Yum Cha — Restaurant in Oslo

Had to try Yum Cha after hearing so much from so many friends.

TL:DR Good service but consistently lukewarm, trending room temperature, food. A weak 3/5 stars.

The space is well done, and already from the entrance you are sort of taken back to Hong Kong. Good job on the decorations! We were greeted at the door, and shown to a nice table on the top floor. Just for information, the mezzanine got super cold, so we are happy we were seated upstairs. Promptly brought water by our friendly and well-intentioned server.

We ordered 1 cold dish (beef tongue), one vegetable dish (pak choi with garlic), the crispy radish cake and 4 types of steamed dim sum, one bbq pork rice roll and the Singaporian style noodles. When asked if it was too much, our waiter suggested adding the BBQ pork buns, but I head her suggest that to everyone, so that seems to be something they're pushing. Happily we didn't order them...

Tongue was tasty, and so were the pak choi, however the portion of the vegetable does not justify the price of NOK 159,-, 7 small quarters of pak choi, so less than two full "vegetables" so to speak.

The BBQ Rice roll came third, but was promptly sent back as the top piece was objectively cold, and the pieces below were at best lukewarm. This should have been a sign of what to come...

I don't know what happens between the hot steamers in the kitchen and food arriving at the table, but it's taking WAY to long. I noticed that the person bringing the steamed Dim Sum upstairs always left it at the servers station, who then walked over to get it and bring it to the table. A Siu Long Bao / Xiaolongbao or soup dumpling is famously steaming hot... not here. The only reason you wouldn't just chomp down the whole thing here at Yum Cha was to avoid the mess... nothing to due with the temperature. Flavor was good, but just too cold. This was the same experience with all the steamed Dim Sum. Tasty, but way too cold. The place has been open for 12 days, so it might be something that needs fine tuning on the operational side, but Dim Sum is served hot or cold, not luke warm trending room temperature.

The Singaporean noodles were tasty and slightly warmer than the rest, but seems on the pricey side with NOK 249,-. Generous portion though. Which brings me to the last point: for those of us having lived in Asia, when you ask if the order is too big or too small, you're used to getting an honest answer. Here they seem to have been told to push BBQ Pork Buns... Anyway, we were stuffed, much thanks to the generous noodles.

Since Google doesn't ask for a rating for the Value for Money, I'd rate it at 2/5 for Value for Money. Overall a weak 3/5 due to...

YumCha the newly opened dim sum restaurant in Oslo, has been a delightful discovery for us. Finally, a dimsum restaurant with decent selection and reasonable pricing(for dimsum), where everything is freshly made to order.

YumCha brings a dash of nostalgia with its unique ambiance. With its unique interior design resembling 1970s Hongkong, with its neon lights and vintage decor that adds a charming touch to your dining experience.

Sui long bao The soup dumplings had a flavorful broth but were a bit overly filled with soup, leaving us wanting a better balance.

Sui Mai These large, meaty sui mai were excellent, boasting a robust and savory flavor.

Chicken feet The chicken feet, served with black bean sauce and chili, were well-prepared and delivered the expected taste.

Har gow These har gow dumplings had a satisfying taste, surpassing the frozen alternatives commonly found in dim sum menus.

R3. Crispy shrimp rice rolls While the crispy shrimp filling was a favorite, the rice roll's skin felt a tad too thin.

R1. BBQ Pork rice rolls Similar to the shrimp version, the BBQ pork rice rolls had a tasty filling but slightly thin skin.

S4. Thai style chicken feet Tangy and spicy, the chicken feet in vinegar and chili provided a flavorful kick.

S3. Spicy beef tongue This cold dish featured thinly sliced beef tongue atop cucumbers, offering a refreshing and savory combination.

C2 Shrimp & scallop congee The congee, featuring shrimp balls and scallops, was a comforting and tasty option.

N1. Beef rice noodles While average, these fried rice noodles had the familiar taste typical of dim sum restaurants.

N3. Singapore noodles The fried noodles with a yellow curry flavor were average, with room for improvement in the shrimp quality.

In summary, YumCha is a welcome addition to Oslo's dining scene. If you're a dim sum lover or simply looking for a unique dining experience, I highly recommend giving it a try. With its fresh, made-to-order dishes and...

Yum Cha is a very popular dim sum restaurant in Oslo and I heard many good things about it before going. The place gives retro aesthetics and some 70’s Hong Kong vibes. It’s beautiful and very social media friendly: many posters on the walls and cool neon lights are a little bit everywhere. The water was also served in an old Asian-style thermos, which was pretty cool and unusual. Since there were many options I opted for the tasting menu and the fact that I had to write down with a pencil what I wanted from the menu gave me a lot of traditional dim sum Chinese restaurant. The food was ok, but unfortunately, nothing from their tasting menu was “New” for the Norwegian food scene. Good but kinda safe. A friend told me after my visit that their best dishes are not from the tasting menu, so I will probably come back to try some other dishes. The crispy garlic fried chicken and spring rolls were my favorite dishes so I highly suggest to try them. The dessert was a bit disappointing and the baked BBQ pork buns were a bit too sweet compared to the ones I tried in Hong Kong. In the end, the place is beautiful for a good new kind of experience in Oslo, the service was a bit cold but the food was very...