Yum cha means “drink tea” in Cantonese, and typically tea is served with the small snacks and dumplings known as dim sum. If you’re heading to Chinatown for the 15-day celebration of the Chinese New Year, which starts today, here are some places to sample these popular delicacies.

“Chinatown: Sip Tea, Raise Chopsticks,” by Kris Ensiminger, The New York Times, January 29, 2006
this article is simply a rehash from previous articles about dim-sum in Chinatown … these articles stick to the same old familiar places …
I do not fancy Ping’s because they try to be too modern and slick … so that they can charge you more money per person … they include many dishes that are not dim-sum but regular dishes disguised as dim-sum plates …
Dim Sum A Go-Go is good for anyone who cannot speak Cantonese and can order the food from a menu-list … “dim-sum by the numbers” … this is not the traditional manner to enjoy dim-sum …
the whole idea of dim-sum is to sit and talk, eat a plate, talk more, wait for a fresh trolley of dim-sum, order another … and so on … as in a Spanish tapas cafe … you do not order all at once and mouth them down as in Dim-Sum A Go-Go …
Oriental Garden is good but too much money, as for the others too …
I save the Nice for delicious Cantonese dinners … which I did on the Lunar New Year with eight friends … a 10 course banquet for $280.00 including the tip … we brought French champagne, white and reds wines … service cannot be any better …

My favourite dim-sum restaurant is still the Chatham Restaurant … very fresh dim-sum and $5 plates of noodles … the old fashion way … eat slowly, talk and enjoy the day … moreover, the Chatham specialises in dim-sum while the restaurants mentioned cook dim-sum, lunch and dinners … see “Best dim-sum in Chinatown” …

Dim Sum Go Go, 5 East Broadway, 212-732-0797 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Gayot]
Jing Fong, 20 Elizabeth Street, 212-964-5256 [NYT | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]
Nice, see our post “Nice Restaurant – Chinatown,” 35 East Broadway, 212-406-9510 [NYT | Citysearch]
Ping’s Seafood, 22 Mott Street, 212-602-9988 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]
Oriental Garden, 14 Elizabeth Street, 212-619-0085 [NYT | openlist]
Sweet ‘N’ Tart Restaurant, 20 Mott Street, 212-964-0380 [MenuPages | NYT | openlist | Gayot | Citysearch]
Triple Eight Palace, 88 East Broadway, 212-941-8886 [NYT | openlist | Gayot]
Post by Peter

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