ASUNDAY morning dim sum brunch is often a nightmare because few restaurants accept reservations. One has the option of sending someone ahead to queue for a place, or will other diners to eat more quickly. The other aspect of the nightmare is the damaging decibel levels.
One place that accepts reservations for Sunday dim sum is The Excelsior Hotel in Causeway Bay, which turns its function rooms on the second floor into a 'restaurant' on Sundays.
The Marina Rooms are spacious and overlook the typhoon shelter next to the Yacht Club. A great thing about dining there is that tables are arranged at a comfortable distance from each other, so the noise level is not high.
On our visit, the crispy spring rolls with shredded chicken ($25) were really crispy and made a change from prawn and minced pork versions. The pan-fried rice flour rolls ($25) and pan-fried stuffed peppers and eggplants ($32), however, had cooled by the time they arrived.
The steamed chicken feet with black bean sauce ($25) and the barbequed pork buns ($25) were standard fare. The crab roe for the steamed pork dumplings with crab roe and scallop ($36) was generous, and the fresh shrimp dumplings ($36) came with a very light and thin wrapping and were delicious. The braised assorted beef 'giblets' ($48) were tender and full of flavour from having simmered for a long time. Since it was dished out from the heated pot, the gravy was still piping hot; cold gravy tends to congeal quickly into starch.
We topped everything off with some braised noodles with 'Lo Han' vegetables ($80), which was an excellent choice because there was just enough gravy to allow the noodles to maintain their crunchiness. However, the spinach with three eggs and superior soup ($90) - which wasn't on the menu - was a bland disappointment.
