Usually you don't order dim sum, but sit and wait for carts full of it to be rolled around to you. Steaming carts emerge from the kitchen every few minutes during the height of dim-sum service, and all you need to do is point to be served. If you don't know what you're pointing at, some restaurants have helpful picture menus.
Choose lighter, steamed dishes first, and heavier fried ones later. Eat dessert — custard tarts or mango pudding, for example — anytime. Saving the sweet items for last is not a Chinese custom.
Panda Cuisine
This large Hong Kong-style restaurant serves both dim sum and a full Chinese menu; popular with locals for its variety. Close to Ala Moana Center.
641 Ke'eaumoku St. 947-1688. Lunch: 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily. Dinner: 5 p.m.-10 p.m. daily. Late-night menu until 2 a.m. Monday-Saturday.
Legend:
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$$$: Pricey; entrées mostly more than $17 $$: Moderate; entrées $10-$16 $: Budget-friendly; entrées mostly less than $10
