Dim Sum - Restaurants and Pricing

Restaurants and Pricing

One aspect many find unique to dim sum is its method of serving in specialized dim sum brunch restaurants or teahouses. Here dishes are pushed around the restaurant on steam carts, with servers offering the dishes to customers. Pricing of dishes at these types of restaurants may vary, but traditionally the dishes are classified as "small", "medium", "large", or "special" (a menu item not typically considered dim sum fare, such as a plate of chow mein). For example, a basket of dumplings may be considered a small dish, while a bowl of congee or plate of Lo mai gai may be considered a large dish. Dishes are then priced accordingly by size, with orders typically recorded with a rubber stamp onto a bill that remains on the table. Servers in some restaurants use distinct stamps, so that sales statistics for each server can be recorded. Another way of pricing the food consumed is to use color of the dishes left on the patron's table as a guide, similar to what is used in some sushi restaurants.

Other Chinese restaurants may not offer dim sum on the steam push carts and instead offer it a la carte. Prices of each dim sum dish may then vary depending on the actual dish ordered.