Get Sum Dim Sum (now closed)

EDIT: Restaurant now permanently closed.

4400 N Lamar
Ste 102
Austin, TX 78756

Happy Dim Sum Neophytes

A couple of weekends ago, I dragged a group of 5 people who’ve never had Get Sum Dim Sum (myself included) to try out this new concept restaurant. 3 of our party had never had traditional dim sum so it was my pleasure to expand their horizons. I classify Get Sum Dim Sum as a concept restaurant because it strays from the dim sum tradition of having push carts being pushed around with Chinese “tapas” for you to order. Instead of the expected carts, Get Sum Dim Sum has you order at the counter from laminated menus before you seat yourself.

Another difference between Get Sum Dim Sum and most Austin dim sum restaurants is that it serves dim sum all day everyday! (Golden Wok has a small selection of sub par dim sum items that you can order off a menu) Moreover, the ambiance is very modern and hip, again unlike ALL of the dim sum places I’ve ever been to.

Why I’d come back to Get Sum Dim Sum

• It’s all day everyday, instead of just the weekends. I now don’t have to wait til weekend brunch time to get my fix of dim sum in Austin.
• Quality is excellent. My boss, who also has had dim sum in China, San Francisco, and Houston, alerted me that this was the best tasting dim sum he’s had in Austin. I think I agree. Something about their dishes seem cleaner and crisper than other dim sum places in Austin. I suspect this is because the food is not being pushed around in carts and they are being made to order. Their ingredients taste fresh.

Why I wouldn’t give up on other dim sum places in Austin, (namely T&S Seafood):

• There is something about the tradition of dim sum that is definitely lacking at Get Sum Dim Sum. The tradition of dim sum IS the joy of picking out your orders from push carts as they make their rounds.
• Pricing/quantity ratio is more economical at T&S.
• The selection at Get Sum Dim Sum is still very limited compared to most dim sum places. Where’s the chicken feet? Duck feet? The pork spare ribs? Just to name several.

Food Photos

I noticed everytime I try out a new dim sum place, I fail miserably at documenting each dish by photograph. I believe it’s the excitement I experience and the fact that the food comes through out your meal and I am usually in a wonderful eating rhythm. Here are the photos I managed to take and is by no means all inclusive of our meal. Oops.

Shumai (pork and mushroom dumplings). A popular dim sum item.

Sesame Seed Balls, a popular Asian dessert. Filled with red bean paste. Everyone liked these, even the neophytes.

Cheong Fun: rolled rice noodles wrapped around shrimp. This is my FAVORITE dim sum item. FAVORITE. So much so, I forgot to snap a picture before I ate a few….

Last thoughts

I’m extremely happy I finally got around to trying out Get Sum Dim Sum. Just knowing that I now have a delicious option to have dim sum during weekdays and afternoons and evenings! Oh my! It definitely alleviates the addiction twitch I develop every now and again.