Dim sum

Dim sum (點心 Putonghua dian xin) is a Cantonese term for small dishes. Classical dim sum includes buns[?], dumplings[?], and rice rolls[?] which contain a range of ingredients including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetarian options.

It has also attained a restaurant status as well. People eating at a dim sum restaurant have the option to choose a variety of dishes, sometimes from a menu but usually from a mobile serving cart, supervised by a server. The cost of the meal is traditionally determined by the number and size of the dishes left on the patron's table. Modern dim sum restaurants record the types of dishes ordered on a card at the table; this is not only tidier, it prevents patrons from cheating the restaurant by concealing or stealing the plates. Some restaurants even give different servers different stamps so that sales statistics per server can be recorded.

Dim sum is traditionally served as a midday meal. Most dim sum restaurants serve other Cantonese cuisine during the evening.