Yum Cha translates to drink tea, and when the Chinese, or more specifically when people in Hong Kong go to have dim sum in a restaurant, they say they go to yum cha as the tea is a major component of the meal.
Yum cha is a great gathering function with friends and family because there are so many different dishes you can eat. Each of them are small dishes a bit like Spanish tapas.
Today I went to yum cha with some friends at Pen Xin. The dim sum at this restaurant is very authentic, in fact the best that I've had in Taiwan. Since I last came, they have changed the decor and now have a lot of colourful posters about Hong Kong inside.
The grest thing about yum cha is that you can order the dim sum al throughout the meal. Normally, we will order most of it at the beginning, and then order a second ir maybe even third round. That way we don't have to rush our food and the dim sum is always fresh and hot. Apart from the photo above , here's a couple others that we ordered. This is prawn dumpling and is the most famous dim sum. A good prawn dumpling should have a thin translucent wrapping with intricate folds , and fresh prawn filling. Pen Xin does a good one, not the best I had, but a lot better than many I've had.
This is a dessert, a fried dough with custard filling and was so so. It looked prettier than the taste.
I like coming to Pen Xin as the food is good, and the decor is nice and spacious. It's a great place for catching up with friends.
By the way, just so you know, dim sum is normally eaten in the morning up to lunchtime. If you want to eat dim sum like a local, don't order it in the Chinese restaurant when you go for dinner in the evening!
Restaurant Information
Pen Xin Dim Sum Restaurant
No. 138, Section 2, Gongyi Road, Nantun District, Taichung City, Taiwan 408
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