Dim sum delights at China Club

Set foot into the Radisson Blu Hotel from Creekside Deira and you’ll feel a world away from the hustle and bustle outside. With calming music, stylish but not overbearing decor and an extensive menu, there’s little about the eatery’s first impression not to love.

Your only real worry will be trying to choose between the à la carte or banquet offerings. We opted for the à la carte menu, but had we been there during the day the Dh95 all-you-can-eat Yum Cha would have been seriously tempting.

After much umming and ahhing we finally settled on the Crispy fried chicken spring rolls and Sea scallop dumplings to start with from the dim sum menu. The spring rolls had just enough of a spicy bite, while the dumplings were perfectly succulent. Next time, we’ll definitely be trying the Shrimp wanton in light chicken broth too.

It was then time to pick our mains. I was tempted by the delicious offerings of fresh fish sold by weight, but instead opted for the Steamed black cod with supreme soya sauce and spring onions – come on, who can resist black cod? – while my dining companion went for the impressively named Famous China Club double-cooked steamed and crispy fried duck. Did the two dishes live up to the hype? Certainly did. The duck was succulently soft and the combination of crispy and tender meat was delightful, while the cod was as delicate and light as you’d hope, and not overpowered by the light soya sauce, but all the better for it.

With our main we had a vegetable side of Sautéed asparagus with crab meat, at the recommendation of our waiter, and he was so right, this was probably the major highlight of the meal. The crab sauce on the just-blanched asparagus was creamy and not overwhelmingly fishy. Vegetarians needn’t avoid this place, as there are plenty of fish-free options for sides, including the Stir fried Chinese shiitake mushrooms with baby pak choy.

When it was time to round our meal off, there was no way we could pick just one dessert. My friend tried the moreish Deep-fried ice cream, while I was intrigued enough to opt for the Chilled coconut cream, a refreshing bowl of not overly sweet coconut water with texture pops of sago pearls.

China Club is a cut above your average Chinese restaurant, and there’s not a whiff of MSG. In fact, the only thing that could have made our experience more opulent would have been for the coconut cream to be accompanied by real pearls rather than the sago variety.

Tasty trio: Dim sum deals

Long Yin
Every Friday, dim sum lovers head to Le Méridien Dubai’s Long Yin for a delicious dim sum spread. Choose between steamed and fried dumplings accompanied by a two-for-one deal on house beers. The restaurant is decorated in traditional Chinese style, with dark wood, a bridge to get you over the in-house pond and Buddha statues aplenty. The dim sum dishes come in at Dh18 per portion, and are served between 12.30pm-3pm every Friday.
Location Le Méridien Dubai, Garhoud
Timing 12.30pm-6pm; 7.30pm-11.45pm, daily
Tel 04 217 0000

Junsui
This bright, fresh and airy pan-Asian spot has blue and grey interiors and a slight under-the-sea feel to it. The endless list of sashimi, sushi and seafood wok dishes fit the theme perfectly. Make sure you head down for the Junsui Dim Sum Tea between 2pm and 4pm daily and enjoy a selection of seven dumplings, including a Vegetable dumpling, a Shrimp har kau and the delicious Chicken sui mai for Dh275, which includes a flowering or green tea (oh, and an ogle at the Burj).
Location Burj Al Arab, Dubai
Timing Daily 12.30pm-10.30pm
Tel 04 301 7600

Hakkasan
It’s one of the most popular and stylish spots around and Hakkasan has now started its own weekend brunch. Every Friday and Saturday head down to choose an unlimited amount of dim sum from their selection of 10 fine flavours, all washed down with free-flowing tea or fine bubbles. The Yum Cha runs from 12pm-3pm every Friday and Saturday and starts from Dh199.
Location Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai
Timing 12pm-3pm and 6pm-midnight, Sun-Sat
Tel 04 384 8484