The anticipation of what will be on the yum cha trolley is a beautiful thing. Photo: Sophia Brady.
There are few more enjoyable lunches in life than yum cha.
The ritual is part of the appeal. The rattle of cups and saucers. Staff moving through tightly packed tables. The expectation of what comes next. Then the reward! Bamboo steamers packed with dumplings, buns and rolls land on the table to be shared across cups of tea.
For many of us, yum cha is a weekend tradition. But what if you did not have to wait for Saturday or Sunday? At Yum Cha CBD, you don’t have to!
Yum Cha CBD has become one of my regular inner-city haunts since moving nearby. It is my usual place for yum cha lunch, a pre-show dinner or takeaway when the craving strikes. It has been consistent and reliable. I know I will leave happy.
Tucked away on West Row at the back of the Melbourne Building on the non-Northbourne Avenue side, it is easy to miss if you are not looking for it. One of the first things you notice on arrival is the fish tanks near the entrance, a reassuring sign that seafood is taken seriously here.
The restaurant itself is not large. Two dining areas are filled with closely arranged tables, creating an energetic atmosphere.
On my most recent visit, ironically on a Sunday, it was packed. So much for avoiding the weekend crowds. Fortunately, the wait was brief, and before long, we were seated at a table for two. Tea arrived first, followed by a menu filled with steamed dishes, seafood specialities, buns, congee and rice flour rolls.
While ordering from the menu is obviously perfectly acceptable, that has never really been the point of yum cha for me. I want to be surprised and delighted. I want to scan the room for passing steam baskets and trays. I want to look jealously at what neighbouring tables have selected. I want to be tempted into picking something I had not even considered five minutes earlier. I can order from a menu any old time.
First, the trolley delivered steamed prawn dumplings. They were glorious. Plump and glistening, with juicy prawns packed tightly inside, these were substantial dumplings that delivered several satisfying bites. The wrapper looked as though it was working very hard to keep everything contained.
The rolls are an enjoyable test of one’s ability with chopsticks. Photo: Sophia Brady.
A yum cha visit is also a test of one’s ability with chopsticks. Mine remains stubbornly average. It is equally a test of getting the sauce ratio right. I favour a splash of soy and a generous squeeze of sriracha. Every time I add too much chilli. Every time I complain about it. Secretly, I enjoy both the complaining and the hurt, so the cycle continues.
Next came pork ribs with black bean sauce. Rich and fatty, they had been chopped into bite-sized morsels and offered something different from the procession of dumplings. The black bean sauce was mild enough to let the pork take centre stage.
Next, the vegetable and bean curd roll was another winner. I love the contrast of textures in this dish. The silky exterior gives way to a crunchy filling, keeping every bite interesting.
Then one of my personal favourites appeared: rice flour rolls. While I usually cannot resist the prawn version, this time we opted for beef. The filling was tender, but it is the rice flour wrapper that keeps me coming back. Thick, slippery and wonderfully soft, it presents a genuine challenge for my chopstick skills. Picking one up without incident feels like a major accomplishment.
Another classic followed: siu mai. Pork and prawn remain one of the great combinations, and these versions were packed to the brim. If siu mai is yum cha’s answer to surf and turf, consider me a devoted fan. We made short work of them.
By the end of lunch, a small tower of empty steam baskets had accumulated on our table. A healthy stack of empty bamboo baskets feels like a pretty good measure of a lunch well done.
Siu Mai is a glorious dumpling version of surf and turf. Photo: Sophia Brady.
Yum Cha CBD is located at 32 West Row in Civic. Yum Cha runs from 11 am to 3 pm every day, and dinner is from 5 pm to 10:30 pm.
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Original Article published by Sophia Brady on Region Canberra.
