Ru Yi Dim Sum — Restaurant in Brisbane City

Stumbled across this gem by accident. It is hands down the cleanest, tastiest and well done yum cha in Brisbane.

I took my Mum out for lunch - we found this little venu tucked in the midst of Calamvale shopping centre - kind of where Big W would have been, on the right facing where old Big W was, but not so far up as the new(ish) So Fresh Supermarket.

No filthy floors, chipped crockery, and snarly looking people pushing carts of reheated food cycled out of a hot box, or luke warm micorwaved and oily offerings here!

In fact - there are no carts at all. You order from a digital app on your phone, and the food is brought straight to your table. I would have given 5 stars if the service was personalised - but this seems to be a trend to save on staff costs as we come out of Covid.

The service though was friendly and efficient and every dish was placed down with care and acknowledgement, rather than thrown on the table like some Yum Cha Establishments. When the empty dishes were collected, feedback was sought and genuinely appreciated. Communication was excellent and attentive, without being intrusive. We sat at a booth which was comfortable and really lovely.

The place was spotlessly clean and well decorated.

The condiments were complimentary and of a decent size (unlike the competition where it is served as a tiny 5c puddle as if it was French perfume), although I did notice a $2.50pp cover for tea. The Chinese leaf tea served in a lovely pot, was hot and served with a side flask of hot water without even asking - so I think that is reasonable.

The food was exceptional. Every dish was piping hot, and came at a perfect pace rather than all piled out together. The bamboo steaming baskets are spotlessly clean.. (No Mould on these - like I have seen in some Sunnybank Establishments). I will say some of the serves are smaller than normal... for example the little pork buns - but the quality is far superior and to us that is what counts.

We had Calamari (Yum!- so fresh!), and 6 little steamed baskets, and a can of coke Zero each and it was $76.00. Not Cheap - but we were unable to finish the last one, and left very satisfied and impressed.

The kitchen is partially opened too - so you can see the chefs working their magic - and nothing to hide. Again - Spotlessly clean - which we really appreciated.

Thank you for a lovely experience, and congratulations on running Brisbane's Best Yum Cha!

We will be...

Not sure that 如意 was quite 如 my 意... food was a bit of a hit and miss affair... some items were pretty good, others disappointing, and the rest more or less on par.

This newish dimsum restaurant in Calamvale Central has a more open look and feel than your typical old school yum cha joints, and a distinct lack of round tables.

It was also a bit unclear what to do upon arrival - typically at yum cha you'd wait to be shown a table (after signalling to the staff how many people in your party), but there wasn't really anyone doing that "greeter" role so we just showed ourselves to a spare table. Ordering can be done by QR code/phone, with payment made at the counter as you leave.

Our group ordered the following to share: traditional pork and prawn siu mai (3pc), $7 steamed beancurd rolls with pork & shrimp (2pc), $6 steamed classic custard bun (2pc), $5 deep fried glutinous dumpling with pork and dried shrimp (2pc), $6 congee with pork and century egg, $8 barbeque pork puff (2pc), $6 steamed rice roll with crispy dough stick, $9 stir fried flat noodles with beef fillet, $18 Total cost for 4.5 was $94, including double portions of some items and a tea charge of $2.50 per adult.

Standouts were the deep fried glutinous dumplings with their pear shaped presentation, and the congee which was comfortingly hot and paired well with the deep fried dough sticks.

Surprisingly the dough sticks in the steamed rice roll dish were stale, as if they're from a much older batch. This dish didn't have much heat, and this plus the barbeque pork puffs being served at room temperature were the lowlights of the meal. Not sure if the temperature thing is intentional as I've seen a few other reviews mention the same thing. If it is then I for one would suggest a rethink is urgently in order.

The other items were more or less satisfactory, if not overall a touch pricey - each of the dishes with individual pieces works out to somewhere around the mid $2 to $3 per piece, though perhaps this is about the going rate these days (partly why I don't go for yumcha much).

I wouldn't veto a decision to eat here if I'm with others who want to come, but if it were up to me I think I'd rather try some of the other new yum cha options in the southside before...

This restaurant has a diner feel, situated in a mall away from crowded busy Sunnybank. Lots a free parking. The mall is small with a large asian section with Fresco supermarket and multiple popular Chinese and sushi eateries. Ru Yi is a diner and roast meat retailer. The dim sum is on par or better than Sunnybank but with lower prices. Although not all food was great, we liked it enough to buy their 1 yr membership ($10) to enjoy a 10% discount on future visits. It's a good marketing ploy to encourage customers to return. We've been twice and can comment on the following:

Custard buns, highly recommend. Visually stunning with the black and gold. The steamed bread was not too thick and balanced with beautiful custard.

Steamed scallop and prawn dumpling, highly recommend. Fresh and well made.

Steamed rice rolls, recommend. Fresh and steamed perfectly.

Lo bak go, recommend. Tastes fresh. The pork floss topping is an interesting touch but a bit sweet.

Fried squid, do not recommend. Chewy and a bit tough. Seasoned well though.

Wonton soup, do not recommend. 4 wontons. Wontons are not Cantonese style.

Pear shaped glutinous dumplings. Do not recommend. Looked cute but overpriced for 2 units. The outer shell was too hard and the glutinous layer was not chewy. The whole point of gluten is the chewy mouth feel and this didn't have it. Meat filling was OK.

Prawn yee mein, recommend. Not the best but was decent.

Will update after trying...