What a good idea I had. We were lying in bed thinking about what to have for breakfast. I wanted to go out for breakfast, but didn't feel like queuing for bacon and eggs somewhere. DIM SUM!! What a good idea I had.

Don Mee is the obvious choice for dim sum. They serve it everyday, 7am-2pm on the weekend (I'd like to see the 7am dim sum crowd). We arrived at noon and waited very briefly for a table. The restaurant was bustling with lots of families, ladies pushing their carts around and busboys tearing down and setting up tables at an astounding speed.

If you've never been for dim sum, don't be afraid. It's easier than it sounds and at Don Mee there are even instructions at the table. Basically, it's Cantonese brunch, the ladies roll by with food, tell you what it is and if you want it you ask for it. They keep track of your bill with a tally sheet on your table.

They serve many familiar dishes, but the great thing about dim sum is the opportunity to try some more unusual food. The benefit being able to see and smell it before you order. Not to mention the serving sizes are always small, so if you don't like it, it's not a big deal.

We had a couple of ordinary dishes like steamed pork buns and chicken wings and we experimented with a few others, such as fried tofu and shrimp, a mysterious dumpling and these very cool shrimp balls. The shrimp were great, but weird. They were fresh tasting, with big pieces of shrimp and fresh cilantro, encased in rice gluten. Rice gluten has a gelatinous texture, but is more elastic than gelatin. Some people wouldn't like this, but we thought it was cool.

We finished up with a Chinese specialty - described by our server as "doughnuts." We'd hoped for a more glamorous name, but we knew just what they were - greasy, sugary goodness.

Dim sum works for larger parties, because you get to try more stuff; but don't be afraid to go as a couple, you'll just have to go more often. Do take kids - it's a very kid-friendly dinning experience. Lots of excitement, kid-size portions and no one cares if they scream or cause a ruckus.

Value of Food: 8/10 (depends how crazy you get - we paid $27 for the two of us)

Quality of Food: 7.5/10 

Service: 8/10

Ambiance: 9/10 (for breakfast, it's pretty cool)

Wine List: n/a

 Reviewed: November 27, 2005