Ever had Dim Sum before?

OK, but have you had what my friends dub ‘fancy pants’ Dim Sum?

I’ve had Dim Sum at a few places….China Gate in Seattle, Tien Hong on Burnet, to name a few. But I especially like the Dim Sum at Chinatown in North Austin.

It’s a little fancier than you may expect with things like espresso glazed baby back ribs, and baked chilean sea bass. However, it has all the traditional dim sum fare you are accustomed to, but with great quality and freshness.

If you’re not familiar with dim sum, servers typically come around with a cartful of small plates (think Asian tapas). You pick and choose what you want from the cart and typically share with the other guests at your table. Plates usually are anything from dumplings to pork buns, sticky rice to baked taro.

At Chinatown everything is warm and special attention is paid to presentation, which is unlike any other dim sum experience I’ve had elsewhere. My friends like to call it “upscale” dim sum, which may or may not suit you.

I personally enjoy it, and to get items with the ‘fresh out the oven’ feel more than makes up for the slightly higher premium you’ll pay for the food.

I’ve been here several times with various groups of friends (some who even grew up eating dim sum) and they’ve all seemed to enjoy the experience. I definitely recommend.