Don’t feel rejected if they direct you to a seat in an otherwise empty quadrant of this Chinatown staple: the trolleys will not skip you (and if you have a baby in tow, they will flock so that you are rich in steamed treats).
This is a quieter spot for mid-week yum cha, and they’re not in the business of hurrying you off, which is why one gentleman is doing the crossword while happily scarfing down little open-top parcels of prawn and sweet corn. They do a killer sesame prawn roll, where big, sweet chunks of crustacean are rolled up like a cigar in crisp pastry adorned with crunchy sesame seeds, and the Chinese broccoli and cheung fun carts remain stationary by the front door, blanching your greens to order and frying up fresh rice noodles on the hot plate with an audible sizzle that’s very hard to resist.
Duck pancakes are not holding back on the filling – a full palm-sized swatch of dark, juicy meat wearing a shield of bronze, crunchy skin. And the trolley ladies aren’t above spruiking their wares from a table away if they see you eyeing them off. It’s worth locking down a mango pudding when the cart comes past – this is a spacious dining room and it may be a while before its orbit brings dessert within your reach once again.