While studying abroad in London, Liz Kincaid wandered into a random restaurant and encountered dim sum — the ancient art of pairing mouth-watering bites with tea first developed by travelers of the Silk Road. As someone on a journey herself, the food resonated with Kincaid so much that she returned a month later to take a job there.
The hospitality she felt serving buns and dumplings so stuck with her that after more than a dozen years of pondering opening her own Chinese-inspired restaurant in Richmond, she finally did so with the cheekily named And Dim Sum.
“In a way, I just wanted to recreate this restaurant I worked at in England because I wanted to eat there again and I couldn’t find that here,” says Kincaid.
As the CEO of RVA Hospitality — a small restaurant group comprising Tarrant’s Cafe, Tarrant’s West and Bar Solita – Kincaid consistently told her colleagues for years about her dream of running a dim sum spot downtown. It wasn’t until Max’s on Broad, another one of Kincaid’s establishments, began to falter that she realized its 150-seat space right by the Maggie Walker statue would be an ideal venue to make her dumpling debut.
“People like to explore, to eat small plates and to try new flavors, especially after three years of the pandemic and not being able to travel,” she says. “At And Dim Sum, our concept is the opposite of being the gatekeeper, it’s being the tour guide.”
All of Kincaid’s team is trained to meet diners where they are, whether it is their first dim sum experience or they have been consuming chicken feet for years. The playful interior with sconces that look like cheung fun (a rice noodle roll), stools that resemble shumai (steamed dumplings), and plates that appear similar to dumplings is designed to invoke the fun, family-friendly atmosphere that makes dim sum restaurants such a bustling, welcoming place. The abundant hot pink reinforces the space’s rock ’n’ roll attitude to honoring a Chinese staple.
Although pork belly bao buns and the velvet beef chow mein may be And Dim Sum’s top two best sellers, the soup dumplings are likely the dish that the fewest Richmonders will find familiar. Filled with pork and gelatin to help hold their shape, the interior of these dumplings turns to stock when steamed, allowing diners to poke or bite a hole in the top and slurp the soup out. Kincaid strongly advises patrons to avoid popping the whole dumpling in their mouths and missing out on all the fun.
Beyond the kimchi bacon spring rolls, another playful favorite is And Dim Sum’s hot numbing fried calamari. The mala spice made from Sichuan peppercorns and chilis gives you a tingling sensation with every bite. Order a crisp glass of Riesling or the house signature mala mojito made with Plantation 3 Star rum, peppermint ginger tisane, lime, and yuzu puree to double down on the fun mouthfeel.
Since the restaurant only opened in November, its offerings continue to evolve and grow, especially on Test Kitchen Tuesdays, where from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. customers can sample different dishes Kincaid and her team are contemplating adding to the menu.
“We thought our biggest hurdle opening a dim sum spot would be explaining to people what dim sum is, but we have had the exact opposite [response],” explains Kincaid. “We have such sophisticated customers.”
The immediate success of a downtown dim sum restaurant may not have been possible without the contributions of Full Kee, a Chinese restaurant in Henrico’s Asian enclave on Horsepen Road. As a huge fan of their Sunday dim sum service, Kincaid hopes that And Dim Sum and its more modern menu will only grow Richmonders’ love of this genre of dining.
“Tradition and classic have a place, and that is Full Kee,” Kincaid says. “We don’t want to compete. We want to say dim sum is amazing, so if you like what you’ve had here, then go check out Full Kee because they do something different but equally amazing.”
And Dim Sum is located at 305 Brook Rd. and open most days 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Visit the website for more information.
