Yum Cha Cafe

*** More on Yum Cha Cafe's Roast Duck and Chinese BBQ here and here.

As promised in this post, I've  gotten my act together and put together my jumbo-sized Yum Cha Cafe Post. Since Yum Cha Cafe opened, we've been back a few times, during different times of the day. 

 

The set-up is fast, and the ladies behind the counter smile and quickly wave you up to the counters.

 

There's the Chinese BBQ station, with the requisite items hanging.

 

The fried Dim Sum station, with the various offerings radiating the glow of the heat lamps.

 

And of course, the steamed items.

 

And here is where we start running into some of the little quirks about this location of Dim Sum Cafe. First it is a free-for-all, unlike the San Gabriel location where you pull numbers.(*** An update for 02/09/09 - guess what I saw today on my visit? They now have a number dispenser. But of course everyone was just ingoring the thing and walking straight up to the counter to order!) So during prime time, get those shin guards and flak jackets on. As FOY "PaulL" noted in an email to me, "Not to be rude but what a fire drill." It is not a real big problem during slow times, but man, some of those older ladies "take no prisoners". Still, the women behind the counters (and there is an army of 'em) are very nice and helpful, which leads us to point two; depending on who you get, you may have some problems if you speak neither Cantonese or Vietnamese. So for many of us, it is a point to get what you want, which is not a big deal. OK, you got your steamed dumplings, and the fried stuff looks mighty good, so let's get some. This is point three, fried is fried, and steamed is steamed, and never the twain shall meet. In other words, this is another station, with another crew, and there may, or may not be a "hand-off". Same with the Chinese BBQ. Say you survive, you've got everything you wanted all piled on one of those bright orange trays. Point four, the cashier is a separate station! During certain times, there may be a bit of chaotic bottleneck of sorts. Even though there are three registers, only one may be open. Once, when only one register was open, a huge mass of humanity, was gathered in front of the harried, but still cheerful cashier, who, with orange trays lined from one end of the counter to the other, on both sides, started just holding trays up for folks to identify, step up, and pay! Sometime during the chaos, someone else purchased my chicken feet, et al. Another time, my Hainan Chicken Rice left the building without me, I'm assuming incognito, or perhaps under cover of darkness...... Still, more often than naught, you'll leave the building, or sit at one of the tables, which have already hit a level of "San Gabriel stickiness" in just a little over a week (they must bottle the stuff now), and munch away.

You may be asking yourself, if this is worth all the aggravation. Depending on your timing, and/or mind set, it can be kinda fun....in the "wow, that was somewhat invigorating, so long I don't have to it everyday" kind of way. One other key point, once you've experienced and understand the (fire) drill, you can get out of the place in a matter of minutes. Oh, and did I mentioned the prices? Dim Sum is broken into 2 price categories, category 'A' goes for $1.39, 'B' for $1.79. Put into those terms.....

OK, enough with all the details, let's have some Dim Sum. This version of Chaozou dumpling ($1.79), was bleh. Lousy wrappers, and tough pork. Though I can say, I've had worse at a few Dim Sum places in San Diego.

 

The "Pan Fried" Chicken Dumplings ($1.79), however.....

 

  Were a bit of a surprise. These looked like really bad "buffet style" dumplings, and indeed the wrapper was a bit hard, but the filling was very tasty.

Chicken and Sticky Rice wrapped in Lotus Leaf ($1.79). Man this was quite a bit of food. Decent lotus leaf flavor, a bit on the dry side, but passable. One good thing about Yum Cha Cafe is that almost everything is quite hot when you get it.

 

This monstrosity is called the House Special Bun ($1.39).

 

It is pretty large, and is filled with several large pieces of Lap Cheong (Chinese sausage), and a slice of boiled egg. The Missus thought the bun was much too sweet, and the bottom of the steamed bun was a bit soggy.

The Missus likes the Chicken Feet ($1.39), I think it's Her favorite item from Yum Cha Cafe. On this occasion they were piping hot, plump, moist, with a decent flavor.

 

The Shrimp Siu Mai ($1.39), was pretty good on this occasion. Nice shrimp flavor, still hot, decent texture.

 

But on another occasion, the filling had a strong cornstarch flavor to it.

Steamed shrimp dumplings ($1.79). These were very good. I got them early on a Sunday morning. They were hot, and full of shrimp flavor.

 

I also bought some Shrimp and Chive steamed dumplings ($1.79).

 

And though I thought the wrapper to be a bit too chewy, the flavor was right on the button. As you can see by the photo to the right, there was a good amount of shrimp in these.

The Stuffed Tofu($1.79) was pretty blah.

 

The Steam Chicken Bun ($1.39).

 

Had but a smear of filling, which was on the bland side, and the bottom of the steamed bun was a soggy mess.

The Missus managed to snag some Cheong Fun with Dried Shrimp ($1.79). And it was surprisingly good.

 

As you can tell, it was missing the sauce. But here's another surprise, it's not soy sauce in those bottles, it's the sauce for the Cheong Fun! Nice surprise here.....

I had been hesitant to try any of the deep fried stuff....heat lamps, and sitting around does not make for great stuff. But I had been itching to try the "Golden Seaweed Roll" ($1.79).

 

And texture wise it was just as I thought, pretty limp and soggy. I did however, really like the shrimp filling, which was well flavored. If these come out of the fryer when you visit, it may be worth a try.

On another visit, I tried the Char Siu Bao ($1.39). And proving that timing is everything, this was perfectly steamed, no sogginess. Perhaps a bit short on the filling, and yes, the bun is maybe a tad too sweet. Still not bad.

 

I also tried the Pork Siu Mai ($1.39), which had just come out, and it was good. The Har Gow($1.39) suffered from wrappers that were too thick and chewy. Sorry, no photos, by this time my trigger finger was pretty fatigued.

Still have doubts about trying this place out? How about this. You can purchase all of the dim sum mentioned above, including the Siu Mai and Har Gow, for $24.05 without tax! That's fifteen servings of dim sum. I could make you really depressed and say it would cost you just $18.05 in San Gabriel, but why go there.

 

I realize this post is approaching the herniation point, but just a few more things.

 

There's a door to Thuan Phat Market conveniently located to one side of the restaurant. Nice, except that later in the afternoon, some of the more unpleasant fragrances makes its way into Yum Cha Cafe. It doesn't bother me much, but I thought I'd mention that. Also, I've found that the various dishes are much better in the mornings most of the time.

 

On one of my visits, I noticed a Caucasian Woman standing in the corner looking a bit distressed. She was a bit overwhelmed by the craziness (it was very busy that morning). Feeling bad for her, I stopped by and told her, to just "go for it, and get in there. You might have some fun." And so might you....

Yum Cha Cafe
6933 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Open Daily: 8am-8pm

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Comments

[Sandy]

My goodness, what a zoo! But thank you for the write-up; now I will know what to expect when I get the nerve to try the place.

The monstrosity called the House Special Bun is called a Big Bao (literally). I think its size makes it hard to not have a soggy bottom.

What does the $1.39 banner say? (Drat these places that only Chinese on their signs).

[Passionate Eater]

You done made me depressed anyway Kirk, those prices (SD and SGV) are both WAY under the SF prices... And we still have the "pushy elderly grandparents" to deal with!

[Carol]

That's it, I have to pop over now during an "early" lunch to pick up some dim sum. Thanks for the heads up on the ins-and-outs of the place. Wish I could take my Mom with me cuz she could elbow with the best of them. Huh, she's even been known to bring dim-sum waiters to brink of tears with her fierceness!

[Liz]

It is chaos in the San Gabriel one too. The banner says each plate of dim sum is $1.39. Luckily I had a late lunch, or I might head over there now.

[clayfu]

I've gone twice so far, be still my cheap chinese heart.. the amount of food you get for under $20 is astounding.

But you're absolutely right about timing, sometimes the food is cold.. sometimes it's excellent!

[Dennis]

Thanks for the post Kirk, I'm glad I waited.. :) I will definitely look for what looks the freshest but the Shrimp Shumai is on top of my list!

[Denver]

Thanks for the write-up! Yeah, I've swung by the place twice but saw it was a zoo (plus the language barrier doesn't help), so I went elsewhere. This makes it easier. I'll probably just use the sheet and mark what I want. I wish they had signs near the food. Ah well. The food looks good!

[Kirk]

Hi Sandy - They now have numbers....but no one seems to use them! I've emailed you a copy of the menu.

Hi PE - Really. I used to remember some really inexpensive stuff in Chinatown.

Hi Carol - I just picked-up some chicken feet fot the Missus tonight!

Hi Liz - Yes, it gets crazy there....but this is pretty unique for San Diego. I must say the workers here are much nicer than those in the SGV. But it is even less organized.

Hi Clayfu - You spent $20 here? That could feed a small army. The Missus and I still have not spent more than $12.....and we were stuffed silly.

Hi Dennis - You'll have no problem...everything is there for you to look at. Plus they'll never give you what's stacked on top. That's only for display purposes.

Hi Denver - I'd suggest just getting up there and pointing at what you want.....the ladies have always been really nice with me. Say "take -out" or "for here", and start pointing. You'll do fine...plus it is quite cheap.

[kat]

after all those yum cha photos, I may have to find some for lunch tomorrow :)

[Kirk]

Hi Kat - Great! I know you'll do a post on it.

[Kirbie]

What a great detailed post. Thank you so much! I have recently come across this food blog, and it is now my food bible, which I have been reading obsessively!

After reading your first post on yum cha, I couldn't wait for your second one, and went to check it out for myself last Sunday. It was definitely chaotic, which was expected given that it was a Sunday. At first, I had no idea what to do. Then I saw the numbering system and was searching frantically for the ticket machine to pull a number. Luckily, I then ran into someone who had been to yum cha a few times. I asked her how it worked and she told me the numbers are basically just decoration and that they have been stuck on the same number for the past half hour. Sure enough, for the hour and a half I was there, the number was stuck at "54".

The cheap prices and decent tasting food is definitely worth fighting my way into the disorganization of the place. I managed to spend $35, but that's only because I ordered almost one of every fried/dessert item. (And there are a lot!) They looked so yummy, I wanted to try them all. It was still a huge savings though. I take my siblings and their significant others out to eat every weekend and it gets costly. Normally dim sum is +$100. So to see only $35, I was nearly weeping with joy.

[rob]

Hey Kirk, nice post. What are their hours and when do you suggest as a good time to go?

[madi]

This place has pretty good dim sum. They are worth fighting for. You seriously have to be ready to fight your way to the counter.

[Kirk]

Hi Kirbie - Thanks for commenting, I appreciate it. You spent $35....how on earth did you do that? I could get a whole roast duck, 1lb roast pork, and maybe 10-12 orders of dim sum..... I'm glad you thought the food was worth the effort. Thanks again, and don't be a stranger.

Hi Rob - They are open 8 to 8 daily. I've had the best luck at about 830am on weekends. By late afternoon most of the good Chinese BBQ is almost gone, and I've had the worst luck then. On weekdays, right after the morning market rush, and right before the lunch rush, maybe 10-1030?

Hi Madi - the one good thing is that everyone has been really nice.

[foodhoe]

looks like a cool spot, I have been overwhelmed at the walk up dim sum counters and this sounds extremely hardcore! but what do you expect for those prices... I'm lazy and prefer the places that bring the stuff to your table on the carts

[Kirk]

Hi FH - This one is easier, mainly because the ladies are really nice.....

[Gastronomer]

It's incredible how the food looks just like the SGV location. Is Jasmine tops in your dim sum book. It is in mine ;-)

[Kirk]

Hi G - It'd hard to say....Dim Sum in San diego is very inconsistent.

[Minh]

The Dim Sum in San Diego is extremely inconsistent, you never know what you gonna get... This place however is quite consistent (they do not make it in the store, it's made somewhere else and deliver there in the morning in a very large truck, they probably cook n keep it warm at the location).

I eat here quite often (most of the time it's quick fix) prices are quite cheap.

Just a few notes for those that wanna come and try.
1) anything with a har gow wrap (white clear wrap) is no good, the wrap is very hard to make (the right way), and in no shape or form suppose to be suspend over hot steamy water for that long (they melt). go for the yellow wrap, those are just regular siu mai wrap and they fare much better in steamy water.
2) Get the small buns, the large buns soak up alot of the moisture from the steamy water, they get soggy after a while.
3) The pork steamed with black bean is quite good :)
4) They have the 3 BBQ items combo with rice + pickled vegies for less than 5 dollars, it's really cheap.
5) the fried food section isn't very good, they're greasy, order 1 and try it with 2 more friends is about right, it's very hard to gobble all that grease down in 1 session.

And ofcourse just jump in and try to get your order in, it's a jungle there during peak time :).

[Minh]

When I said cheap, it's really cheap. you can get 12-15 items for less than 30 bucks. No chance pulling this off in jasmine or emerald or any dim sum restaurant.