The Best Dim Sum in Manchester – Mei Dim

Local recommendation of an authentic dim sum restaurant in China town.

There are so many Cantonese dim sum restaurants in China town, but which one to choose? Besides the popular Cantonese roast restaurant Happy Season, the dim sum from Mei Dim is also one of the most recommended restaurants by S’s Cantonese friends. The restaurant is in between Yuzu and the Chinatown Arch on Faulkner Street.

The restaurant is in the basement and the decor is not perfect, but don’t be deterred by that. The first thing you will notice when you enter the restaurant is that the customers are 99% Chinese and speak Cantonese, and that’s definitely a good sign. The staff is friendly and efficient. Moreover, there’s a 20% off discount for dim sum if you visit during weekdays lunch time to 5pm! It’s definitely a bargain!

Since Mei Dim doesn’t have a website, and there’re too many items on the menu, S will only provide the dim sum menu since it’s the main point for this visit. As you can see on the menu, the prices differ by the types A, B, C, D and E. King Prawn Cheung Fun, Steamed Bun with Custard and Egg Yolk Filling, Shanghai Style Steamed Dumplings, Pan-fried Seafood Stuffed Peppers, Steamed Prawn Dumplings (£4.6/each), and Char Siu Pastrie (£4.2/each) were the ones S ordered that day. Moreover, how can you miss out on a Cantonese roast if you’re at a Cantonese restaurant? Therefore, S also tried the Three Difference Kind Roast with Boiled Rice (£10) that day. S went back not long ago to try some more dishes such as Deep Fried Dough Cheung Fun(£4.2) and the Steamed Beef Honey Comb with Black Pepper Sauce (£4.6).

Dumplings are a must order at a dim sum restaurant. The Shanghai Style Steamed Dumplings(Xiao Long Bao) here were tasty, but the skin was a bit too thick for S, but probably S was just spoiled by the Xiao Long Bao from Ding Tai Fung. The Steamed Prawn Dumplings were delicious and you can actually taste the shrimp when you eat it.

The King Prawn Cheung Fun was a bit bland. If you want to try some Cheung Fun, S would recommend Deep Fried Dough Cheung Fun which has more flavour and more texture. As for the Pan-fried Seafood Stuffed Peppers, it was a challenging dish for S since she hates pepper. However, it was surprisingly good and the flavour of the stuffed seafood mixed well with the pepper.

The Steamed Beef Honey Comb with Black Pepper Sauce is tripe steamed with black pepper sauce, yet the name beef honey comb makes it sound really nice. The tripe was very chewy but not tough, it was easy to eat, and the flavour was awesome.

If you like something sweet or dessert wise, you definitely can’t miss the Steamed Bun with Custard and Egg Yolk Filling. Be careful while you eat it since the filling is really hot and it’ll just explode when you bite it. You definitely need some tea with the Char Siu Pastrie, since it was a bit dry. Yet the flavour was still undeniably good for the Char Siu Pastrie.

If you’re worried you can’t get full from the dim sum, you can always order some rice dishes here. The value of the Three Difference Kind Roast with Boiled Rice was so great due to the portion of the meat and rice. Furthermore, the roast was super mouth-watering which you really have to try!

In conclusion, if you want to try some good dim sum, Mei Dim is the place you’re looking for! Moreover, here is a little tip for you to eat like a local Hong Kongese: Order some hot tea such as pu’er tea, oolong or other tea along with the meal. This is how a local Hong Kongese eat at a dim sum restaurant. Therefore, why not try eating dim sum like a local next time?

Restaurant info: 
Address: 45-47 Faulkner St, Manchester M1 4EE
Phone: 0161 236 6868
Opening hours: Mon.-Thur. 12-11:30pm; Fri. and Sat. 12pm-12am; Sun. 12-10pm
Site: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mei-Dim-Resturant/347476198744039