Get You Sum.

Dim Sum Seafood Restaurant
9431 Delcourt Ave
Baton Rouge, LA 70815-4127
(225) 924-3550


You've seen them... ubiquitous, it seems, on nearly every street corner in south Baton Rouge... the strip mall Chinese restaurant. Sadly, this is what has come to define the cuisine of China to many- the picture menus, the ordering by combo number, the same ingredients, precooked, trucked in from the port of Houston from some faceless, soulless warehouse in some godforsaken place like Bay City or Pasadena.
This obscenity ignores the thousands of years of the culinary culture of China- the regional dishes, the small courses of bliss, the traditional delicacies.
I have heard rumblings that at least one place in the metro B.R. still delivers these goods- and so, tucked away a block off Airline Highway in a nondescript building, I find Dim Sum.

Dim Sum means "a bit of heart" in Chinese, and that proved to be an apt description of what I found here... authentic food, prepared without pretense, simple and satisfying. I arrived a little late for lunch this day, and was concerned to find few cars in the parking lot, and save one table, I appeared to have the spacious dining room to myself. Upon entering, I am presented with two menus- one, a list of dim sum courses complete with an accompanying flip book of pictures for hapless gaijin like myself, and the other a menu of the McChinese offerings we've all come to know. Since I've eaten enough sweet-and-sour pork and sesame chicken to last me a lifetime, I boldly go the Dim Sum route. Dim Sum refers to a series of small courses served with tea- in this case ranging from around $3-5 bucks a piece, with four or so making a tidy lunch.

Perhaps sensing my uncertainty, I am guided by a most helpful employee by the name of Amy who, for the next hour, serves as my culinary tour guide. She also explains why I have the place to myself today... their big crowds come on the weekends, when large Asian families show up for a taste of the traditional, traveling from neighboring states in some cases to get a bite of some things you just can't get in most Chinese restaurants around here. Under Amy's steady hand, I make my choices- Cha Siu Bao ($2.50 for 3) a sort of bready dumpling filled with minced Chinese barbecued pork; the Siu Mai ($2.90 for 4) rice flour dumplings stuffed with pork, and the Ha Gow ($3.25 for 4)- pleated, translucent shrimp dumplings that seem born to be married with the soy sauce and homemade chili oil that stand on every table.
Since Dim Sum is made to be served with tea, I opt for a hot pot of Oolong, one of the many varieties Dim Sum offers.
The Cha Siu Bao look like they might be heavy or floury, but what I find is a light texture, slightly sweet, and filled with delicious minced pork bits in a Chinese barbecue sauce. On to the Siu Mai, these are moist, flavorful bits of pork stuffing in dumplings that took particularly well to the aforementioned chili oil. The Ha Gow were fantastic- snappy shrimp inside a translucent dumpling that releases juicy, delicious broth with every bite.
On the spot I resolve to return, as I have only scratched the surface... if you consider these as appetizers, there are also main courses- stir fries of rice noodles, vegetable stir fries, wontons, and an array of chef's specials ranging from the traditional clay pot dished that are sure to be my next meal here, to daily specials and fresh curries, even steamed whole fish.
If you are looking to break out of combo meal Chinese, make the trip to Dim Sum and experiment a little- you'll get a little taste of Hong Kong one small place at a time.