Get Sum Dim Sum

       Bursting onto the local dim sum scene is the new Get Sum Dim Sum restaurant, an establishment set on exposing mainstream culture to the Asian concept of dim sum dining.  The idea at Get Sum Dim Sum is to provide simple, affordable dim sum cuisine that is attractive to a wide assortment of tastes, from people that have never tried dim sum to connoisseurs of it, all available seven days a week from store open to store close. 

      Co-owner Foo Swasdee, who also owns several successful Asian restaurants in the Austin area including the highly acclaimed Thai eatery Satay, wanted to create something different than most dim sum establishments.  “[The] concept is different from a regular dim sum house,” says Foo.  “Normally dim sum is served only on the weekends during brunch hours.  [At Get Sum] you have it available all day long every day.”

      Dim Sum, for those unfamiliar with the style, is varieties of food cooked in small portions made by hand one piece at a time.  It was originally conceived as a food item prepared for the Emperor of China Centuries ago.  During that time many chefs would get together and prepare their best offerings in small portions to be served to the Emperor who would be dazzled by a wide sample of some of the best foods in the region.  That’s how dim sum came to be served in small portions on small plates.  “Think of [dim sum] as an Asian tapas,” explains Foo Swasdee, further simplifying her new restaurant’s cuisine.

      Along with a great co-owner like Foo is the man behind the curtain, the one that really makes Get Sum Dim Sum stand out from other Asian food, Executive Chef Chan Chi-Keung.   Chef Chan has been preparing dim sum since he was 12 and it shows in both the pace at which he prepares it and the quality of the final product.  Many critics consider Chan’s dim sum to be among the best in the country and that revelation is no surprise when you see his diligence in the kitchen.  Along with Chef Chan’s hard work is his simplicity.  “My philosophy [here at Get Sum] is back to basics.  [The items] on the menu are the basic items of dim sum; easily recognizable,” says Chan.

       It’s that simplicity and hard work that makes Get Sum Dim Sum a pleasure for the diner new to dim sum and the seasoned veteran alike.



www.getsumdimsum.com