Dim sum is a dish I've always wanted to like, but one that has inevitably disappointed me. I'm not sure why; it involves seafood, consists of a variety of small dishes, is served with tea and is eaten with chopsticks--several of the earmarks of a good meal. Maybe it's just that I've never eaten it at the right place, although to date I've eaten dim sum at various restaurants in Macau, Malaysia, Oregon and Thailand. Despite all this, whenever I see a new dim sum place here in Bangkok I'm always keen to try it.
My latest effort in the search for edible dim sum was at a nearby branch of a somewhat new chain restaurant, Chokdee Dim Sum. Like most dim sum restaurants, upon entering Chokdee, you walk to a glass case where the uncooked dim sum are anxiously waiting for you. You choose the ones you want, which are steamed to order and brought to your table:
Despite it being a corny fast food restaurant, it was one of the first times I've ever really and truly enjoyed dim sum. The steamed dumplings weren't defrosted and deformed like the usual stuff one typically gets in Bangkok, and the vegetables and (most of) the seafood were relatively fresh. Mom liked the steamed buns:
which, as she accurately noted, were compellingly similar in taste and texture to Polish pierogi. Another highlight was a big fat steaming bowl of bak kut teh (a dish previously mentioned here). The broth was downright spicy with ground pepper, and contained pork ribs, tofu skin, and dried and fresh mushrooms.
I think mom and grandma were initially weirded out by the unfamiliar ingredients and all the steaming going on, but they soon lost all inhibition and went into something of a dim sum frenzy, stabbing each other with their forks (the poor souls haven't yet learned to use chopsticks) to get at the best bits:
I tried my best to ignore all of this and enjoyed several cups of Chinese tea:
Incidentally, the company's motto is (among other things) "Our dimsum is made fresh by hand, with love right here in our kitchen." Because this is written on virtually every wall of the restauant, we decided to ask if it was in fact true, and were told that the dim sum were actually made elsewhere and brought to the restaurant every morning! Oh well, at least it's probably made with love. Regardless, I'll be back. You can find me at:
Chokdee Dimsum Restaurant
Wang Hin Branch
Thanon Choke Chai 4
02 942 3208