Yum Cha in Saigon: How to Order Authentic Cantonese Dim Sum Like a Regular

"One pot of tea, two small plates"

There is an old Cantonese phrase for yum cha: yat jung leung gin, one pot of tea and two small plates. It captures the spirit of the meal. Yum cha is not about a big main course; it is about sitting together, pouring tea for one another and ordering a few dishes at a time as the conversation goes on.

The pace is relaxed. Order a first round, eat while it is hot, then order again. Because dim sum is best straight from the steamer, ordering in rounds also means everything arrives at its best.

Tea etiquette in three simple rules

Nobody will mind if you forget these, but regulars will notice if you remember them.

• Pour for others before yourself. Filling your neighbours' cups first is a small gesture of respect.
• Tap the table to say thank you. When someone pours for you, tapping two fingers on the table is the traditional, quiet way to thank them.
• Leave the lid ajar for a refill. In many Cantonese restaurants, resting the teapot lid slightly open tells the staff the pot needs more hot water.

How many dishes should you order?

A good starting point is two to three baskets per person, plus one vegetable dish for the table. Most dim sum baskets hold three or four pieces, so for two people, four to six baskets makes a comfortable lunch. You can always add another round.

Balance your order across textures and cooking methods: something steamed and delicate, something baked or fried and crisp, a rice noodle roll, and one sweet item to finish.

The classics every yum cha table should have

These are the dishes by which any Cantonese kitchen is judged. Prices are from MULAN's current menu.

• Har Gow (Shrimp Dumplings), 78,000₫ — the benchmark. The wrapper should be thin and translucent, pleated by hand, around whole, snappy prawns.
• Siu Mai, 78,000₫ — open-topped pork and shrimp dumplings; ours are finished with salmon roe.
• Cheung Fun (Rice Noodle Rolls), from 88,000₫ — silky sheets of steamed rice batter wrapped around prawns, char siu or roast duck.
• Char Siu Bao, 68,000₫ — the fluffy steamed bun filled with sweet barbecued pork.
• Chicken Feet with Black Bean Sauce, 78,000₫ — a true regulars' dish, braised until soft and rich.
• Xiao Long Bao, 68,000₫ — not originally Cantonese but now a favourite on every yum cha table.

Beyond the classics: modern dim sum

Authentic does not mean frozen in time. Cantonese chefs have always reinvented dim sum, and the best kitchens add their own creations on top of the classics. At MULAN, that means Truffle Foie Gras Dumplings with gold leaf (138,000₫), Scallop Dumplings (128,000₫), Sichuan Spicy Dumplings (78,000₫) and Crispy Cheung Fun with XO Sauce (88,000₫).

If you cannot decide, the Specialty Sharing Tray (398,000₫) brings six of the kitchen's defining dumplings together in one basket, made for two or three people.

How to tell authentic dim sum from the rest

Authentic dim sum is made by hand, in small batches, from fresh ingredients. The fastest way to check is to look at the har gow: count the pleats, look at how thin the wrapper is, and bite into the prawn. Machine-made dumplings have thick, uniform edges and soft fillings.

At MULAN, the steam counter is open in the middle of the dining room, so you can watch every step — rolling, folding, steaming — before the basket reaches your table. That transparency is the best guarantee of authenticity there is.

When to go for yum cha in Saigon

Traditional yum cha is a morning meal, but in Saigon it has moved later. MULAN opens for lunch at 11:00, which makes it perfect for a late-morning yum cha or a dim sum brunch. Dinner service runs from 16:00 to 23:00, so you can also do yum cha in the evening, which is increasingly popular with groups of friends.

Weekend lunch is the busiest time. If you want a window seat, book ahead through the reservation page.

Finishing sweet

End with something light. Mango Pudding with Strawberry Sauce, Almond Jelly with Lychee, Goji and Lotus Seed Sweet Soup or the traditional herbal jelly Guilinggao are all 78,000₫ and very Cantonese ways to close the meal.