Point Dume Chinese gets high points for family friendly no-frills fare
By Kim Devore / Staff Writer
When it comes to keeping your doors open and your customers happy, Malibu isn’t the easiest place to have a small business. Shops open and then disappear, and eateries come and go.
Add up the longtime restaurateurs and you’ve got a pretty short list. There’s Tony’s and there’s Guido’s, Geoffrey’s and the Reel Inn. But there’s another establishment that’s been around for more than 20 years.
When locals have a yen for Szechwan style shredded pork or hunger for beef with bamboo shoots and black mushrooms, they head to Point Dume Chinese.
You won’t find anything terribly fancy here, no minimalist, artfully decorated plates with microscopic rations. At the Point, they’ve got portions aplenty.
It’s been a longtime fave for everyone from horse trainers to soccer moms to celebrities. Owner Wai Chun Tam has had some big names stop by, including Barbra Streisand and Mel Gibson. Tam made his way to Malibu after learning the fine art of Chinese cooking in his native Hong Kong. What makes Point Dume Chinese so popular?
“It’s a good family place,” he says. “You get a lot for your money and it’s a big menu.”
The menu is deliciously old school. From the Peking duck to three flavor sizzling rice soup, sweet and sour chicken to Moo Shu veggies, there are more than 139 plates or takeout containers to choose from. Some of his most requested dishes include the Kung Pao chicken, curry shrimp and Mongolian beef.
You can start off with a delicate bird nest soup, share a few main courses and finish it all off with sweet Asian treats including chilled lichee, fried banana, fried apple or green tea ice cream.
Best of all, everything is available for pickup on those nights where you can’t be bothered to cook or clean. So if you are due for a little something easy and exotic, head over to the Point and find out why it’s tops in take-out.
Point Dume Chinese Restaurant
29169 W. Heathercliff Rd.
Malibu 457.7104