Hours
Daily 11:00am–9:00pm
Credit cards Visa, MC, AmEx
www.getsumdimsum.com
Seton Medical
4400 N. Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX
(512) 458-9000
Just when you thought dim sum couldn’t get any easier—a cart pulls up, you point, repeat—along comes this plucky little business idea and its extremely beginner-friendly approach. You check off what you want on a two-sided list (one side corrals you into a safe combo with only a few choices, while the other is à la carte and more extensive—a very friendly host-busperson is on hand to help if you need it) and then you hand it to the person at the register. Depending on the rush, in minutes, you have your dumplings—you have to wait a little longer for the made-to-order items.
It’s a good idea, after all. Dim sum every day of the week? In the evenings, too? Score! It certainly beats Panda Express, which Get Sum replaced. The interior is dressed in cheery shades of raspberry and lime, with black and white art on the walls, its hightops and low tables full of bemused-looking older couples and groups of unruly coeds.
The outdated fear of MSG is obsequiously catered to here, with a promise on the menu over the counter that they don’t use any, but you’ll hardly miss it. In their best moments, siu mai are some of the best around; the sticky little rice-flour dumplings are full of juicy, seasoned pork and shrimp; at worst, they can be a little chunky and sweet. Fried eggplant stuffed with shrimp are crispy, greasy, and subtly flavored. A fried turnip cake with little bits of sausage is worth nabbing extra orders of, just to keep in the car for cravings. A steamed BBQ pork bun is still the weakest link here, so dry and sticky that half of it rips open when you try to peel the paper off, and the filling is sugary goo. Skip it and go for dessert with a sesame bean cake ball, which has a good balance between sesame nuttiness, red bean sweetness, and crunch.
During lunch rushes, some dim sum is pre-made, and the execution can vary somewhat. But how often do you find decent dim sum made to order, without having to drive to the outskirts of town? Now if only we could do something about this name.
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