Match of the week

Dim sum and Champagne

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on January 23 2012 at 06:20

A very Western approach to Chinese food, admittedly, but if you're celebrating Chinese New Year today with a dim sum lunch you'll find that Champagne - or other sparkling wine - makes a perfect pairing.

For those of you who haven't come across dim sum before they're bite-sized snacks that are traditionally served during the day in tea houses (tea, obviously being the more usual accompaniment). They're a mixture of flavours and textures - some delicate and steamed (usually seafood), some more robust or fried (like pork buns).

Champagne is always at home with delicate seafood dishes and with crisp, deep-fried foods and its slight sweetness keys in perfectly with with the subtle spicing. A good prosecco would also work well. You might possibly want to move on to a red with the meatier dim sum if you're having a long lunch or if you move on to duck, say, but if you're keeping it simple a glass of fizz is just fine.

See Square Meal for a list of London's best dim sum restaurants.

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