Ladies, this one's for you — this café turns "colorful dim sum" into an ultra-dreamy afternoon tea

▲ The “Yanxiang Sesame Bun” is perfectly round, resembling black gold. (Photo / Provided by Yanxianglou)

Reported by Hua Shaofu / Compiled by HowToTrip

Who says afternoon tea has to be just cake or sandwiches? The “Spring Dream” and “Color Splash” Hong Kong-style dim sum sets, meticulously crafted by the chef team at Yanxianglou, feature exquisitely handmade dim sum in creative flavors and vibrant hues. Making their debut in Taichung’s afternoon tea scene, they offer ladies a fresh new choice.

Hong Kong-style dim sum is usually about flavor, not fullness — but what kind of dim sum set can take on the colorful challenge of Western-style afternoon tea? The “Spring Dream” and “Color Splash” sets from Yanxianglou transform the traditionally muted and plain-looking dim sum into vivid shades of red, yellow, and black. Their shapes also break free from tradition, featuring carrots, pears, and bee pupae, turning them into the most stunning colorful dim sum in Taichung.

▲ The “Spring Dream” set offers a wide variety of handmade dim sum. (Photo / Provided by Yanxianglou)

The “Spring Dream” set includes a diverse range of handmade treats — such as radish crisps shaped like bee pupae, taro puffs resembling honeycombs, yam-flavored love knots that look as delicate as pears, and adorable little radish-like treats. It also comes with a steamed basket of “Yanxiang Honeyed Treasures,” which includes scallop soup dumplings, grilled shrimp siu mai, salmon roe shrimp dumplings, and shrimp and sea urchin bites.

▲ Every colorful dim sum in the “Color Splash” set is crafted like a fine piece of art. (Photo / Provided by Yanxianglou)

The other set, “Color Splash,” includes “Black Ink Dumplings” made with squid, asparagus, and shrimp filling; “Golden Dumplings” with preserved vegetable and shrimp filling; and “Crimson Dumplings” made with celery, white bamboo shoots, dried scallops, and shrimp. These are paired with the pitch-black, gold-like “Yanxiang Sesame Buns” and the amber, crystal-clear “Osmanthus Gold Jelly.” Each colorful dim sum is intricately crafted like a work of art, making it hard to resist.

▲ The Yanxiang Honeyed Treasures steamed basket. (Photo / Provided by Yanxianglou)

▲ The “Osmanthus Gold Jelly” is as translucent and amber-hued as crystal. (Photo / Provided by Yanxianglou)

Lin Jianting, the head chef of dim sum at Yanxianglou, explained that all the colors of the colorful dim sum come from natural ingredients — the golden hue of the Golden Dumplings is made from carrots and pumpkins, the black of the Black Ink Dumplings uses bamboo charcoal powder, and the red of the Crimson Dumplings comes from natural beet coloring. Beyond their vibrant colors, every shape is also hand-sculpted by the culinary team, making the process both time-consuming and labor-intensive.

▲ Yanxianglou also offers a variety of teas and juices for customers to choose from. (Photo / Provided by Yanxianglou)

To complement the dim sum afternoon tea, Yanxianglou has also developed several new beverages and juices, including Tieguanyin milk tea, bubble tea, iced lemon tea, fresh kiwi juice, and roselle rose honey. This expands the options for afternoon tea drinks. Currently available daily from 2–4 PM, the “Spring Dream” set includes 7 dim sum pieces and one drink for NT$588 + 10%, while the “Color Splash” set includes 8 dim sum pieces and one drink for NT$688 + 10%.

Yanxianglou

Address: No. 2, Lane 12, Jingcheng 8th Street, West District, Taichung City (an additional 10% service fee applies)
Phone: (04)2329-9968
Business Hours: 11:00–24:00

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