Every time I pass Dolly Dim Sum at Avenue K, I wish to eat there.
Last week, I decided I would wait for a table.
The outlet at Avenue K is trendy, and there’s a waiting area inside the lobby.
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Why Dolly Dim Sum?
Dolly Dim Sum is a contemporary chain specializing in Chinese food with halal ingredients.
Since I stopped eating pork, I have found enjoying excellent dim sum in Penang almost impossible.
My dining companions are the cutest and will goad me whenever we head to a hotel buffet – there’s dim sum Dory.
So the joke was Dory’s Dim Sum, making fun of my moniker.
It’s best to arrive early at weekend dim sum restaurants because they tend to fill up fast.
I was lucky to get in just before a crowd joined the queue behind me.
Dolly Dim Sum Ambiance
Dolly Dim Sum has an airy atmosphere, with natural light streaming through beveled glass windows in a garden-like environment.
The dining area is bright, spacious, and very pretty.
Dolly Dim Sum In Avenue K, Kuala Lumpur
How to Order At Dolly Dim Sum
You place your orders by marking the notepad of paper at the table.
The menu is available in English with images of the food – a big bonus.
I often get stuck trying to order by scanning a QR Code.
Dolly Dim Sum Menu
It includes the steamed and fried dim sums from the classic “Har Gao” and “Siu Mai” prawn dumplings.
There are Szechuan-styled dumplings, Cheong fun, and a signature egg cream bun.
Wok specials include dishes for carbs, Cantonese fried noodles, golden fried rice, and oriental-inspired thirst-quenchers that are just nice and aren’t too sweet.
Aside from authentic aromatic Chinese oolong tea, there’s an assortment of oriental-inspired thirst relievers that are nice and don’t taste too sweet.
Image: Dolly Dim Sum
Dolly Dim Sum Price
The price is reasonable considering the serving size.
The Siew Mai are two bites per item.
Price start range from RM10.80
Dolly Dim Sum Halal Status
Halal status: The restaurant is not halal-certified but uses ingredients sourced from halal-certified suppliers.
Note that alcohol is served separately on the menu, and we advise you to dine at your discretion.
Image: Dolly Dim Sum
Image: Dolly Dim Sum
What I Ordered Vs. What I Wanted to Eat.
It’s hard to order when I dine alone sometimes – especially when it comes to the dim sum I can eat.
The moment I stepped in and opened the menu, I was happy.
All pork-free authentic Chinese dim sum I could eat!
It makes my Yum Cha very Yum Yum.
While it is not cheap and pretty pricey, if I can, I would want to eat at Dolly Dim Sum every weekend.
I figured I would spend RM60 per pax and eat enough and not walk out feeling still hungry.
Szechuan Dumpling RM12.80
I love dumplings, and the chicken and prawn turned out to be my favorite.
The plump sizeable, juicy shrimp were fresh and bouncy, and I tasted added water chestnuts for a clean, crunchy texture.
The chili oil is not spicy for me, but it depends on your palate – I think it is not so overwhelmingly.
Overall the Spicy Szechuan Dumplings are salty, savory, and a touch sweet.
The fresh spring onions balancing the greasiness from the chili oil.
Szechuan Dumpling RM12.80
Siew Mai (Steamed Chicken and Prawn Dumplings) RM10.80
Dolly’s mixture of chicken and prawns has the right meaty, juicy texture without pork.
The results were firm and bouncy Siew Mai which has little difference from the standard non-halal version.
The mushrooms bits added a savory, umami flavor that filled in the gaps where pork fat was absent.
Overall it was a delicious halal version of a dim sum staple.
Although I had to wait for this freshly steamed item, it was worth the wait.
The Dolly Siew Mai has the perfect temperate, hot enough to make you want to blow a little to cool it before biting in.
The Siew Mai filling was juicy and rich, with tender, succulent meat providing a nice contrast in texture.
A must order – I could eat two plates of these.
Siew Mai (Steamed Chicken and Prawn Dumplings) RM10.80
Crispy Cheong Fun (Rice Rolls) RM14.50
Commonly known as “Chee Cheong fun” in Cantonese, these thin steamed crepes are Chinese rice noodle rolls made fresh from a wet rice flour batter.
The rolls are served plain or with a filling inside.
At Chinese dim sum restaurants, they are eaten as a snack.
I ordered the Crispy Cheong Fun to taste the rice roll wrapped with the crunchy filling.
When the rice rolls arrived, I thought the thickness and texture of the skin were a little thick.
The Crispy Cheong Fun was thick and fatter than I’ve ever seen.
The first bite tasted like an entire crispy spring roll wrapped with Cheong Fun.
Now, I understand the need to make the fragile rice crepe thicker so it doesn’t break.
The contrasting textures of the softness of rice crepe against crispy fried spring rolls were perfect.
The filling of julienned yam bean, shredded carrot, and prawns was delicious.
Everything was delicious. I liked all the items I ordered and finished them with gusto.
Do I get tired of eating a combination of prawns and chicken?
Nope, both the prawns and chicken were tender, juicy, and yummy—there were just a lot of prawns!
Maybe I could switch that up with scallops, but they’re rather pricey unless we’re celebrating an occasion.
Crispy Cheong Fun (Rice Rolls) RM14.50
Orange Cooler RM10.90
The drink is a thirst quencher without being overly sweet. Just nice.
Next Items To Try
I’d love to try various steamed and fried dim sum for my next trip.
The Steamed Beef Ball and Loh Mai Gai look interesting.
I’m a fan of congee. I remember taking this for breakfast every morning when I visited Hong Kong years ago.
And for the love of carbs, more noodles and fried rice too.
I would love to eat these, too, if I had more room in my tummy!
Classic egg tarts. Image: Dolly Dim Sum
Dolly Dim Sum Service
The staff was friendly and helpful.
The food arrived quickly, which I appreciated as many people were eating.
Some of the food arrived at slightly different times, but that’s fine because everything was freshly prepared.
Final Thoughts On Dolly Dim Sum
If you’re a small eater (or even if you aren’t), enjoy a pot of hot aromatic Pu Erh Tea with a Roasted Barbecue Bun and Lor Mai Gao.
If you’re tempted like me, you’ll end up ordering everything on the menu.
Why not?
Everything looks so good, and I haven’t had Pork-Free Halal Dim Sum in a long time.
It was exciting to break free and sample halal dim sum.
Dolly charges a 10% service charge and a 6% service tax.
Compared to the other old-school Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, Dolly Dim Sum is a relatively expensive meal, but not too expensive.
Since there aren’t that many options for good halal dim sum restaurants, Dolly Dim Sum is still my top choice.
Dolly’s food is light, and there is no guilt after feasting.
Traditional dim sum styles often leave me feeling bloated and heavy after eating—there’s too much minced pork fat, tiny cubed pork skin, and lard oil.
Even the egg tarts in the Chinese bakery have lard oil in the pastry to make it flaky.
Seeing so many Muslims or people who don’t eat pork enjoy a delicious dim sum meal at the restaurant was nice.
Dolly Dim Sum, Avenue K
Address: Avenue K, G9, 156, Jln Ampang, Kampung Baru, 50450 Kuala Lumpur
Hours: 12.00 PM to 10.00 PM Daily
Website: Dolly Dim Sum
