Review by PJ
Familiar diners are sick with longing as reservations are hard to come by.
Enter Sum Bar as if you were strolling the crowded streets of TST (Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong) looking for the perfect dim sum restaurant.
Surrounded by a glass-clad room overwhelmed by natural light, you will be impressed by the balance of darks and light that offset this southern Chinese stunner.
Of course, drinks start the evening with Tiny Bubbles being a “safe bet” as most Macao casino enthusiasts prefer, but if you’re feeling a bit internationalist or Chinese businessman-esque try a Baijiu cocktail. Baijiu, being the staple made from sorghum, is absolutely going to leave you chanting gan bei (干杯) or bottoms up.
(小食) starters will have you commanding to grab all opportunities (抓住机会落实）as you can’t go wrong with any option. The deconstructed crab Rangoon was amazing, the green beans were spot on, and the cucumber… well one’s vocabulary gets tongue-tied and leaves us saying “That’s good!”
Next is the main course which may have some of Sum Bar’s classy clientele dumbfounded. Be credulous that Dim Sum is not too far removed from tapas, so one must order accordingly.
Char Siu is delicate yet commanding, and next are the dumplings. Although a common dish in modern times, sometimes the old ways are best, and one can’t recount if they are in Maxim’s Palace (Central Hong Kong) or deep in the Middle Kingdom.
Finally, wrap up the evening with Siu Mai. Don’t speak Cantonese? All you need to know is “gei hou sik” (幾好食 ) - it’s a classic that Sum Bar captured and improved upon.
-PJ