Best Dim Sum in Vancouver or Richmond?

[Buddha_Belly]

Please help me...I will be taking my in laws to be for Dim Sum...they are from HK and I need to impress them. Looking for quality and authenticity and uniqueness. Thank You!!!

Edited August 9, 2003 by Buddha_Belly (log)

[Hest88]

My (Chinese) parents were taken to Kirin on Cambie twice by my uncle when we were in Vancouver. They reported it was very good, high-end dim sum.

[malachi]

I ate at Kirin just the other day. Very nice. Probably my favorite in town.

[mb7o]

Which Kirin? Mandarin (downtown, on Alberini), or one of the seafood ones (Cambie, or Richmond or Coquitlam)?

How do the four compare to eachother?

Edited August 11, 2003 by mb7o (log)

[jschyun]

I went to Sun Sui Wah in Richmond. Pretty good. For dim sum, the action seems to be in Richmond.

[westside yuppie]

I would generally agree that the dim sum action is in Richmond these days, though I am very fond of the Sun Sui Wah on Main & 23rd for dim sum which is closer to Kits where we live.

I think I have tried all of the various Kirins (though not all for dim sum) and didn't notice any differences in quality. They are consistently excellent.

The Imperial in the Marine Building at the foot of Burrard used to do a great dim sum with lots of seafood. I haven't been for a while, has anyone tried it recently?

Also, the Royal Victoria(??) in the Royal Center next to the Hyatt seems to do a roaring trade for dim sum with the HK crowd.

[tokyogurumegal]

I have frequented 3 Kirin Restaurants, Mandarin in downtown, Richmond and Cambie. I personally think Richmond draws the most HK crowd and it still has that buzz (even after 6 years since its opening). I agree with Westside Yuppie about Richmond dim sum. More selection and more action! Sun Sui Wah in Richmond is the best for food quality.

I went to Shiang Garden Seafood (4540 NO 3 Rd, Richmond, 604-273-8858) a few months ago and was quite impressed. Very HK decor, good service for a dim sum place and very clean. They had the traditional dishes as well unorthdox dumplings with lobster or even pickled ginger (gari).

My current obsession is congee. Any recommendations?

[Jensen]

My current obsession is congee. Any recommendations?

Lakeview Restaurant in Burnaby (on 6th Street, i think, just up from 10th Ave...well, it would be 6th St. in new west. it might change names as it crosses 10th Ave)

their pork liver congee was always my favourite. i moved to california five years ago and i still dream about their congee.

[chocomoo]

I'm glad no-one mentioned Pink Pearl Why does it always seem to be Vancouverite food critics' favourite? To be fair, I haven't been there in ages, but the last time I went, I was there for a wedding banquet & the food was quite average.

I recently went to the recently opened restaurant that used to be President (is that what it was called? the one next to radisson hotel). It was quite good, & they have some unusual dishes (although they're not unusual enough for me to remember what they were). The shrimp balls ("ha gow") there are VERY good--chewy, thin wrap (skin? i'm not sure what it's called in english ), & nice texture to the large pieces of shrimp (not mushy). I don't remember seeing Caucasian people there. It's full of Chinese people.

I really like Kirin Mandarin. My family always likes to take people there when we want to treat them to something more upscale. Their dim sum is quite good, and their non-dim sum dishes are also quite good. The "dam-dam" noodles are one of my favourites (and I normally don't even like spicy things!). They also feature sesame paste buns on their menu sometimes--they're one of the few restaurants that still make those, and they make them quite well too--thin wrap/skin, good amount of filling (which is nice & soft and contains a little piece of egg yolk).

I also go to Golden Ocean (which used to be Miramar quite a few years back) on 41st quite a bit, because it's in the neighborhood. They change their menu every few weeks, so the variety is pretty good. They used to have these "porcupine" buns, which were basically custard buns that were deep-fried, with little triangles cut into the "backs" before deep-frying & after deep-frying turned into crispy bits sticking up (hence the "porcupine" look) & 2 little black sesames for the eyes. Too bad they changed their menu...

[Ling]

My current obsession is congee. Any recommendations?

My favorite congee is from Viva City (pink sign...in a corner of the complex) on No. 3 Rd. and Cambie Rd. in Richmond. The preserved duck egg, dried oyster, and salted pork congee (their speciality) is DELICIOUS! And I don't normally like congee! :)

[chocomoo]

My favorite congee is from Viva City (pink sign...in a corner of the complex) on No. 3 Rd. and Cambie Rd. in Richmond. The preserved duck egg, dried oyster, and salted pork congee (their speciality) is DELICIOUS! And I don't normally like congee! :)

I love that place too!! And we always get exactly the same congee when we go! The pork in the congee is quite good--salted, but not too salty, not fatty, & no ligament attached. And the consistency of the congee is thick, not too watery. The dried oyster adds a really nice flavour to the congee as well.

The curry beef brisket chow mein is also really good--I've never seen it in other Chinese restaurants, and I really like it. I don't like spicy food (my tongue can't take the torture), and this dish is very mild, with nice chunks of potato and big chunks of beef brisket.

Edited September 30, 2003 by chocomoo (log)