Restoran Zim Sum at Jalan Macalister Penang-Honest Review

Want to enjoy the best dim sum in Penang? Head over to Restoran Zim Sum at Jalan Macalister, Penang. Make sure to be there with an empty stomach.

If you are looking for one of the best dim sum restaurants to enjoy your breakfast, then you need to head to Restoren Zim Sum at Jalan Macalister in Penang. Make sure to read this review to know if you should order the dim sum served here. So after trying the delicious food at Pik Nik Penang, The Canteen at Chinahouse and Ice Cafe Penang, our expectations were really high for our very first dim sum restaurant. Gladly, we were not disappointed.

Restoran Zim Sum at Jalan Macalister Penang

You have to be early for sure!

For the uninitiated, Dim Sum which means 'touch the heart' in mandarin language, is a large range of small Chinese dishes and snacks. Served in small plates or bowls, dim sum is usually enjoyed in the morning with some restaurants opening their business as early as 6:00a.m. So if you want to enjoy fresh, piping hot dim sum, you will need to wake up early.

The Best Dim Sum Restaurant In Penang

Huge, spacious and open-air

After doing extensive research and reading several reviews, my wife and I had decided that Restoren Zim Sum at Jalan Macalister would be the best place for us to enjoy our dim sum. There were lots of raving reviews and recommendations on Google as well as Facebook, telling us that this is the best place to have dim sum in Penang. Apparently, this dim sum restaurant is very famous with the locals and foreign tourists alike.

Always Order Your Tea First Before Enjoying Your Dim Sum

We were glad that we left our hotel early that morning. Otherwise, we had to join the others to make a beeline to have dim sum as breakfast. I personally love Restoren Zim Sum as the restaurant is really huge, spacious, clean and the best part is its open-air concept. All the tables have had ample distances which of course gave us peace of mind while we were dining in to enjoy our traditional oriental breakfast.

Restoren Zim Sum Menu-What Dim Sum To Eat?

You will be spoilt for choices!

After being seated, a waitress came and asked us what we wanted to have for our beverages. So rule number 1 when you are at a dim sum restaurant would be to order tea. We got ourselves a pot of Pu’er tea (普洱茶) which would be ideal to help us stuff even more dim sum down our throat. LOL 😋 Soon, another waitress pushed a trolley with layers of bamboo steamers filled with countless dim sum for you to choose from. I don't recall seeing any menu, so what you see is what you get. You can of course go to the self-service counters to grab even more dim sum to gratify your hunger pangs.

Dim Sum-Traditional Chinese Food!

Let's dig in!

At the self-service counters, I really had a hard time deciding what to eat, literally. I was really amazed at the unbelievably wide selection of dim sum available at Restoren Zim Sum. I wish I could try them all but unfortunately, the limited storage size of my stomach said otherwise. Eventually, the traditional dim sum together with some children-favourite were handpicked by me. Let's find out what we had indulged in, shall we?

Some of the Dim Sum We Had Ordered

Which one do you want?

No dim-sum breakfast will ever be complete if you do not have Har Gow or Xia Jiao (虾饺) to begin with. We loved our shrimp dumplings which contained fresh, springy shrimp and some pork lard, wrapped in a delicate rice flour skin. Some claim that the quality and taste of Har Gow define a dim sum restaurant and the ones that we had could clearly vouch for Restoren Zim Sum. So do you usually order these must-have shrimp dumplings when you go to any dim sum restaurant?

Har Gow or Xia Jiao (虾饺) - Shrimp Dumplings

Siu Mai (烧卖) - Pork Dumplings

The two must-have dim sum!

Up next was of course the iconic Siu Mai (烧卖), also known as pork dumplings. Our Siu Mai pork dumplings were really addictive thanks to the juicy minced pork which was really flavourful. Savour it with a dollop of fragrant chilli sauce and your taste buds will be dancing to the bursting of flavours in your mouth-Speaking of which, did you know there is a dedicated station for condiments and sauces in this restaurant? Mix-an-match the condiments and sauces with your dim sum and you will be on an unforgettable gastronomic adventure.

Various Condiments and Sauces For Your Dim Sum

Mix and match your sauces and condiments!

Our Jordan boy and Jasmine girl could not get enough of their deep-fried dumplings. They really enjoyed their scrumptious shrimp and pork dumplings which were crazy crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. We also had steamed sausage rolls, steamed stuffed tofu skin rolls, egg tarts and fried radish cake (菜头粿). The egg tarts with flaky pastry crust, brimming with creamy egg custards really swept our kids off their feet. I had a bite and it was really good.

Heavenly Deep-fried Dim Sum

Who can resist the temptations of the deep-fried wonders!

Our plate of fried radish cake (菜头粿) was equally appetizing thanks to its fragrant wok scent and slices of my favourite lap cheong (腊肠) also known as Chinese Sausage. However, the best dim sum I had at Restoren Zim Sum was the irresistible minced pork balls wrapped with bacon strips. The combination of the savoury broth together with the tender bacon as well as the luscious minced pork inside, made me crown this dim sum dish as the Kin! It was so ridiculously delectable that I actually went hunting for another plate but of course, there was none left.

Steamed Sausage Rolls

Steamed Stuffed Tofu Skin Rolls

Creamy Egg Tarts

Fried Radish Cake (菜头粿)

Bacon Pork Balls

The best dim sum I had! 🤤

All in all, my wife, both my children and I had a great dim sum feast at this restaurant. I am glad that the dim sum served here lived up to its glowing reputation. It is a shame that we could not eat more as there were really too many different varieties of dim sum for us to enjoy. Make sure you starve yourself before paying this dim sum restaurant a visit. If you are looking for one of the best dim sum restaurants in Penang to enjoy your breakfast, then you really need to pay Restoren Zim Sum at Jalan Macalister a visit.

Restoren Zim Sum (点心之家)

Address: No. 62, Jalan Macalister, Georgetown, 10400 Pulau Pinang.

Contact Number: 014-3029177

Website: www.facebook.com/RestorenZimSum

Opening Hours: 6:30a.m. - 2:00p.m. daily (closes on Tuesdays except for public holidays)

Map of Restoren Zim Sum