Beautiful South launches Sunday dim sum

Downtown’s Beautiful South, a concept from chef/owner David Schuttenberg, launches Sunday dim sum service Oct. 6. Diners can order from an extensive dim sum menu from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Sunday.

According to Schuttenberg, dim sum translates to “touch the heart,” and represents sweet and savory plates meant to be shared communally as part of a Chinese breakfast or brunch. Dim sum is traditionally part of Chinese yum cha (“drink tea”) and diners at Beautiful South can take part in the restaurant’s tea service during dim sum.

Schuttenberg said that the team at Beautiful South is excited about the dim sum experience. “[It] gives our kitchen an opportunity to spread our wings a bit with a menu only offered during this single weekly service,” he said. “It offers us a chance to play, experiment with new menu items, and develop an entirely different experience for our guests.”

Dim sum menu items include turnip cakes, Hong-Kong style French toast, Taiwanese custard powder chicken wings and more. You can find the full menu here.

“We have worked very hard to develop a menu of easily recognizable favorites even for the uninitiated; Scallion Pancakes, Char Siu Bao (steamed pork buns), and Siu Mai (pork and shrimp dumplings),” Schuttenberg said.

The chef added he personally loves the roasted mushroom congee and griddled turnip cakes, but said that the beauty of dim sum service is that small portions allow diners to try lots of dishes.

Schuttenberg and his wife and business partner Tina Heath-Schuttenberg lived in New York City for almost 13 years, where they tried a wide variety of dim sum formats. He said that they fell in love with the “casual atmosphere, the tavern-like feel of the space, and most of all, the ability to check off desired items on a paper menu” of Nom Wah Tea Parlor.

“We decided to mirror our service style on that model,” he said. “We figure over 100 years of dim sum can’t be wrong.”

Learn more at beautifulsouthchs.com.