How does yum cha work? It seems so stressful! How do you know what your are taking? Does it always go so fast?

Question

How does yum cha work? It seems so stressful! How do you know what your are taking? Does it always go so fast?

Answer 1

I like the one in Market City upstairs but go when its not too crowded so you can be relaxed. The waiters will bring their dish to your table for you to purchase - ask them what it is. If you dont want it say "not today - thankyou" If you take the item they will add it to your tab & you pay at the end of the meal. Try 6 or 7 different things, you will be able to calculate as you go. If you like something call the waiter back. Some waiters get paid on the amount of food they sell so they may get a bit pushy but the one in market city is not like that.

Answer 2

Yum cha is literally "Tea Drinking" in Chinese.  It is a practice common Hong Kong and if you reside in Sydney, there are many good places to go and try it.

As compared to "High Tea" of the English, Chinese drink Chinese Tea and have small dishes called "Dim Sum" instead of cakes and sandwiches.

You should really be enjoying the tea as it compliments the food.  The waitress may be pushing the food around really fast but it is up to you to say "yes" or "no" to it.  Ask them what is in it and if you don't like it just tell them "no thanks".  

A few nice places in Sydney includes:

The Phoenix at the Skygarden and another restaurant at the Picadilly on Pitt St on the food mall level.

The ones in Chinatown are more crowded and fast pace but less costly.

Enjoy your Yum Cha as that is how it should be.  We normally have yum cha for our family gathering on weekends.

Check out the link below for some trivia and info.