One of my favourite options for a weekend lunch treat is to head to Canary Wharf and enjoy a dim sum feast at Lotus – a Chinese restaurant that’s floating on Millwall Inner Dock.
I used to work in an office nearby – in fact, I could see the restaurant from my desk – and it was on a team lunch (well, not my team – I didn’t have an actual team – but the team that I worked next to, who had ‘adopted’ me) that I discovered its delicious selection of dim sum.
If you’re not familiar with dim sum, it’s a Cantonese style of cooking, whereby bite-size(ish) dishes are served up on small plates or in steamer baskets and everyone shares. Think tapas or meze – but Chinese.
Literally, dim sum means ‘to touch the heart’, and I think that’s a great way of describing it. Not only does it taste great, but eating it is often an experience shared by large families or groups of friends. Just looking around the restaurant, there are always big, round tables full of people laughing, talking and having a good time as they pass the various dishes around or spin the lazy susans.
Of course, you don’t have to be in a big group to enjoy dim sum. Hubby and I used to go when it was just the two of us, and now we’re introducing Pumpkin to it too – although for now, she just gets little tastes since I’m afraid most of the food is too salty for her little body.
The big spoon is great fun to play with and chew on, though!
Drinking tea is a big part of a dim sum meal as well – and I love me a big pot of Chinese tea. But Hubby usually goes for a beer instead.
Then the food starts coming out!
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These are mixed meat croquettes. The fried pastry is lovely and crisp on the outside, but slightly chewy inside and there’s a tasty combination of meat and sauce in the middle.
These are turnip cakes. I know that doesn’t sound very appetising, but they taste nothing like turnip and are delicious. They have little bits of pork mixed throughout too.
Our two favourite dishes, however, are char sui pork buns (left) and glutinous rice parcels (right).
Both dishes are steamed – the char sui pork buns have an amazingly fluffy bread-like shell and are filled with barbecued pork. Meanwhile, the rice parcels are wrapped in lotus leaves; the rice has a lovely sticky texture and they are filled with a mixture of sausage, mushrooms, scrambled egg and a sticky sauce.
We usually find that two to three dishes per adult is about right and the hardest part is choosing which ones to get. Other favourites are the chive dumplings, prawn cheung fun and the chicken and rice bowl.
Have you ever had dim sum? What’s your favourite dish or your favourite restaurant? Tell me about it in the comments below!
The Lotus is located near Crossharbour DLR station on the Isle of Dogs. It’s open for lunch and dinner, with dim sum being served from noon until 4:30pm. Find out more – visit their website.
I LOVE Char Sui Pork Buns, but have never had ‘proper’ dim sum, it’s on my bucket list though, I love the look of it. Gorgeous photos, thanks for playing along with Point + Shoot xx
Thanks for your comment. I definitely recommend dim sum whenever you have a chance. It’s delish. Thanks for the linky too! I love taking part.