Lin Heung Tea House: Dim sum elder

Lin Heung Tea House has been around since 1928 and is the granddaddy of Hong Kong's dim sum joints. Cramped quarters, impossibly long queues and intimidating waiters greet people at the entrance, but when diners are finally seated and take a few bites of dim sum, they find themselves suddenly transported by the flavors and aromas of a bygone era.

Lin Heung Tea House's decades-old dim sum recipes result in the most authentic, traditional Cantonese flavors. Dim sum service is between 6am and 3.30pm each day when an endless stream of diners flow through Lin Heung's dining hall, clamoring for Chinese sausage rolls with a hint of rosewater and "siu maai" (pork dumplings) made with liver.

Dinner starts at around 6pm which is a completely different story. Traditional Hong Kong-style dishes verging on extinction are given star treatment here: Lin Heung Tea House's signature eight treasure duck is a sumptuous, show-stopping braised duck stuffed with more nuts and seeds than you could ever identify.