Yank Sing is a good example of why we created this website - our goal is to give foodies a place where they can find unbiased and qualified reviews of only the best restaurants at each destination, and Yank Sing is one of these restaurants. We have been going there for many years and we have never been disappointed, yet you have to wonder why their internet reviews are all over the place. The truth is, like many unique dining experiences, the diner has some responsibility to understand the food and the engage the experience. As I have said before, great dining experiences are like dancing - someone must lead and someone must follow, but everyone on the floor must dance.

If you are a true dim sum aficionado, you will love Yank Sing. I have traveled all over the world and Yank Sing delivers some of the best dim sum we have found outside of Hong Kong.

If you are just discovering this wonderful culinary treat, you have a lot to learn because there are as many different dim sums as there are appetizers in this world. The unique culinary art of dim sum originated with the Cantonese in southern China. Dim sum refers to a style of Chinese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food and is traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates. Dim sum literally means "touch the heart" and was originally only a snack, and therefore only meant to touch the heart. Eating dim sum at a restaurant is referred to in Cantonese as going to "drink tea", as tea is typically served with dim sum. This "tea tasting" tradition has its roots in travelers along the ancient Silk Road where Teahouses were established along the roadside serving primality rural farmers. The farmers would visit these teahouses after working hard in the fields for a relaxing afternoon of tea. When people discovered that tea can aid in digestion, the teahouse owners began adding various snacks.

Dim sum is also well known for the unique way it is served in some restaurants, where fully cooked and ready-to-serve dim sum dishes are carted around the restaurant for customers to choose their orders while seated at their tables. In Hong Kong, and in most cities and towns in Guangdong province, many restaurants start serving dim sum as early as five in the morning where it´s a tradition for the elderly to gather to eat dim sum after morning exercises.

When you visit Yank Sing, try to pace yourself. From the moment you sit down, the servers will swarm your table with trays and carts full of various items. I recommend you initially waive them off and order a pot of hot tea. They will circle back many more times, which will give you a better of idea of what you may want to try. This visual presentation makes a menu unnecessary, and you should try as many items on the carts as possible. Some carts will have fried foods, some will have steamed dim sum, and others will have vegetables and deserts, but some of the best items are the specialty dishes that the servers bring out on separate trays. Some of my favorites are the Sea Bass and the Schezuan Chicken. Karen´s favorite dish is the steam shrimp dim sum.

For us, the best part of dim sum is creating your own special dipping sauce. They will have soy sauce and hot chili-peppers on the table, but you can also ask for hoisin sauce and sriracha. Request a small dish and mix a few sauces to your taste for dipping the dim sum.

Yank Sing is an amazing experience for foodies and one of our all-time favorites. I hope you enjoy!

Sunday - February 24, 2013