Dim sum, which literally means “touch of the heart,” is the Cantonese version of brunch. While others dive into pancakes or eggs, with cups of steaming tea in hand, happy Cantonese families spend early afternoons at the table, sharing petite, handcrafted dishes. At Summer Palace’s dim sum buffet (weekdays B688++, weekend B988++), you can order dim sum to your heart’s content while enjoying the elegant pitch of the guzheng (Chinese zither) in the background.
Chef Khor Eng Yew is a native of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, who has dedicated his culinary career to creating traditional Cantonese dim sum since 1995. Over the last half decade, he has added a touch of modern Asian influences to his cuisine, introducing fun, original creations to the menu at Summer Palace. Such talents even netted him a win over Peter Lai in “Iron Chef Thailand.”
Finely tuned skills are needed to achieve the quality of dim sum at Summer Palace. The labour-intensive handiwork comes to the fore in the flavours and textures. Beautifully folded, steamed dumplings rest in bamboo steamers, the bright pink chunks of prawn blushing through thin translucent wrappers. Order a wide selection of steamed dumplings—pork dumplings with shrimp roe, spicy seafood dumplings, scallop and spinach dumplings— the communal nature of dim sum makes it easy to sample all the dishes on the all-you-can-eat buffet menu, even the supporting fare, which runs the gamut from soups to wok fried items, from noodles and congee to desserts.
In buns and dumplings, the fillings feature sophisticated flavours. This keeps the dim sum from feeling hefty. The seemingly humble steamed custard buns contain molten, marigold-hued salted egg custard inside pillow-soft sweet buns, an elevated finish to a familiar food. The deep-fried taro stuffed with shrimp is also a fun and tasty bite—moist mashed taro and shrimp are wrapped with delicate, yet crispy, net coating: a delightful juxtaposition of textures.
On the à la carte menu, search for the deep-fried crispy almond prawn balls (B120). Dressed in a layer of almond flakes and decorated with mango salsa and finely minced red chilli, the dish has a delightful tropical accent. The oven-baked snow fish (B590) is also a must-try, as the honey teriyaki glaze complements the fish’s delicate flavour perfectly.
Before you round out your dim sum feast at Summer Palace, refresh your palate with Chinese pear poached in sweet-and-sour plum syrup. Finally, with a cup of Jasmine tea, toast your good food and good companions at the table, soaking up tradition to the fullest.
Summer Palace
InterContinental Bangkok, 973 Phloen Chit Rd | 0 2656 0444 ext. 6434 | icbangkok.com | lunch 11.30am-2.30pm, dinner 6.30pm-10.30pm
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