Ottawa's Best: Dim Sum?

[CharityCase]

I think I've had just about all the Yangtze I can handle, Jadeland was an absolute bust and the place upstairs across from Yangtze is great.

But where in this town is the best menu-ordering dim sum j oint? Is it in Vietnam/Chinatown or elsewhere? I could really use some help on this one.

[cwyc]

I'm not convinced that there is a best one around. They are all about the same to me, but every once in a while I will get stuck on one and keep going till I get sick of it. The place across from Yangtze, you mentioned, is called Chu Sing. As far as I am concerned, they are a real greasy spoon. But they deliver the most volume and so it beats Yangtze where you have to wait and wait till they push out a few meagre carts.

I would suggest going to Great Wall, which is located in the red brick building adjacent Yangtze. They do the cart thing as well, but when it gets past the peak hours, they offer the menu-ordering dim sum option.

The other alternative is go to to Mandarin Ogilvie located in the east end. I don't believe they have the menu thing for dim sum, but they have a few interesting south-east asian items not found in Chinatown.

And there is also the northern Chinese restaurant, May's further down Somerset (past Chinatown), which has menu-order dim sum. Not a traditional dim sum place as it is specializes in northern Chinese cuisine (dim sum is cantonese-based), but they have some good items there too.

Edited September 15, 2006 by cwyc (log)

[WYF]

I'd have to agree with cwyc that Great Wall in Chinatown does pretty good dim sum, probably one of the better establishments in town. Mandarin Ogilvie might still have menu-ordering dimsum at off-hours, although it's been a number of years since I've eaten there.

You can order some dim sum items off the menu at Cafe Orient. It's on Somerset, near that Crazy Fashion store. Cafe Orient's congee is also excellent.

There is another place to order some dim sum from the menu, but I only know it by its chinese name It's near Jadeland, Shanghai and Mekong. I believe it's next to a little computer shop. Try their steamed taro or daikon/turnip cake, I like it more than the seared version.

For dim sum in general, I recently started going to Tianrun Beijing Restaurant on Bank st. I'd say is probably one of the best dim sum restaurants in Ottawa right now. They are slightly pricier than Chinatown I believe, at $2.79 for a small up to $3.49 for a large item, although its well worth it. I'm not sure if they do menu ordering for dim sum but their cart service is very quick. I've never had a problem asking for something that I want and getting it soon after.

There are some standouts on their menu that I've sampled. Their pork shiu mai is meaty, with visible chunks of pork and shrimp without an overabundance of pork fat that plagues many of the dim sum restos in Ottawa. Also try their chiu chow dumplings. While their wrapping is a tad thick for my taste, they have a delightfully chewy texture and are filled with a moist filling of pork and peanuts. So far I've only seen these dumplings at Great Wall and Tianrun. Their squid and baby octopus are also perfectly cooked, tender and flavourful without being overly chewy. I would also venture to say that have probably the best rice rolls (cheung fun) that I've had in quite some time. They can be best described as soft and silky unlike any I've tasted in Ottawa. Also different is if you order plain rice rolls, they have green onions in them whereas other places might also include dried shrimp. Finally, their egg tarts which have a wonderfully flaky crust, and a not overly sweet custard.

[CharityCase]

Great Wall was good, better than most and a more relaxing environment than the feedmill that is Yangxe. I passed the Beijing Tianrun restaurant you mentioned and I'll give it a try and report back.

[AshleyW]

You may want to try Fortune Express's dim-sum in Kanata. But their dim-sum is only available on the weekend from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Typical dim-sum selection. But their price may be a bit expensive (but should be cheaper than Mandarin Ogilvie Restaurant).

Recommended dim-sum dishes are: Baked BBQ pork puff, deep fried pork dumpling, spring roll, stuffed bean curd, har gow, steamed rice noodle roll

Dim-sum dishes that I don't recommended there: stir fried turnip patties, sticky rice.

I posted some dim-sum pictures at another website (I am told not to post the website name here).

Table for 4 after tip is around $54.

Edited October 29, 2006 by AshleyW (log)

[CharityCase]

You may want to try Fortune Express's dim-sum in Kanata. But their dim-sum is only available on the weekend from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Typical dim-sum selection. But their price may be a bit expensive (but should be cheaper than Mandarin Ogilvie Restaurant).

Recommended dim-sum dishes are: Baked BBQ pork puff, deep fried pork dumpling, spring roll, stuffed bean curd, har gow, steamed rice noodle roll

Dim-sum dishes that I don't recommended there: stir fried turnip patties, sticky rice.

I posted some dim-sum pictures at another website (I am told not to post the website name here).

Table for 4 after tip is around $54.

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That's expensive for Dim Sum and those dishes are quite standard. Are you sure it's worthwhile?

Beijing Tianrun was markedly better than other places...food quality was a touch higher and service was fast and friendly. like most joints you need to get a seat in the "arena" in order to get things while they're still hot.

[AshleyW]

Yes. I do feel that is was a bit expensive. But you compare the price against Mandarin Ogilvie Restaurant in the east end, the price is better.

I tried Beijing Tianrun and was my recommendation as well. But Fortune Express is closer to home and the dim-sum wasn't that bad. You can go to OttawaFoodies.com to check the food pictures I took.