Alright, let me tell you about my hunt for some decent dim sum right here in Lisbon. I’d been living here a while, and sometimes you just get that craving, you know? That specific taste of steamed dumplings and savory bites you can’t easily find everywhere.
So, I decided one weekend, that’s it, I’m finding some dim sum. Didn’t have a specific recommendation, just a general idea of where to look. Figured the areas with more Asian shops and restaurants might have something. I started walking around, mostly near Martim Moniz, just keeping my eyes peeled for anything that looked promising.
Took a bit of wandering, actually. Passed a few places, but eventually stumbled upon this one spot. Didn’t look like much from the outside, pretty plain. I hesitated for a second, but thought, what the heck, let’s give it a try. Sometimes the best food is in these unassuming places.
Walked inside. It was simple, no frills. Just tables, chairs, the usual setup. Looked like a family might be running it. They weren’t overly chatty, just got down to business, which is fine by me. Handed me one of those paper menus where you tick off what you want. Lots of pictures, which helped, ’cause my Portuguese is okay, but my Cantonese menu reading is zero.
Getting Down to Ordering
I scanned the options. Saw the usual suspects:
- Har Gow (prawn dumplings)
- Siu Mai (pork and prawn dumplings)
- Char Siu Bao (BBQ pork buns)
- Some steamed rice rolls (Cheung Fun)
Decided to stick with the classics for the first round. Didn’t want to get too adventurous right away. Ticked off my choices, handed the paper back, and waited. It wasn’t super busy, maybe mid-afternoon, so things started coming out reasonably quickly.
The Taste Test
First up were the Har Gow. Steaming hot. The wrapper was maybe a little thicker than I prefer, but the prawn filling was alright. Decent flavor. Then the Siu Mai arrived. These were pretty standard, tasted like siu mai should. Nothing mind-blowing, but solid enough.
Next, the Char Siu Bao. These were okay, the filling was sweet, the bun was fluffy enough. I also tried some Cheung Fun with prawns. The rice noodle was smooth, soy sauce was standard. Again, did the job.
Overall? Look, it wasn’t the absolute best dim sum I’ve ever had in my life, not by a long shot. If you’ve had dim sum in Hong Kong or London’s Chinatown, you manage your expectations. But finding any dim sum in Lisbon felt like a small victory.
It scratched the itch. It was warm, savory, and reminded me of those familiar flavors. The place was straightforward, no fuss, just served the food. For Lisbon, it was a decent find. Would I go back? Yeah, probably, if that craving hits hard again. It wasn’t amazing, but it was good enough for a random weekend dim sum fix here.