Battle Dim Sum - Hong Kong’s Finest Go Head To Head

By Jamie Barys, 2014-01

Over the past couple of months, two of Hong Kong’s biggest restaurant groups have opened dim sum restaurants in Shanghai. Dish for dish, steamer basket for steamer basket, we pit the two against each other, eating back-to-back dim sums with exactly the same dishes to see which chain comes out on top.

THE COMPETITORS

Jade Garden

The flagship restaurant of Maxim group’s fleet of 810 eateries in Mainland China and Hong Kong, Jade Garden has over 50 locations and a Michelin star. The Shanghai branch opened in September 2013. Reservations for weekday lunch are booked up about 10 days in advance at this point – although you can pop in unannounced and wait for a table with the masses.                                                                                                                              

Jade Garden. 4/F, Jing An Kerry Centre, 1,238 Yan’an Zhong Lu, near Changde Lu. Tel: 5243 8088

Tao Heung

The namesake property of the Tao Heung Group, which has 14 brands and 120 restaurants in Hong Kong and Guangdong, as well as an IPO on the Hong Kong stock exchange, the yum cha restaurant has been commanding hours-long queues during peak dining time at its IAPM location since opening in August 2013. Tao Heung. IAPM Mall, 3/F, 999 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Shanxi Nan Lu. Tel: 3363 7999

 

Roasted Meats Platter (烧味拼盘)

JG: RMB 120 for small platter. The duo of crispy suckling pig and roasted pork (chashao) is one of the best in the city. The former is crunchy and rich, the latter smoky and tender – you can sub in roast goose if you’re oinked out.

TH: RMB 78. You get five meats, but quantity does not trump quality here. The chashao is good, but can’t match JG’s tender offerings – and the crispy pork is just average. 

Winner: Jade Garden

 

Beef Balls (牛肉球)

JG: RMB 24 for four balls. Topped with chewy shiitake mushrooms, these spongy meatballs aren’t much to look at, but the flavour of the fatty meat goes a long way. 

TH: RMB 18 for three balls. Laced with lemongrass, these beef balls take on a Southeast Asian flair we couldn’t get enough of. 

Winner: Jade Garden

 

Steamed Chicken Feet (蒸凤爪)

JG: RMB 28. Steamed with black beans and red and green peppers, the chicken feet were tender, but could’ve used a bit more help falling off the bone. 

TH: RMB 18. These claws are made the exact same way as JG’s, but they’re the meatiest we’ve ever tried. Not sure where they got the poultry from, but they have some fat feet! 

Winner: Tao Heung

 

Steamed Pork Ribs (蒸排骨)

JG: RMB 28. Like the chicken’s feet, these had flavour to spare, but they were a little tough coming off the bone.

TH: RMB 20. The ribs were a little dry, but we liked the springy tofu bed that soaked up all the porky goodness.

Winner: Jade Garden

 

Pork & Shrimp Dumplings (烧卖)

JG: RMB 28 for four. JG’s only disappointing dish, the shaomai here are pungently fishy. 

TH: RMB 20 for four. Topped with roe and a plump shrimp, these are downright delicious. 

Winner: Tao Heung

 

Radish Cake (萝卜糕)
 
 
JG: RMB 18. Excellent and authentic black bean and spicy sauces are served on the side of this cake, which could use a bit more pan-frying to give it a good crunch.
 
 
TH: RMB 18. By cutting into small cubes to maximise surface area for pan- frying, Tao Heung has discovered the secret to the most delicious radish cakes; XO sauce does the rest.

Winner: Tao Heung

 

Steamed Rice Rolls with Stuffed Beef (牛肉肠粉)
 
 
JG: RMB 25 for three. If we’re going to get nit-picky here (and we must because everything at both restaurants is very good), the ratio of rice roll to meat was a bit carb-heavy.
 
 
TH: RMB 18 for three. More lemongrass here – and it works. Toothsome rice rolls stuffed with lots of beef.  
 
Winner: Tao Heung
 
 
BBQ Pork Buns (叉烧包)
 
 
JG: RMB 18 for three. After the delicious chashao on the meat platter, we were expecting a bit more from these buns, but they went heavy on the sauce and overpowered the meat a bit. 
 
 
 
TH: RMB 16 for three. These saucy buns were stuffed full of tender pork, laden with cinnamon and clove flavours; an interesting twist that had us considering seconds. 
 
Winner: Tao Heung
 
 
Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (虾饺)
 
 
JG: RMB 30 for four. Stuffed with plump perfectly-cooked shrimp, these were exactly what you want from a menu standard.
 
 
TH: RMB 23 for four. Almost buttery in texture, these bundles of shrimp were steamed perfectly. 
 
Winner: Tao Heung
 

Pineapple Bun (菠萝包)

JG: RMB 18 for one. There’s really no competition here – Jade Garden sells itself based on this dish alone. The circumference of this mammoth bun requires a dessert plate.

TH: RMB 16 for three. While in most fair fights, Tao Heung would be able to defend itself with this bun, it’s puny compared to the JG version. 

Winner: Jade Garden

 

Environment:

JG : It’s a little on the fancy side (although the menu pricing would never let on), with white tablecloths, silver serving ware and chandeliers. Service staff, decked out in tuxedos, are happy to swoop in with a recommendation.

TH: Dishes are ferried out in plastic steamers, orders are placed via console and the sauces and sodas are self-serve. It’s a more authentic version of a Canto restaurant (read: loud, cavernous and fast-paced), but skimping on the niceties means a (slightly) smaller bill. 

 

OVERALL WINNER

Tao Heung – 6

Jade Garden – 5

Tao Heung wins by a nose when you go dish-for- dish, but Jade Garden’s roasted meat platter and pineapple bun are so excellent they merit extra credit points – as does its elegant dining room. The real verdict? You can’t go wrong with either of these delicious dim sum spots.