Meaning “touch the heart” or “order to one’s heart’s content”, dim sum originated hundreds of years ago from the province of Canton in the south of China. Dim sum is a morning and early afternoon tradition of eating a variety of food, usually fried or steamed, served on small plates. Today it is a popular daily delight taking the place of brunch or lunch.
The Don Mee Dim Sum Tradition
Dim sum is an occasion which everyone should experience, even when you have to wait in line at Don Mee, 538 Fisgard Street, in Chinatown. Naturally it’s busy since Don Mee has been a longstanding Victoria tradition since 1923 serving dim sum daily from 11am during the week and 10am on the weekends until 2:30pm.
Dim sum upstairs at Don Mee is fun, loud and delicious. You can barely get yourself seated before the ladies wheel by with their stainless steel carts. Act fast as their level of patience is somewhat limited! They call out what’s on their cart and stop at your table or you can flag them down when you hear what interests you. Before you know it, your table will be covered in many small plates and baskets along with what looks like a bingo card. As the plates are delivered, the server stamps the card which indicates the price of the dish which often comes with two, three or four items.
A favorite dim sum dish at Don Mee is the chicken dumplings made with a tasty filling which is a beautiful contrast against the steamed sweet, fluffy dumpling dough. Of the over 60 house-made specialties, you can try shrimp dumplings, turnip cakes, deep fried wontons with pork and shrimp, and beautifully fried crab claws wrapped with shrimp meat. Finish with baked tapioca pudding with sweet lotus seed paste.
More Chinatown Dim Sum Experiences
Just a few doors down at 548 Fisgard Street, Kwong Tung also offers dim sum from 11am-9:30pm every day of the week. Golden City, 721 Fisgard Street (closer to Douglas Street), also offers dim sum seven days a week from 11:30-2:30pm.
The Pacific Restaurant at the Hotel Grand Pacific Offers Weekend Dim Sum
If you’d like a more sophisticated experience, visit the Hotel Grand Pacific, 463 Belleville Stret, along Victoria's Inner Harbour. Dim sum at the hotel’s Pacific Restaurant is a gastronomic adventure created with many local products including local Cowichan Bay Farm duck plus seafood under the Ocean Wise program which helps consumers to identify environmentally friendly seafood choices.
Executive Chef Rick Choy is originally from Hong Kong and creates all their dim sum in-house from scratch. While the menu is not as vast as the Chinatown restaurants, it is quality cuisine which changes with the seasons and locally available products. Each dish is an artful creation accompanied by house-made sauces. Begin with Bau, the stuffed Chinese steamed buns with soy braised pork shoulder and fresh soybean (edamame). The wild tiger prawn and wood fungus egg purses are perfect little packets with shitake mushrooms and goji berry sauce. The steamed pork dumplings’ origins are from the north of China with water chestnut and shitake. The BBQ duck spring rolls with sweet red onion and birds eye chilli coulis are out of this world! This is not to be topped by the sweet ending with cookie-like Chinese-style sesame doughnuts and warm, rich coconut tarts. You’ll have to reserve for Saturday or Sundays as this special dim sum is only available weekends 11:30am-3:00pm. Pair your dim sum with one of many specialty teas that have been hand selected creating an extensive loose leaf tea menu.
Order to your heart’s content and savour the dim sum experience.
Kathryn McAree - Kathryn McAree is blazing the culinary tourism trail having created Vancouver Island's first culinary tour company, Travel With Taste. ...
