PHOENIX — As we celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Month, we sit at the table of one of the Valley’s most popular Dim Sum restaurants.
Not long after they open on a Dim Sum Sunday, Great Wall cuisine on Camelback Road already has a wait.
For those packed inside, all eyes are on the cart.
Owner Donald Mui attributes the popularity of Dim Sum in the Valley partially because it’s easy, he says.
For starters, Dim Sum translates to "small portion."
Those small portions are already prepared once you sit down and are carted around the room.
Most dishes range from $5 to $10.
Mui says in the big city on a small island of Hong Kong, where he grew up, Dim Sum is a way for family and friends to have enough room to meet and all get what they want at one table.
”The reason is a lot of American works in China then they bring that in. They show their friends, ‘Oh, in Hong Kong, the Dim Sum is really good,’ and finally, they bring one to Phoenix,” said Mui.
When asked about his most popular dish, Mui paused for a moment and said, “everything!”
Many of the dishes are based on shrimp, pork, or a combination of both.
Shu Mai can be a combo, dumpling-like, wrapped in rice noodles.
The Beef Cheung Fun is rolled rice noodles packed with beef flavor, onion, and a small amount of heat.
The fried shrimp wonton starts with fresh prawns shipped in and finishes with a big crunch.
The Har Gow, or shrimp dumplings, is one of the first things many families reach for.
“We had Har Gow but it’s gone,” said Rose Deanda sitting at the table with her family. “(Dim Sum) is something we look forward to, after a long week of work."
Anne Love, a regular of the restaurant, comes for it all.
From the BBQ buns to the chicken feet – to her and many others, it’s a small portion with big family importance.
“It’s social for friends to get together, take time, sip the tea, eat a little of this and a little of that. You don’t rush to go home; you enjoy the afternoon,” said Love.
