Winsome dim sum

When I became a health freak in my early twenties, I would always ask for steamed dumplings at Chinese restaurants.

Now, some years later, it seems as though dim sum has gained so much popularity in London that restaurants such as Ping Pong, dedicated to serving a wide array of dumplings, have sprung up across the city.

Superlative setting

I was excited to finally have a taster of the “little steamed parcels of deliciousness'', as they are called at Ping Pong, and on entering their Marylebone branch, was struck at the stylish and contemporary character that the restaurant exuded.

Dark wood and slightly dimmed lights created the perfect atmosphere for a Friday evening.

Ordering at Ping Pong is simple — all we had to do was tally the menu and hand it in.

The lengthy list of options was split into sections of baked, fried, steamed and nibbles, which, for someone as indecisive as me, made choosing easier.

There were two of us and we ordered six steamed dishes, priced at £2.99 (Dh22) each, fried vegetable spring rolls and sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves.

Pure tea

While we waited for the dim sum, our waitress brought tall glasses, dropped closed jasmine flowers into it and poured hot water from a copper pot.

We watched in amazement as the flower miraculously unfurled into something that looked almost alive.

It was herbal tea in its purest form — and simply delicious.

Soon enough, the dumplings arrived in traditional bamboo steamers stacked on top of one another.

Three small balls, with swirls of steam emanating from them, sat in each of the baskets.

Insider explanations

The manager, a friendly French called Romain, explained how difficult it was to bind the dumpling flour, made of potato starch and rice starch.

They had a soft texture and were easy to chew.

I liked the sweet corn and coriander filling, while my friend's favourite was the spicy chicken dumpling.

The sweet and fragrant sticky rice, tightly wrapped in a dark green lotus leaf, was delightful.

Feeling satisfied and not wanting to eat too much before an engagement we had to attend, we were ready for whatever was next.

My friend and I gave the desserts a miss and instead opted for coffee, though the dark chocolate buns did look tempting.

I'll return for those.

Our bill for this tasty meal came to £15 (Dh109) per head, including service — not bad, considering the variety of dim sum we tasted.

The service was great — my glass of jasmine tea was kept topped up throughout the meal, and when we ordered seconds of our favourite dim sum, it was brought to our table within minutes.

— Meera Manek is a UK-based freelance writer

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