Sunday Malaysia dim sum lunch — dim sum at RM$21.60 (~SGD$7.40 at 2019 exchange). Cantonese dim sum trip lunch.

We ordered:

Dim sum spread — RM$21.60

Dim sum (點心 — literally “touch the heart”) is the iconic Cantonese morning/lunch eating tradition. Originated from southern China (Guangdong + Hong Kong), the format involves multiple small steamed/fried/baked items shared across the table.

The standard dim sum format:

Steamed bamboo basket items (siu mai, har gow, char siu bao, lo mai gai)
Fried items (radish cake, spring rolls, sesame balls)
Baked items (BBQ pork buns, egg tart, polo bun)
Cheung fun (rice noodle rolls with various fillings)
Sweet items (mango pudding, almond jelly, tofu pudding)
Chinese tea (oolong, jasmine, pu-erh) accompaniment

Classic dim sum items:

Har gow (虾饺 — crystal shrimp dumpling — the iconic translucent skin)
Siu mai (烧卖 — pork + shrimp open-top dumpling)
Char siu bao (叉烧包 — BBQ pork bun, sweet bread + savoury filling)
Cheung fun (肠粉 — rice noodle roll, various fillings)
Lo mai gai (糯米鸡 — sticky rice + chicken in lotus leaf)
Egg tart (蛋撻 — flaky pastry + smooth custard)

At RM$21.60 (~SGD$7.40) for the dim sum spread for two, this represents proper budget Malaysian dim sum pricing. Significantly cheaper than equivalent Singapore dim sum:

Singapore dim sum: SGD$15-30 per person typical
Malaysian dim sum: RM$15-40 (SGD$5-14) per person typical

The Malaysian dim sum scene includes proper authentic Cantonese-Hong Kong heritage operations. Multiple KL + JB dim sum restaurants maintain proper dim sum cart service + authentic preparation techniques.

The Singapore-Malaysia dim sum value comparison: