Dim Sum? Yum Cha? Same thing, right? Which ever you like to call it, there are so many places out there and everybody has different favourites. I have been eating yum cha (yes this is how I know it to be) for as long as I can remember. It’s the perfect meal to share with family, and with my family being ever so big, it’s always a great way to catch up over good food.
When I was little, my family used to go to the one with the red curtains near Woolworths on Hughes Street (sadly I have forgotten their name and have been closed for some time now), and then as the years went on we merged to Vinh Phat then Golden Star Palace (which has now closed) then Iron Chef but now we seem to only go to Fortune8. It has been around for a while but for some reason we have only just discovered it and has now become a family favourite.
See what Biggie and I have for brunch this time. Note – for a party of 2 it may seem like we eat a lot (and I suppose we do =P)
Har Cheong Fun – Steamed Rice Rolls with Prawns
I find that Fortune8 make it this dish the best – the steamed rice rolls are perfectly cooked and have a soft texture which helps to absorb the diluted sweetened soy sauce. Most other places serve it quite hard and it’s not pleasant at all. I’ve always known for it to be slimy and flimsy with it breaking down so easily in the mouth.
Pai Gwut – Steamed Pork Spare Ribs
I love me some good ol’ spare ribs. It’s so tender and has the perfect ratio of fat to meat. One of my all time favouites.
Fung Jiao – Steamed Chicken Feet
I know chicken feet is a hit and miss with people, but I’ve grown up with it so I am one of those who love it. It is beautifully steamed whilst absorbing the sweet black bean and chilli marinade with the skin and cartilage essentially falling off the bone.
Kai Lan – Steamed Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
Can’t go wrong with steamed veggies with a little sauce on the side. It is a great to have some vegetables to break up all the meat dishes.
Siu Mai – Pork Dumplings
My childhood favourite and I am a sucker for these dumplings! Using one chopstick to poke right in the middle of the siu mai, dip in the yum cha chilli sauce and taking one bite in is heaven to me, even til this day.
Har Gow – Prawn Dumplings
The glutinous rice wrapper gets me all the time. I really enjoy the texture with the juicy prawn inside.
Deep Fried Har Gow – Prawn Dumplings
Deep frying the har gow gives a much needed crunchy texture. This works well with any condiment - chilli sauce, the mayonnaise or even the sweet and sour sauce.
Our feast for two
The above dishes are always a must order for anyone in my family – it feels like they are the epitome of yum cha. For two piggies, the bill came to a total of $36.20. For 7 dishes thats an average of $5.17 per dish – that’s ridiculous! And mind you, every dish came out steaming hot and was spot on with all the flavours. SCORE! I definitely know that if you had the same feast elsewhere, the prices would sky rocket. And this is why I’ll say I loveeeeeeee Cabramatta =)
Because there was only 2 of us this time, there were a lot of other things we didn’t get to eat which I love to. When going as a group we usually also get:
- Lor Bak Gou – Fried Turnip/Radish Cake
- Chai Tow Kway – Fried carrot cake
- Lo Mai Gai - Lotus Leaf Sticky Rice
- Wu Kok – Deep fried taro/yam with minced pork
- Yau Yu Sou – Deep Fried Calamari
- Dan Taat – Egg Tarts
There are a few other items to add to the above list but I have no idea what they are called or how to translate the words into English – I’m not even going to bother to try. It just feels like your options are endless which is why I love yum cha!
I have so many favourites whenever I make a trip to yum cha. So tell me readers, what’s always on your order list when you go? =)
Fortune8 Chinese Restaurant
34/47 Park Road
Cabramatta NSW 2166
Tel: +61 2 9727 8988
I’m well overdue for a yum cha fix. WELL overdue. My last was in Cabra as well, at Thành Tâm. Gotta get back there!
I didn’t know Thanh Tam has yum cha. Actually I don’t even know where that place is.
Steamed pork spare ribs, siu mai and har gow are a must for me at Yum Cha joint! $36 for 7 dishes is cheap!
The best dishes to order raff.. Mmmmm. I want some right now lol
I think I may have walked past this place the other day. Nice selection of dishes at awesome prices. Will definitely have to plan a visit some time. Do they have char siu bao? Thats a must have for me!
I’m sure they do have the char sui bao. My family and I don’t usually eat that when we go. We think that’s a more western thing. All my work colleagues love it
Hehe, the dishes you had are exactly the ones we order when we go to yum cha; a nice mix of steamed, braised and fried. And that is sooo cheap, jealous of your access to the good food in Cabra.
Isn’t it? The other yum cha places aren’t too badly priced either. Definitely much much cheaper than if we were to eat in the city or closer to the city
That food looks so plentiful and delicious for the price. But, I’ve heard restaurants in Cabramatta are very reasonable. I love yum cha too. It’s always such a fun dining experience xx
They’re much more affordable in prices and probably more authentic with the flavour. If only the service was up to scratch but food does come out quick so your mouth is too busy eating anyway :)
i loveee the steamed pork ribs! oh and the egg tarts. and the mango pancakes. and the custard buns…. :P
Oh yes. I forgot all about the other desserts’! Haha I don’t know how to translate them into Chinese though
I love this place so much! I also find that they use less msg because i come out less thirsty. lol? and the bill is always so freaking cheap everytime I visit!
I’m sure there is a fare share of MSG – what Asian place doesn’t use it? Lol but yea. So cheap!!
I’ve heard great things about this place! Keen to try it out sometime when we’re in Cabra next :D
You def need to hit it up!
yum cha isn’t yum cha unless there’s chicken feet! I won’t be happy otherwise.
pork ribs, har gao, siu mai, har cheung, mango pudding are all musts too!
Ohhhh good choices. I love me some
Mango pancakes and pudding too though sometimes I’d rather eat more dumplings or pork ribs! Haha
Love yum cha, a frequent Sunday brunch for us. All of what you ate are favourites of mine, except the chicken feet. I have tried them a couple of times, but just can’t get into them, it is the texture for me, I think.
I think there are many out there like yourself. It sure is an acquired taste :) have you tried other forms of chicken feet? Chicken feet salad in the Thai/Laos cuisine is amazing! Not slimy at all.
I’ve been thinking of taking my family for yum cha when they come over and this looks like the perfect place, not too expensive and more traditional-looking than those super fancy places! I will definitely take a look!
I definitely think its more on the authentic side, namely with flavours. I promise you won’t be disappointed :) queues can get quite long so best to go in a little early ;)
I really liked your choices! We always choose the same thing-lots of har gow :P
Har gow with loads of chilli sauce please :)
Love yum cha – and you ordered a lot of my favourites too :) I always have to get egg tarts and ham sui gok too
Imagine how much would be ordered when eating with a table of 10? That’s how big my family is. Haha imagine all the glorious fooooooood
we love love love yum cha, making my mouth water :)
Oh it is just a fantastic place to go. Hope you get to make the trip :)
oh is this the place that has the super cheap yumcha? I know there’s a place in cabra that’s ridiculously cheap but not sure on the name
It most likely is. It’s the cheapest I know of.
Vinh Hao.. that’s the name of the red curtained yum cha place. I’ve had lots of memories eating there as a kid. Now I usually go to Fortune8 as well but you can’t go wrong with yum cha in Cabra
Ahhhh that’s it. Thanks for letting me know that name. Sure brings back good memories – that was the yum cha my family and I religiously went to every other week!