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Liverpool’s Blind Tiger – A Speakeasy-Style, Basement Dim Sum Joint

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by Andrew Morrison | Vancouver has more than its fair share of dim sum restaurants. We could always use more, of course, and this would be especially true if they bring something new to the mix. Since there is little in the way of a consistent “dim sum aesthetic”, it would be most interesting to see newcomers spend some time interpreting and incorporating the milieu’s design tropes more distinctly.

That isn’t to say that the majority of our dim sum restaurants are boring from a decor perspective, but with looks that generally range from the unassuming and starkly bland to the oppressively fluorescent and tacky, they aren’t pretty as a rule. I mention this because food that is as delicious, addictive, and social as dim sum would shine just as brightly if it was enjoyed in a more considered, comfortable environment — and late at night as opposed to morning and midday.

We’ve seen hints of the possibilities over the years at places such as Wild Rice, Bao Bei, Bambudda and, most recently, Sai Woo. Each has flirted with dim sum in its own way and come up with an entirely individual look for itself. Such variety is never a bad thing, and if the results have been hugely uneven in terms of fealty to Cantonese tradition, that’s kind of the idea. Departures from the norm, it should be remembered, aren’t always backwards deviations. Sometimes they move the ball forward.

This modern “departure” trend has seen plenty of traction overseas as well. The most recent example – as seen in the images above and below – is Liverpool’s new Blind Tiger, a contemporary dim sum joint located in a brick-walled industrial basement that used to house a Kung Fu dojo. It’s broken up into several sections – reception hall, recessed alcoves, lounge area, dining room, outdoor courtyard – each one being distinct from the other.

Blind Tiger self-identifies as a “speakeasy-style” room, which in the modern parlance typically translates as dark and cocktail-forward with a price premium paid for the up-front suggestions of quality and cool. The menu is a pan-Asian smorg of “re-imagined” fancies, everything from karaage to pad thai. So what it doesn’t do – and we wish someone in Vancouver would – is mix its investment in design and cocktails with traditional dim sum service, complete with carts and cashier. Now wouldn’t that be something?

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Images © Andy Haslam (via)

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