ask your server what is being poured today, and see our Chinese tea guide for what each one tastes like.

A few customs make the table run smoothly. Pour for others before yourself. If someone pours for you, a light tap of two fingers on the table is a quiet thank-you. And when the pot runs dry, leave the lid ajar or resting on the rim, and a server will refill it. Our guide to tea etiquette explains where these habits come from.

When to go

Weekend late morning is the busiest time for yum cha, when multi-generation families fill the room and the noise is part of the charm. At busy times it helps to send in your first wave of orders promptly.

For a calmer first visit, come on a weekday, or arrive soon after opening on a weekend. Groups are best off booking ahead: reservations are taken by phone at each location.

Yum cha at Neptune Palace

Dim sum is served daily at both of our locations, from the morning (9:30 or 10am) until 3pm. In Vancouver, we are on the second floor of Marine Gateway, steps from Marine Drive station on the Canada Line; call (604) 423-3386. In Burnaby, we are on the upper level of The Amazing Brentwood, by Brentwood Town Centre SkyTrain station; call (604) 566-0897.

Bring a few friends, order a pot of tea and start with the har gow. The rest of the morning tends to take care of itself.

Questions, answered