Finding dim sum in the Baltimore area is difficult. So when I received an email from Baltimore Banner reader Henry Wong recommending what he says is the “best dim sum spot in town,” I took the 25 minute drive to Ellicott City to try it out.

As part of The Baltimore Banner series Ask Charm City Table, I am visiting restaurants in Baltimore and surrounding counties suggested by readers and offering my own tips and recommendations.

Here is what I thought about Asian Court in Ellicott City.

The restaurant, located in a busy shopping center, offers Cantonese food and Hong Kong-style dim sum daily for lunch and the rolling cart dim sum experience on weekends and holidays.

For those unfamiliar with dim sum, it is a traditional Chinese “brunch,” offering tea and a wide range of small plates, including dumplings, noodles, meats, seafood, vegetables and more. Carts with the various dishes inside of bamboo or metal steamers are rolled around the room by restaurant staff, and guests choose the items they want to share with family and friends at the table.

I arrived on a Saturday morning shortly after Asian Court opened, as Wong advised me to get there early to enjoy the full list of menu offerings. The restaurant makes their food fresh each day and once a menu item sells out, it is no longer available — so first come, first served.

Asian Court is spacious, with painted red walls and a mix of Chinese sculptures and paintings and American beer ads and posters. Red, white and yellow lanterns hang from the ceilings above the stretch of brown high-top tables and booths. In the far left corner is a full bar, complete with a cocktail menu to explore.

Once seated, our table was given a menu card with a checklist for the servers to keep tabs on what we ordered. We started with tea and then began waving down the staff pushing the metal dim sum carts to begin trying the dishes. It is important to keep in mind that enjoying dim sum requires a certain etiquette.

The dim sum carts are moving quickly, and “flagging down” the staff (waving your hand and calling the servers over to you) to look over or ask for your food is necessary and encouraged. While guests choose the food they want to eat and share with their party, requesting ingredient substitutes for personal preferences or diet is not an option for this dining experience.

Our table started off with Wong’s recommendations and popular dim sum staples, including shumai, BBQ pork buns, rice noodle rolls and shrimp dumplings.

Shumai, a pork and shrimp dumpling, was among my personal favorite menu items, with its chewy texture, umami and subtly sweet flavor profile. The steamed pork, shrimp, vegetables and spices wrapped in a thin, cup-shaped wrapper were delicious.

The BBQ pork buns were delightful, too. The white, fluffy steamed buns were stuffed with sticky and sweet BBQ shredded pork. The pillowy texture of the bun was immediately followed up by the warm and sweet pork filling.

I also tasted Har-Cheung, or rice noodle rolls with steamed shrimp topped with soy sauce. We also tasted the beef version of these rice noodle rolls. The rice noodle provided a wonderfully chewy texture with a neutral flavor and the filling and sauce brought a bold salty, sweet taste. The shrimp dumplings, chunks of seasoned shrimp in pleated, translucent wrappers, were a crowd favorite and sold out quickly.

Also per Wong’s list of dim sum suggestions, I tasted the deep fried, meat-stuffed crescent dumplings, dry beef chow fun (noodles), and an egg tart — a custard-filled sweet mini pastry — to name a few. By the end of the meal, I had tasted over 20 of the Cantonese dishes and left full and truly satisfied with the flavors and assortment of dishes.

Wong considers Asian Court’s dim sum to be the “best cheap eats in town with an abundance of variety.” The cost of the small plates ranged from $2.95 to $4.75, making it one of the more affordable and delicious weekend brunches I have eaten in a long time.

I would love to know your favorite restaurants and share my own dining suggestions in the Baltimore area. Email simone.phillips@thebaltimorebanner.com with recommendations and questions.

Simone Phillips is the founder of the food blog Charm City Table and a creative in residence for The Baltimore Banner.