Dim Sum

One of the great culinary traditions in Hong Kong is eating dim sum. These are the tiny (steamed and deep fried) snacks that come around to your table on a trolley or are brought to you in bamboo containers with a lid.

Dim sum is particularly popular in large Chinese restaurants and is usually consumed with lots of tea and often with a main dish like fried rice, noodles or vegetables. Dim sum which literally means "touching your heart", is served for lunch and breakfast in most local teahouses as well as restaurants.

Dim sum includes a variety of steamed or fried or baked dumplings, buns and pastries, containing vegetables, seafood and meat. It may take you several visits to determine your favourites. If you've never tried dim sum before, you'll soon discover you're in for a fantastic eating experience. If you're a past master in the art of using chopsticks and you can tell "Har Gau" from "Siu Mai", you're still guaranteed an exquisite dining experience because Hong Kong chefs will whip you up a feast the likes of which you can only imagine.

Must try dim sum dishes include: Har Gau (shrimp dumplings), Siu Mai (meat dumpling), Pai Gwat (steamed spareribs), Ngau Yuk Mai (steamed beef ball) Cha Siu Bau (steamed barbecued pork bun) and Chun Guen (fried spring roll).