With already a handful of Yum Cha places down Gouger Street, competition is already tough for this Asian tapas. A new player has come on to the scene in the form of Dragon Court Seafood. There is a decent selection of classic Yum Cha dishes available during the day, while for both lunch and dinner, normal seafood dishes are available.

The decor does look like a typical Chinese restaurant with white table cloths, red cushioned seating and the odd ornament hanging off the wall. The dining space is open plan and I’m guessing you could seat just under a 100 people.

For lunch, we ordered a selection of Yum Cha dishes. First up were the Fried Squid Tentacles. These were actually quite good. The squid was lightly fried and cooked to perfection. It was well seasoned and there was no oily residue.

The XO Seafood Dumplings were a dish I’ve never had before and when they arrived I thought were quite pretty. The pastry skin was firm and delicate, and the filling was juicy and flavoursome.

The Savoury Pork Dumplings were the least of my favourite out of all the dishes. The dumplings were pan fried on one side till the skin was crunchy. The fill was unusually soft and in the form of a paste. It was hard to tell what was actually in it.

The Shredded Roast Duck Dumpling was another dish I was trying for the first time. Inside the firm and delicate translucent dumpling were tender and juicy morsels of duck. There was a bit of sweetness about this dish which I didn’t mind.

The classic Dim Sim was executed better than most places. The filling was well seasoned and contained nice thick chunks of meat. Presentation could have been better though.

The Stuff Tofu with Black Bean Sauce was the vegetarian option for the day. Inside the thin layer of tofu was a filling that was soft and moist. The highlight was the sauce that it was swimming in. The flavours from the sauce were well infused into the tofu.

For dessert, we had the Custard Tart. I’ve had some fairly bad Chinese Custard Tarts in my time, but this was exceptional. It came to our table freshly baked and piping hot. The pastry was nice and flaky, and the custard had a subtle sweetness.

The staff were friendly and the service was fast and efficient. The atmosphere was relaxed and the pricing was reasonable. Between the two of us, the total cost of 7 dishes was $38, which is cheaper than my typical Yum Cha visit. Out off all the dishes, there was only one that I didn’t particularly like.

Having been to every Yum Cha place in the CBD, I’d say this place is above average.

WHERE: 81-83 Gouger St, Adelaide