Every dim sum fan has their own way of picking out good restaurants.
I’ve found that if a chef has the good sense to keep his Char Siew pink, every other dish is enjoyable. Here’s how to grade a dim sum restaurant by the colour of their Char Siew Pau.
The further right the pau’s filler is on the gradient, the tastier it is and the better the restaurant.
Because the pork is barbecued first and then steamed in a bun, it’s a hard one for the cook to get right. Many often overcook the meat and burn the pinkness out of the sauce, or they start with a horrible black marinade to begin with.
It is the first dish I order when scoping out a new place. I take one look at the center of a Char Siew Pau and if the sucker ain’t pink, I’m finishing early and I won’t be back for seconds.
It’s gotten to be a running joke with some of my friends. “Uh-oh, Joe’s lookin’ at the pau. Is it pink? Damn…are we leaving?”
Friends joked about a swatch that they could use to grade their local dim sum place by “the J standard”. I always laughed it off until recently when a friend took me to a restaurant, raving about their Char Siew Pau.
The pork came out black. I didn’t say a word. Had to smile and pretend everything was tasty, making “mmmMMMMM” noises through 10 bad dishes.
Got back and Photoshop-ed me a swatch. Now save yourselves the pain 