Restaurant Review: Tao Heung Dim Sum Central Walk

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Tao Heung embraces everything we believe a dim sum restaurant should - the obligatory wait for 20 minutes to get a table, a restaurant the size of two football pitches, hundreds of staff bustling around, taking orders and delivering piping hot baskets of dumplings, the aromas of which make your mouth water as they race by you.

There were seven of us sitting down to this feast of Dim Sum, so of course this gave us the right to go over the top with the ordering. There is so much to choose from here that it can be a bit intimidating, first things first, let’s get the usual favorites ordered - Shanghai Pork Dumplings, Shrimp Dumplings, Fried Turnip Cake with X.O sauce. These did not disappoint! They arrived piping hot, with the freshness of the ingredients apparent with every bite. As I bit into the Shanghai Pork Dumplings, the soup poured into my mouth, (still a tiny bit too hot but really couldn’t resist them any longer), the flavors coated the inside of my mouth - heaven!

Our friend Lihui snuck in a new dish, Shrimp & YouTiao wrapped in redbean flavored noodle (I think... no one was quite able to confirm exactly what was in the dish!), although initially a bit apprehensive, the dish was surprisingly tasty. The you tiao had a nice crispy exterior with a softer inner layer that then blended well with the hot and fresh shrimp. The redbean noodle then left an interesting slightly sweet aftertaste in the mouth. Definitely a dish we will order again!

I think this picture, gives a better image of the brunch that any amount of words could describe.  But was it all-good, you may ask? Is this restaurant really perfect? And the answer is no, it is not perfect but it definitely has many good points.

 Positives:

+ 7/10 for Service

+ No corkage charge

+ Great Dim Sum Buzz/Atmosphere

+ Good Seating System - numbering system that ensures the tables are optimized for the number of people

Negatives:

- BBQ Pork Buns were forgotten about and were not served until we asked them to take them off the bill

- Sweet & Sour Pork dish was not very inspiring, seemed like it had been sitting in the kitchen for a few hours

Overall Crushed Grapes Score: 8/10

All in all, it was a great brunch and would highly recommend this as a Dim Sum spot for any dim sum fans out there. And of course, with zero corkage charge, it’s an ideal place for you to share a bottle of wine with friends.

A special thanks to John, Lihui, Matt, Reon and Mark who joined us for brunch; and to Dan for taking such great photos.

Tao Heung is a Hong Kong chain that serves Dim Sum by day and Seafood Hot Pot by night. It has three restaurants in Shenzhen. We originally frequented the Luo Hu branch but since the Central Walk branch opened four years ago we have been regulars there.