Rose and I spent the afternoon writing the first draft of our joint paper. As a reward, we ventured into chinatown (a short walk from the Leicester Station) with Rose's friend Ruby to grab some authentic dim sum.
What is dim sum? You are not alone, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I had never been (and this is odd for someone born and raised in Vancouver). Dim Sum is the name for a Chinese cuisine consisting of a large range of light dishes served alongside Chinese tea. It originated with the Cantonese in southern China. As Rose taught me last night, it is also termed 'Yum Cha' which means 'drinking tea'. For many in southern china, 'Yum cha' is a weekend family event. Rose explained that the youngest members of the family would que up to reserve a table for the rest of the family. By doing this, they are showing respect to their parents and grandparents, and showing how much spending time with their families means to them.'Yum Cha' is a time to get all the generations of the family together to socialize and enjoy an extended meal. Dim sum was traditionally served using hot trolleys and New World has maintained this tradition since its opening in 1985.
You may recall from a recent post, that our meal at Ping Pong was my first dim sum experience. Ping Pong is a trendy restaurant chain, attempting to make dim sum more main stream (and doing a great job), but we were looking for something legit. Rose was looking for dumplings that tasted like the ones she would enjoy at home in Hong Kong.
No pressure...
I had found New World Chinese Restaurant on my time-out London app as one of the best affordable and authentic dim sum experiences. On average you can expect to pay ₤10 per person.
If you go on a Sunday between noon and 2pm, expect to line up outside (as this is the traditional time for Chinese families to venture out for dim sum), but any time after that, you should be able to get a table right away.
The food was delicious. The ambiance was not great, and the service inattentive, but we were deep in conversation and distracted by the tasty dishes. I've read mixed reviews from others, suggesting the food is inconsistent. If this is the case, we must have had a good night. I would definitely go again as you can't really beat a delicious dinner for ₤10 a person.
On another note, I realize there has been quite a lot of food posts lately...a girl has to eat you know.
For those who aren't fans, I promise I've got some adventures planned this weekend that I will make sure to document and post next week. Some of the highlights include a bbq in Notting Hill, a friend's birthday, and a Sunday Polo match....not to mention what happens next Wednesday (yes, I'm slightly excited!).
If you're following me on Instagram, you are well aware.
@beyondtheblueumbrella
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