Yeonnam-dong dim sum spot with truffle spring rolls: Panda Dim Sum

Today I'm sharing a trip to Panda Dim Sum (판다딤섬), a Chinese restaurant in Yeonnam-dong, Hongdae, with a great atmosphere and food quality I was really happy with!! I love dim sum, and this time I heard you can have Peking duck there too, not just dim sum, so I went to check it out haha.

To get straight to the point, it was better than I expected, and I'd happily recommend it for a date, a family meal or a get-together with friends!! Okay, here's my honest Panda Dim Sum review~!!

Panda Dim Sum hours, closing day and parking

Panda Dim Sum is open 11:30-21:30 and closed every Wednesday. There's no parking, so you'll need to use a nearby public car park.

How to get to Panda Dim Sum from Hongik Univ. Station

Panda Dim Sum is about an 8-minute walk from Exit 3 of Hongik Univ. Station, so it's easy to reach~! There's no parking of its own, but with a public car park nearby it's not hard to visit by car either.

What's the atmosphere like at Panda Dim Sum?

The inside is cozy yet stylish, with an open kitchen. The mood changes completely the moment you step through the door!! Being able to watch the food being made in the open kitchen gave me extra confidence in it.

Kung Fu Panda was playing on the wall via projector, which made it fun to look at. Cute panda pictures are placed all around, which suits the name Panda Dim Sum, and the whole place has a trendy feel haha. The restroom is inside the restaurant too, which is convenient.

What we ordered at Panda Dim Sum and the prices

This time we ordered half a Peking duck (₩39,000), flying fish roe shumai (₩8,500), truffle spring rolls (₩8,000) and xiaolongbao (soup dumplings, ₩8,000). Every one of them was so good I wasn't sure where to start.

• Half Peking duck ₩39,000
• Flying fish roe shumai ₩8,500
• Truffle spring rolls ₩8,000
• Xiaolongbao ₩8,000

Xiaolongbao: thin, chewy wrapper and juicy filling

The xiaolongbao (₩8,000) had a thin but chewy wrapper that really stood out. It was the first thing I tried, and when I carefully lifted one with my chopsticks I could feel it was full of juice inside. The rich meaty flavor and nutty depth filling my mouth were excellent. With the broth bursting in my mouth, I was reminded again why xiaolongbao is the signature dim sum haha.

Flying fish roe shumai: popping texture, eaten with ginger

The flying fish roe shumai (₩8,500) is a traditional Cantonese-style dim sum topped with roe like a flower, so pretty to look at. One bite and the moist filling and the popping roe went together nicely, and eating it with the ginger served alongside left it clean, not greasy, which made it even better. If you like shumai, I hope you'll try it.

Truffle spring rolls: the most unusual dish

Personally, the truffle spring rolls (₩8,000) were the most unusual dish. I'd never had truffle-scented spring rolls before, and the moment I bit through the crisp fried shell, the subtle truffle aroma was really appealing. The texture was different from ordinary dim sum, with a moist meat filling inside the crunchy wrapper, so it was fun to chew. The luxurious flavor seemed like it would pair well with wine haha.

Half a Peking duck at Panda Dim Sum: enough for two?

Even half a Peking duck (₩39,000) was plenty for two people. It was the main dish of the day and a signature you really should order. Peking duck is pricey and not easy to try, so the biggest plus at Panda Dim Sum is that you can enjoy it at a price that doesn't feel like a burden. Great value, too.

How do you eat the Peking duck?

The duck comes with sauce, cucumber, scallion, yabing (thin wheat pancakes) and sugar. I first tried the crisply roasted duck skin, and the crunch with the mild duck meat was a lovely combination haha. Then I spread out a pancake, topped it with duck meat, crispy skin, cucumber and scallion, added a little sauce and rolled it up, and the flavor came alive even more.

What surprised me most was that it didn't fall short at all compared with the Peking duck I had in China. It felt like it reproduced the taste I had there, which I was really happy about, and I found it amazing that you can enjoy this quality of Peking duck in Korea at a reasonable price haha.

Is Panda Dim Sum worth recommending for Chinese food in Yeonnam-dong?

If you're looking for good Chinese food in Yeonnam-dong, Hongdae, Panda Dim Sum was a really satisfying choice. Each dim sum is well made, and with the signature Peking duck as well, it's a great place for a day when you want a special meal. I recommend trying proper dim sum and Peking duck at Panda Dim Sum~!!