LITTLE BIRD DIM SUM || Offering a Unique Dining Experience with Dim Sum and Craft Beer
Recall the last time you encountered the delicious, mouth-watering scent of freshly steamed dim sum.
Now, what if I told you there is a new spot in town where you can enjoy dim sum (with vegan and vegetarian options) for dinner? With craft beer and wine?! Owner Jonathan Lee shares the concept behind Little Bird Dim Sum, which is an East meets West restaurant (but not Fusion), where the dining experience brings together traditional Cantonese Dim Sum with a western style of service, local beer, wine, and decor.
It’s a welcomed update to the traditional dim sum experienced we are used to, which usually involves large roundtables, a group of family and/or relatives, and a much louder dining environment.
JONATHAN’S STORY
Jonathan inherited a wealth of experience from his grandparents and parents, who ran the Flamingo Restaurant. Growing up with his cousins, they would spend weekends at the restaurant, helping to bus tables and wash dishes. The family wanted their children to follow different paths than to follow their footsteps into the restaurant business, so Jonathan joined the world of business consulting upon completing his university education and became an executive at a global consulting firm. This role led to 49 weeks out of the year on the road, and as his family grew, Jonathan sought more work-life balance in his career, which led him to make the transition from 15 years in the management consulting industry to opening his own restaurant in Kitsilano.
Though Jonathan has spent the past 23 years living in the United States, every time he visited his brother in Kitsilano over the holidays, he noticed that there were very few Chinese restaurants around and no dim sum options, which is why he chose the current location for Little Bird Dim Sum.
DECOR
The elongated dining space features a mirror that runs the length of the space, with flexible seating for 2 or more lining the wall. Jonathan credits the interior design to the tremendous amount of collaboration with local company Chop Value and Anthony Pratico (Digital Insomnia).
The entry flooring, wall decor, and tables were all done by ChopValue, with the goal to immerse guests in an environment reminiscent of a bamboo forest. Jonathan decided to collaborate with ChopValue because he believes in their mission of increasing resource efficiency and promoting a circular economy.
Artwork takes inspiration from iconic posters and adds a new twist to incorporate the restaurant’s branding adding character to various pockets of the dining space; these modernized posters could be found in the dining space and within the two bathrooms. Two of the posters are pictured below were created by Anthony Pratico of Digital Insomnia.
An updated version of the Woodstock Music Festival poster, incorporating elements of the Little Bird brand. Photo courtesy of Little Bird Dim Sum.
“Each piece and subsequent art is a nod to either iconic events, birds, or Vancouver. And sometimes all three. I tried to make something for everyone while still giving it a modern twist. The art spans almost every generation of Vancouverite but I utilized the brand colors created to keep the look and feel consistent throughout the pieces and the restaurant itself. ”
A version of the Expo 86 poster on display inside Little Bird Dim Sum. Photo courtesy of Little Bird Dim Sum.
DIM SUM, CRAFT BEER, AND WINE
The thing we love about dim sum is the ability for us to try multiple dishes since every dish comes in a small portion meant to be shared.
The signature dish popular amongst guests is the Scallop Taro Puff; the lightly crunchy fried shell gives way to a richly-flavored taro paste enveloping a tasty shitake mushroom and minced pork curry filling with a scallop on top. Biting into the taro puff is a delicious medley of textures and flavors, with the light curry balancing the denser taro paste. Jonathan recommends pairing this dish with local beer 33 Acres of Life, a California Common style beer with faint fruit, toasted malt, and caramel flavors.
“Dim Sum is typically light and delicate. In order for beer to pair well with dim sum, the flavor profiles from the beer can not dominate the pallet.”
Chive and Shrimp wrapped in an egg wrapper.
The Chive and Shrimp dish offer a lighter option, with the ingredients wrapped in a thin egg wrapper; this is best paired with the Pinot Gris from Nichol Vineyard. Other dim sum classics can also be found on the menu, such as the classic Siu Mai, a shrimp pork dumpling wrapped in an egg wrapper topped with a goji berry. For this dish, Jonathan recommends the Pinot Noir from Orofino Winery.
Little Bird Dim Sum’s selection of beer and wine has been carefully curated to highlight all the best of BC, and also to provide a balance of flavors to the food. After many series of tastings, Jonathan decided that dim sum pairs well with beers and wines with a clean finish, since dim sum leans towards seafood and pork as key ingredients.
Classic Siu Mai with goji berry on top.
For those who are looking for a deep-fried option, there’s the Fried Garlic Squid, where the aroma alone will make your mouth water. With this flavourful fried dish, which some would compare as the Chinese version of fried calamari, the hazy gold Four Winds Brewing Co. Belgian Saison is an opt pairing.
Fried Garlic Squid.
While this may be Jonathan’s first foray into the restaurant industry, it is evident that he has put a tremendous amount of time and effort to showcase two things, the art of traditional Chinese dim sum and a meticulously curated local beer and wine offering to complete a unique ‘evening dim sum’ experience.
