Fresh dumplings delivered quickly at Summerlin area’s Dim Sum Cafe
Getting dim sum was the plan on a recent rainy Sunday afternoon. Going to Dim Sum Cafe, however, wasn’t.
When my dining partner and I went to our usual dim sum establishment, a sign on the door read it was closed because it hadn’t met inspection standards. Regardless, we wanted dim sum, and we were saved by a Google search.
Dim Sum Cafe, 3700 S. Hualapai Way, isn’t hard to miss. It takes a few minutes going down Hualapai Way — coming from Flamingo Road and the 215 Beltway — to find “Dim Sum Cafe” lit in blue letters right before Twain Avenue. That seemed inviting.
The interior had rows of booths that presented a diner-like feel; a few fish tanks were placed inside the wall. TVs were mounted across the restaurant, each tuned to the NFC championship game.
At most dim sum eateries, waiters or waitresses wheel carts of steamed dumplings down the aisles, asking customers if they prefer what’s on their cart. Usually, the dumplings are hot and fresh. Other times, by the time the cart comes around, they’re warm and don’t have the same appeal.
At Dim Sum Cafe, you’re given a menu with every dumpling featured, and, like at a regular restaurant, it’s made fresh and delivered to your plate within 10 minutes.
The menu is divided into seven categories with prices ranging from $2.50 to $6.50. We ordered pork shumai, pork dumpling with mushrooms; shrimp har gow, a light, fluffy dumpling with just shrimp; and shrimp rice noodles, flat noodle dumplings with shrimp inside, topped with a zesty sauce that isn’t as strong as soy sauce.
Dim sum isn’t just about dumplings. The crab claw ($5.50) is another highlight. Crab meat is covered in shrimp paste, coated with bread crumbs and deep-fried. Our waiter suggested we try the sugarcane shrimp — a deep-fried ball of shrimp that’s as good as it sounds.
Dim Sum Cafe’s service was friendly, the fresh food was tasty and the environment was laid-back. Even when the other place reopens, this might be our new go-to place for dim sum.