Dim Sum Express

I decided to give the dim sum at Dim Sum Express a try. Hidden away at the end of a backstreet in East TST, this is probably not a place most people would encounter by randomly walking around. That is a pity, as Dim Sum Express has a pretty interesting take dim sum. They call themselves a fusion of Hong Kong-style dim sum and Japanese cuisine, although the Japanese influence was rather mild, and sometimes the dished were inspired from other (and often non-Japanese) sources, but they were overall quite innovative in the context of dim sum.  

Japanese Style Sauce w/Cuttlefish in Eggplant ($20)

Japanese Style Sauce w/Cuttlefish in Eggplant ($20)

The cuttlefish was juicy, and the pieces of eggplant were nicely done. The sauce was good too, but I didn’t care much for the topping.

Steamed Xiao Long Bao ($32)

Xiao Long Bao with crab and pork meat inside, it was good, but nothing special when it comes to xiao long bao.

Xiao Long Bao with crab and pork meat inside, it was pretty good, but nothing special when it comes to xiao long baos.

Japanese Style Mushroom Truffle W/Beef ($25)

My favorite of the night:)

This one came out really well, although its appearance was extremely bland. The beef inside had a really distinct taste and succulent feel to it, the sauce was delicious, and it blended well together with the mushroom and truffle. Recommended!

Japanese Style Beef w/Fried Korean Noodles ($48)

Nice to have a larger sized dish too, without it I wouldn't have gotten full. Really tasty too!

The beef was really good, with lots of sauce, and noodles. As the servings at this place were relatively small, this dish was good to add some volume to fill up the stomach.

Italian Rarioli w/Vinegar Oil Salad ($48)

Ok taste, but way too pricey for what it is!

Another non-japanese fusion dish (supposedly Italian because of the salad?). Much like a fried shrimp dumpling, but with a different kind of crispy cover. Quite dry, but if eaten together with the oily salad, it was pretty good. Not worth the price, as these seemed to me just like deep fried shrimp dumplings.

Steamed Pork & Shrimp Siu Mai ($18)

Steamed Pork & Shrimp Siu Mai ($18)

This was mainly pork siu mai, as there was almost no shrimp inside. It was still pretty good, but the pork could have been a bit more “meaty”, as it was a bit too processed/grinded.

Osmanthus Pudding ($18)

Not reccommended

Instead of the typical goji berries found in osmanthus pudding, this one had black jelly. It was rather bitter, without much taste, and the pudding texture was a bit too gelatinous.

fitting lighting detail

Overall I really enjoyed eating at Dim Sum Express. For most of the part, there were no other diners in the restaurant, so it made for a peaceful and laidback dinner. It was spacious between the tables, and the lighting had dimmed and relaxing ambience.

I usually eat in dim sum restaurants in the price range of One Dim Sum, Tim Ho Wan, and DimDimSum Dim Sum Specialty Store. Compared with those, Dim Sum Express was expensive, and the bill came in at almost twice the price per person, compared with what it would have cost to eat in the above mentioned places. In terms of quality of food, I found the quality of ingredients to be only marginally better.

When it comes to taste on the other hand, it was a mixed bag, with some dishes being a lot better than average, while others being just average. However, the dim sum restaurants mentioned above are extremely cramped, and offer a rather stressful eating experience, so I would seek out Dim Sum Express again, both for its relaxed atmosphere, and also in the hopes of picking only their "above average" dishes. A meal composed only of those, would surely be a hit!