Best Dim Sum in Vancouver?

[Spesh]

I'll be in the downtown Vancouver area for a few hours at some point this week. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good dim sum restaurant around there. I'm looking for the kind of restaurant with carts and not an a la carte menu.

I'd really appreciate some suggestions.

[SBonner]

My wife and I frequent Imperial Seafood restaurant in the Marine Building on Burrard street. It has great dim sum and multi-lingual staff. Service is what you would expect in 3-5 star restaurant.

Stephen Bonner

[annanstee]

Definitely the Imperial. Beautiful Food, Beautiful View. Mmm. I will have to make a pilgrimage soon. ..

[snacky_cat]

We often hit the Floata, in the giant complex at Keefer and something (Columbia?) in Chinatown. It can seat 1000, so bring your friends.

It's carts, with menus (pictorial! Phew) available if the carts aren't rolling with what you want. Cheap, cheerful, and you get to wander around Chinatown to work off all those bao afterwards

Oh - free parking too when you park in the garage attached to the complex. Bring your ticket in and they'll stamp it when you pay your bill.

[Vancouver]

I agree. For downtown Imperial is my favourite.

Ask for a window table!

Cheers!

[Paul B]

I agree on the Floata. I take the family there once a month and brought my parents there when they visited from Toronto. They loved it. If you befriend the servers they'll ply you with some of the more offbeat dishes. They have, for example, eel, something I haven't seen at any other dim sum place. The lobster dumplings that the guys in suits bring around are unusual and nice. And the free parking is great. Drive to the top of the parkade and you can walk right into the restaurant.

On the North Shore, there's a Chinese restaurant in the Westview Mall (just off the upper levels). Used to be terrible but some friends took us there for dim sum a week or so ago and it was very good. New management. No carts -- you have to order from a menu -- but very fresh and hot.

When we lived in East Van we used to go to the Flamingo on Fraser south of Kingsway. Not the greatest dim sum by any means, but its might be the cheapest and the servers are incredibly friendly. They watched my boys grow up and used to rush over to our table to talk to them. I feel kinda guilty I haven't been there in a while...

[HKDave]

I'm still a big fan of the Pink Pearl. Not exactly downtown, just a few minutes drive down Hastings. Cheaper and less classy than the Imperial, but I like their food better. Plus they serve dim sum from 9am (vs 11am at Imperial, and I think 10am at Floata), so you can have it for breakfast.

One of their nor mai gai (sticky rice in lotus leaf), maybe some fried squid, and a pot of po leh tea, and I'm ready to face the day. The breakfast of champions.

[canucklehead]

Not to be picky - but there is a big disparity in quality once you go with the carts (vs. a la carte). I went to Imperial last week and the food had a slightly overcooked quality. I prefer Kirin on Cambie (or downtown) - where things are a la carte.

That being said - Imperial definitely had their customer service on. Everybody spoke english to me and were really friendly and very good about introducing us to new items.

I've noticed this trend in alot of Chinese reastaurant - where service is generally reserved even when you can speak the language. It is a bit of a social test in Chinese circles to see how well you can order and how wordly you are. I am glad that at least some Chinese restaurants are reaching out to a new audience.

[Vancouver]

Perhaps we should expand this thread out to include some of the places outside of downtown?

What are the current thoughts on Kirin, Sun Sui Wah, South Ocean, and others?

Any other Richmond gems hidden away?

Cheers!

[snacky_cat]

Our family's weekly Chinese dinner out (a bunch of Ukranian/French people with a weekly Chinese night. How Vancouver! ) has been rescheduled to a dim-sum lunch today. Since we usually tend to stick to the Floata and the Sun Sui Wah, I asked a co-worker for a recommendation and she came up with one that's not in this thread so far...

Grand King Seafood, on West Broadway in the Holiday Inn/Tojo's zone. She had nothing but good things to say about it (ranked it just behind Kirin), and Googling dredged up tons of glowing reviews.

I'm going to try to herd the group in that direction today so we can expand our horizons. Will report back with reconaissance data if successful.

[Yummy]

Kirin in downtown Vancouver (on Alberni between Thurlow and Bute) made lots of EXCELLENT dimsum stuff.

Although there are no "authentic" dimsum cart being pushed around, I say this place made the BEST sticky rice. The rice is tender, melt in your mouth, glistening with lots of good stuff and perfectly proportioned (more meats than rice)

Also try the "Tan-Tan" noodle, thin hand made egg noodle in meat & peanut sauce.

YUMMY...

[sanrensho]

Grand King Seafood, on West Broadway in the Holiday Inn/Tojo's zone. She had nothing but good things to say about it (ranked it just behind Kirin), and Googling dredged up tons of glowing reviews.

If you're talking about the dim sum restaurant next to the Holiday Inn (on the corner), I would second that recommendation.

[Sonja]

Of all the places I've tried so far I prefer the Dim Sum at Chong Qing on Commercial and 12th. The don't do carts, but their a la carte choices are always fresh and tasty. Theit Won Ton in spicy peanut sauce is devine.

[BCinBC]

(Note: this post could also go into the Restaurants in South Vancouver thread)

N and I decided to go for dim sum on Saturday, to one of our regular places - the Granville Chinese Seafood Restaurant on Granville (it's true) and 67th. We were last there maybe 2? months ago. Well, the place seems to have gone through a very recent and quiet change of ownership, as the name and staff are all new.

The place is now called the Red Star, and off first impressions it is even better. Being a table for 2 at dim sum we inevitably over-ordered, but of the har gow (shrimp dumplings), beef balls, sticky rice in lotus leaves, rice flour rolls with shrimp, pan fried rice rolls with soy, and the chicken and bitter melon dumplings, I'd give the prize to the sticky rice. This version had dried scallop inside, and it was pretty close to perfect. In fact it was all really good, except possibly for the chicken and bitter melon dumplings (too bitter for us!).

Re: over-ordering. In our defence, we didn't originally order the pan fried rice rolls, but when someone walked by with a few plates... (insert Homer drooling noise) Then the table next to us ordered 1/2 a duck, and it looked awesome. I think the menu said it was $12, or $16 for a whole? I forget, but it sure did look tasty. Alas, we had way too much food already.

The service was also really attentive and worth a mention - it is rare that you see side dishes changed out at dim sum (of course this is a usual practice for Chinese banquets, as your dish fills with shells or bones etc.)

Also note that the order card is in Chinese, but there is a corresponding menu that you can match up English to Chinese. Hint: the items are listed in the same order.

It's a little pricier than the little hole in the wall places on Main or even most places in Richmond - our lunch was $32 pre-tip - but it was a very enjoyable experience and really worth it $ for $ against any other lunch. Now whether the new name is a nod to the mother flag, or to some sort of Chinese Micheline system...

Edited to add: you can get the black sesame dessert a la carte here. It may be more of a "pudding" rather than a "soup", but essentially it should be the same.

Edited May 9, 2005 by BCinBC (log)

[annanstee]

Sadly, Grand King is no more. There is another Chinese place in there, but I haven't tried it yet. I think it is Dun Suan or something similar.

Edited May 9, 2005 by annanstee (log)

[BCinBC]

I just learned at lunch today (dim sum in Fortune Whatchamacallit in Oakridge) that Red Star mentioned ^above^ is actually a reincarnated place from Richmond. Apparently they were looking for a new location, closed, 6-7 months passed, then they resurfaced on Granville. Word on the street was that the old place was pretty good too.

BTW dim sum at Fortune ___ today was only okay, not as good as the last couple times we've been. Odd that a non-crazy weekday would be inferior to a crazy-busy weekend. :shrug:

[sanrensho]

Sadly, Grand King is no more. There is another Chinese place in there, but I haven't tried it yet. I think it is Dun Suan or something similar.

←

Thanks for the heads up. Sorry to hear they are gone.

[makanmakan]

i'm dragging this thread out of the depths becuase i had a thought today. my friend and i went for dim sum today at garden city hot pot in richmond (my first time) and it was great! no cart, but the a la carte menu is good albeit short.

so i got thinking, the traditional days for dim sum pig out are saturdays and sundays. any other thoughts for weekday dim sum haunts?

my favourite places are pink pearl, imperial, and sun sui wah on main street.

[chocomoo]

Sadly, Grand King is no more. There is another Chinese place in there, but I haven't tried it yet. I think it is Dun Suan or something similar.

←

Thanks for the heads up. Sorry to hear they are gone.

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The new place is actually pretty good, I've been a few times. I haven't been lately (there are just too many dim sum places to choose from!), so I can't really remember what was good.

[fud]

Of all the places I've tried so far I prefer the Dim Sum at Chong Qing on Commercial and 12th. The don't do carts, but their a la carte choices are always fresh and tasty. Theit Won Ton in spicy peanut sauce is devine.

←

They have really good chinese donut wrapped in rice flour (Ja Leung) AND they are really good value, but I wouldn't say they have the best dim sum (price no object).

I really like Kirin for high quality dim sum tho. You pay more but you get really good food.

For total budget madness, Luk Fuk in richmond off Leslie (#3 rd and Leslie) is ridiculously cheap and their Egg tarts (Dan tat) are freshly made when you order (takes 15 minutes or something but they com HOT and mouth watering good). I think last time I went with Sandy and 2 other friends our bill came to $17 (for four people!!)

[Mooshmouse]

For total budget madness, Luk Fuk in richmond off Leslie (#3 rd and Leslie) is ridiculously cheap and their Egg tarts (Dan tat) are freshly made when you order (takes 15 minutes or something but they com HOT and mouth watering good).  I think last time I went with Sandy and 2 other friends our bill came to $17 (for four people!!)

←

I defy you to say, "Luk Fuk is ridiculously cheap!" three times quickly in a group of unsuspecting people and not have every one of them think you're a lunatic.

Szechuan Chongqing is in the neighbourhood but, oddly enough, I've never even remotely considered it for dim sum. Shall have to rectify that soon.

[fud]

I defy you to say, "Luk Fuk is ridiculously cheap!" three times quickly in a group of unsuspecting people and not have every one of them think you're a lunatic. 

Szechuan Chongqing is in the neighbourhood but, oddly enough, I've never even remotely considered it for dim sum.  Shall have to rectify that soon.

←

Don't tempt me, i may do it in class on monday.

Wes

[LordBalthazar]

Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd bring this one up again since I just got back from dim sum at Sun Sui Wah on Main. My wife and I have tried other places, but we have yet to find one that beats the freshness and variety at this restaurant.

We arrive at a little after 1:00 and didn't have to wait long to be seated. One of the waiters promptly took our drink orders and we immediately went to it, flagging down the passing carts and making our selections. One of the dim sum offerings I always get when I visit Sun Sui Wah is the baby eel in garlic and black bean sauce. I'm also partial to their steamed pork buns and sweet port in puff pastry. My wife is a big fan of the pan-fried turnip cake and the ribs which are offered two ways - one with black bean, the other with a sweet plum sauce. There's also very good black pepper beef.

Being a fairly adventurous eater, I will try pretty much anything, having even grown fond of chicken feet over the years. So today, in the interest of broadening my culinary horizons, I tried something "new and interesting". When one of the carts parked itself beside our table, the server pointed to each offering, naming each in turn: "Beef tendon, sui mai, doc tong, tofu..." "Wait a minute,"I said, pointing, "What was that again?" "Doc tong,"she repeated. I was bewildered. It sounded like a Vietnamese dish, a first in my dim summing experience. I turned to my wife for a translation - "What's doc tong?" "Duck tongue!"she informed me, clearly enunciating the words and being kind enough not to include "- you idiot!". Oh, Duck Tongue. Sure, why not. I ordered a serving and tucked in. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sold. I was surprsied by the fact that the tiny tongues contained equally tiny bones, offering little in the way of actual meat. The accompanying sauce was a winner however. I think I'll stick to the chicken feet.

My wife ordered her favorite, the tofu fa(sic?) in which the pudding-like tofu is served in a little wooden container alongside a cup of sugar water. For my part, I went with the yellowbean bun (sweet and buttery) and the thousand layer cake (essentially, a cake made with yellowbean - do you detect a pattern here?)

All in all, a great dim sum experience. I'd highly recommend it.

[Ling]

^I like Sun Sui Wah too. My little cousins go nuts over their mango crepes. I love the dofu fa. Have you had the tripe and tendon dishes?

[LordBalthazar]

^I like Sun Sui Wah too. My little cousins go nuts over their mango crepes. I love the dofu fa. Have you had the tripe and tendon dishes?

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I've tried both the tripe and the tendon. Although I've never acquired a taste for tripe, I do like the tendon there, in large part due to the red sauce (?) that accompanies it. Any idea what kind of sauce it is? Also, what kind of sauce is served with the chicken feet (which is equally terrific)?