What’s the vibe?
A Chinatown dim sum and tea house that’s been around since 1920? YES please. Although the original location of Nom Wah Tea Parlor was next door, the current incarnation has been around since 1968 and has plenty of old school vintage charm, including original tiled floors, seating booths, and old wooden shelves stocked with Nom Wah’s own in house tea blends. It’s a great spot, loud and bustling – we like it a lot.
What to order?
Ordering is done via check box paper slips so get your pencils at the ready. There are some big rice and noodle dishes though honestly you’re better off going all out with the dim sum. Start off with a big soft pillow of a bun stuffed with sweet roast pork, and the shrimp and snow pea leaf dumplings – pretty AND delicious. Other favourites include the shrimp in crispy bean curd skin, the OG egg roll, the shrimp rice roll.
The XLB soup dumplings are excellent too although they were let down a bit by being placed too close together so that the skins ripped as you picked them up, spilling the soup everywhere. A shame as they tasted great. Get the custard buns – here called phoenix buns for some reason – for dessert too, as they’re damn delicious.
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