A Look at the Best Dim Sum Spot in Bali

A Look at the Best Dim Sum Spot in Bali

Dim sum is one of the most social and celebrated expressions of Chinese food culture. Long before it became a menu item, it was a ritual, a reason to gather, and a way to slow down and share a meal properly. For anyone visiting or living in Bali who wants to understand what authentic Chinese food culture actually looks like at the table, dim sum is the place to start. And the best place to experience it on the island is at a dedicated Chinese restaurant in Bali built around the Cantonese tradition.

Golden Monkey Bali, with its two locations in Ubud and Sanur, has become the go-to destination for dim sum dining on the island. Whether you are discovering it for the first time or returning for a familiar favourite, the experience here captures everything that makes dim sum worth knowing.

What Dim Sum Actually Is

Dim sum is not a single dish. It is a dining format rooted in the Cantonese tradition of yum cha, which translates roughly as "drinking tea”. The idea is simple: small dishes arrive at the table in rotation, each one designed to be shared rather than eaten alone. Steamed dumplings, baked buns, fried pastries, and sticky rice parcels all appear together across the meal, offering contrast in texture, temperature, and flavour with every round.

The culture behind dim sum is as important as the food itself. Dishes are ordered communally, passed around the table, and eaten at a pace that encourages conversation. There is no single main course to wait for. The meal simply builds, gently and generously, for as long as the table wants it to.

At a well-run Chinese restaurant in Bali, such as Golden Monkey, this tradition is taken seriously. The kitchen prepares each item individually, the bamboo steamers arrive hot, and the pacing of the meal is designed to feel natural rather than rushed.

The Dim Sum Menu at Golden Monkey

The Golden Monkey dim sum menu covers the full range of classic Cantonese small plates, prepared using traditional techniques and fresh ingredients. For anyone new to dim sum culture, these are the dishes to know.

Har Gow

Har Gow is often considered the benchmark dish of any dim sum kitchen. The wrapper is thin and slightly translucent, the filling is whole prawn, and the standard is exacting. A good Har Gow should hold together when lifted with chopsticks without tearing, and the prawn inside should be sweet, firm, and lightly seasoned. It is one of the simplest dishes on the menu and one of the hardest to do well.

Siu Mai

Siu Mai are open-topped steamed dumplings filled with pork, prawn, and roe. They are a staple of Cantonese dim sum culture and appear at virtually every yum cha table across Hong Kong and Southern China. Golden Monkey's version follows the classic preparation, with a yellow wrapper and a generous filling that holds its shape during steaming.

Xiao Long Bao

Xiao Long Bao, the soup dumplings associated with Shanghai-style cooking, have earned a devoted following among dim sum lovers in Bali. The wrapper encloses a seasoned pork filling and a small amount of broth, which becomes liquid during steaming. The correct technique for eating one involves lifting it carefully, biting a small opening to release the steam, and drinking the broth before finishing the dumpling. It is an experience in itself, and one of the most popular dishes at Golden Monkey across both locations.

Crystal Dumplings

Crystal Dumplings are steamed parcels with a translucent skin made from wheat starch, filled with chives and prawns. They are lighter in flavour than Har Gow and appreciated for their delicate wrapper and clean taste. For diners working their way through the dim sum menu for the first time, these are reliable, approachable choices.

BBQ Buns

Baked or steamed buns filled with Char Siu pork are one of the most universally loved items in Cantonese cuisine. The filling is sweet, slightly smoky, and deeply savoury, enclosed in a soft, slightly glazed bun that pulls apart easily. Golden Monkey's baked version has a light golden crust that adds a satisfying contrast to the tender filling inside.

Chicken Sticky Rice

Wrapped in a lotus leaf and steamed until fragrant, Chicken Sticky Rice captures the more substantial, warming side of dim sum. Inside the parcel, you will find glutinous rice, chicken, mushrooms, and Chinese sausage. The lotus leaf gives the rice a subtle herbal fragrance that carries through to every mouthful. It is one of those dishes that feels comforting in a way that is hard to explain until you have tried it.

Dim Sum Bali for Every Kind of Diner

One of the reasons dim sum has found such a welcoming home in Bali is that it fits the island's dining culture so naturally. Bali attracts travellers who want to eat well, eat together, and take their time doing it. Dim sum at a Chinese restaurant in Bali is perfectly suited to that appetite.

For families, the shared format means no one needs to order a single dish and hope for the best. For couples, ordering from a wide selection lets both people try more of the menu than a conventional two-course meal would. For groups, the communal nature of the format is built in, and the table quickly fills with conversation as the steamers arrive.

Golden Monkey Ubud is particularly well-suited for family dining. The menu includes mild, approachable dishes that younger diners tend to love, and the team is experienced in accommodating tables with mixed ages and preferences. The Golden Monkey Sanur location, situated in the Icon Bali Mall on Jalan Danau Tamblingan, extends the same approach to the coast, where a more relaxed beachside energy shapes the atmosphere.

Beyond Dim Sum at Golden Monkey

While dim sum is a highlight of the Golden Monkey experience, the menu extends well beyond the steamer basket. The Cantonese BBQ section features Peking Duck, Roasted Duck, Char Siew Chicken, and Crispy Pork Belly, all prepared using traditional methods that require patience and technique. For diners who want to build a full Chinese-food Bali experience around dim sum, ordering a BBQ combination plate alongside the dim sum selection is one of the best ways to eat at Golden Monkey.

The Sanur location also offers a Chinese hotpot Bali experience exclusive to that branch. Diners can choose from soup bases including Chicken and Pork Collagen, Spicy Mala, and Tom Yum, then build their hotpot with ingredients ranging from fresh vegetables and handmade dumplings to Kiwami Wagyu Striploin and Slipper Lobster. It is a different dining experience from dim sum but one that shares the same values: food designed to be shared, enjoyed slowly, and remembered.

How to Eat Dim Sum the Right Way

For first-time dim sum diners at a Chinese restaurant in Bali, a few simple habits will make the experience far more enjoyable.

Order a mix of steamed and fried dishes early, since the contrast in texture is part of what makes dim sum so satisfying. Start with the lighter steamed items like Har Gow and Crystal Dumplings, then bring in the more substantial dishes like Chicken Sticky Rice and BBQ Buns as the meal progresses.

Do not wait for everyone to be served before starting. Dim sum is designed to be eaten as it arrives, while it is still hot from the steamer. Letting a basket of Xiao Long Bao cool on the table is one of the few genuine mistakes you can make at a dim sum meal.

Order gradually rather than placing everything at once. This is how dim sum is meant to be experienced, as a meal that unfolds over time rather than arriving in one large spread. The kitchen at Golden Monkey is set up to handle rolling orders, and the team is happy to guide first-time diners through the menu if needed.

Visiting Golden Monkey Bali

Golden Monkey Ubud is located on Jalan Dewi Sita in the heart of Ubud and is open daily from 12:00 PM to 10:30 PM, with last orders at 10:00 PM. Golden Monkey Sanur is located on the ground floor of Icon Bali Mall on Jalan Danau Tamblingan and is open daily from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM, with last orders at 9:30 PM.

Reservations are recommended for dinner and during peak season. Both locations can be reserved through the Golden Monkey Bali website.

For anyone looking for the best dim sum in Bali, the authentic Chinese restaurant Bali that takes both the food and the culture seriously, Golden Monkey is the answer. Pull up a chair, order a round of steamers, and let the meal take its time.