All Entries in the "Dim Sum" Category
Imperial Court Beijing and Szechuan Cuisine in Richmond
We went to the Imperial Court Restaurant for breakfast more than two months ago. Although we know of Imperial Court, we had never been inside simply because it looked expensive from the outside. To us, it is expensive when they have “captains” (chief waiters) in black vests, have tablecloth and expensive chairs.
It sure does look like an above average Chinese restaurant, don’t you think? Well, it does to us. Because of our limited use of the Chinese language, we are somewhat intimidated and uneasy in these kind of places.
As usual, the boys asked for water (they don’t like Chinese tea). Even then the water came in a nice looking glass. We like little touches like this.
We went to the Imperial Court only because of the ad they put up in the Richmond area papers. They had special discounts then for dim sum between 8AM to 11AM. I don’t think they have the discounts now. So don’t just go there now and say that chowtimes said they are suppose to give 25% discounts for dim sum, OK?
Back then they have a Peking Duck special for just $10.80. Anyone have any idea how much would a whole duck normally cost? The last time we had Peking Duck was … oh … 12 years ago in HK!!
The Imperial Court is located in the strip mall right across from Richmond Center on No 3 Road. Their address is #6-6360 on No 3.
This is not a push cart dim sum place. You place your order on the order form. We prefer push cart types as we can see what it is we are ordering. It is hard for us trying to figure out the English descriptions. Most of the dim sums are below $3 which is inexpensive for a place like this. Their most expensive ones are those with shrimps which even that is below $5.
For this post, I would like to get the reactions from the non-Chinese readers of chowtimes. You see, I had often brought my non-Chinese friends to dim sum but more often than not, I get a lot of reactions to the food — mostly of uncertainty over the content of it. Here goes … my impressions of non-Chinese’s impression of Dim Sum.
Siew Mai ($2.96), I find is the one that is a favourite among non-Chinese. Anything that has lots of meat (especially beef and pork) is a favourite to non-Chinese. But I sometimes got to explain what the orangey stuff is on the top!
Deep Fried Roll ($2.96) is another favourite with non-Chinese. Maybe it is because of the easy to remember name and that it is quite westernised by now. We would not have ordered this if not for Arkensen wanted this.
Steamed Shrimp Dumpling ($2.96) is also a common dim sum choice that I notice non-Chinese gobble down very fast! Normally, the Chinese would just order one serving of this but when I am with my non-Chinese friends, we ended up ordering more.
The looks of the thing above puts off a lot of my non-Chinese friends. I guess they must be thinking … now … why would anyone wrap their food with a rotten piece of leaf?!? Many of these friends, does not touch it … not even with their chopsticks.
The lotus leaf warp aside, they are great. In it is sticky rice ($4.50) … if they served it unwrapped, it looks a lot more appetizing. I also think that to non-Chinese, aside from sushi, rice are not supposed to be sticky … i.e. sticky is yucky.
But frankly, to the Chinese, it is low class sticky rice if it is not wrapped in lotus leaf. The lotus leaf actually imparts some flavour to the rice.
I get mixed reaction from Steam Rice Roll. The one above is with Shrimp ($4.50) which is acceptable to most non-Chinese because, well, they can see the shrimp in it. But I don’t think it is a favourite because it is tasteless besides the shrimp. But that is not the point … you MUST have this with the soya sauce.
I once was asked … then why they not pour the soya sauce in it before it is served. My answer? “Just because …”
The one above is also Steam Rice Roll but with Pork Liver ($2.96). It looks like beef at a glance. If I tell my friends it is beef, they will eat it but would probably have thought that the texture was kind of … different. But when I let them know it is pork liver … eeww.
The Baked B.B.Q Pork Bun ($2.96) from the Imperial Court is quite unique. They are extremely glossy and also really beautiful if you ask me. They apply a thick layer of syrup on the bun and make it very very sticky. This one you must try in Imperial Court. I always describe this as the Chinese version of burgers.
The Spicy Shrimp Dumpling ($4.50) is not the normal dim sum dish, I believe. I think they have this because of their Szechuan background. Dim Sum are from south China (HK mostly) and are somewhat bland in taste. So, having such strong spicy dim sum is a good idea. I don’t think many non-Chinese would appreciate this because of the spiciness.
The Beef Ribs with Garlic ($2.96) was quite OK. This would have been great with steam rice.
The Imperial Court have other choices too other than Dim Sum but they only serve this in late mornings. Looking at the prices, they are quite OK … just a tad more higher than other Chinese restaurants. But then this is not like any other Chinese restaurant.
They have a “Patrons” charge of $3.20 which I think is for the Chinese tea. Total bill with tips came to $40. No bad … not bad at all.
It was one of the better dim sums we had.
Neptune Sharkfin Seafood Restaurant on No 3 Road in Richmond
We had always thought that some of the worst time to go for dim sum is on a Saturday morning. Generally, Chinese breakfasts are simple affairs but if one wanted something more substantial then the only breakfast to go for is dim sum.
BTW, for those of you uninitiated to the intricacies of dim sum, I have you know that dim sums are always served in the morning. You can also get dim sums for lunch but never for dinner. I don’t know the reason why — it just is.
The Neptune Sharkfin and Seafood Restaurant is one of the known dim sum places in Richmond. You will never miss it on the No 3 Rd. It is on the Richport strip mall on Akroyd. Despite that prime location, we had only been there like once every two years.
As the name implies, it is basically a seafood restaurant serving really upscale dining options. They have $398.80 dinner for two on their menu which includes dishes like shark fin, abalone, giant prawns, bird nest and stuff. So, if you want to splurge, this is the place.
If you want to go cheap, they also have menu for six for only $128.
Neptune does not have push carts that delivers dim sum to your table. You order them and they deliver it from the kitchen. They were pretty fancy in that they have colored order forms. The English translations helped. Their specials and unique dishes are highlighted in red which makes selection easier.
For dim sum, their “happy hours” is 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM which a small selection is just $2.50 each.
Neptune is decidedly more cleaner and classier than most dim sum restaurants. I am not making this up but I swear their customers dresses better too. You know how it is in some dim sum places where the customer came without combing their hair, in shorts and looks like they just got out of bed. Well, I was looking just like that and felt immediately out of place!
The tab came just under $40 which is not too bad considering how much we ordered. We certainly will come back again someday.
The above is one of their special dishes. It is called Abalone Buddhist Delicious Dumpling which costs $3.98. It was alright … it’s just dumpling with better ingredients.
The Dried Oyster and Pork Rib Congee was good … much more better than the run of the mill congee elsewhere.
The Spare Ribs and BBQ on Rice is my favourite. It was perfectly executed … the rice was steamed just right and not soggy.
More after the jump …
Lucky Fortune Seafood Restaurant in Richmond
For a change, Polly and I decided to go for dim sum instead of cake. Actually, we had no luck that morning in search of a good cake place. First, we went to Richmond Bakery at No. 5 Rd and Cambie where we found out that the parking is only limited to one hour maximum. On top of that, when we checked out the bakery, it does not meet our appetite. Then we decided to go to Le Bon Bon but found out that it only opens at 11:00 am and it was not even 10:00 am at the time. So, we finally decided to go dim sum instead.
I remembered my neighbour had recommended Lucky Fortune Seafood Restaurant for their dim sum. So, Polly and I decided to check it out.
Lucky Fortune Seafood Restaurant is located at Union Square.
The restaurant is of medium size and the tables fill up quickly. We noticed that the prices for Chinese dishes are very reasonable too, range from $5 to $8. The Dim Sum price is only $2 for small, medium or large before 11:30 am and there after it’s $2.50. The restaurant opens at 9 am.
The only problem is that the dim sum menu is in Chinese only. Luckily, Polly can read Chinese. Ben and I will have some problem coming here ourselves.
Polly and I ordered 8 dishes to share, a bit too greedy. Here are the items which we ordered.
Steamed Black Bean Pork Ribs.
Steamed Beef Ball with Bean Curd Skin. We thought that it is a wrap when we ordered this.
Steamed Squid which is very tender.
Siu Loong Pau.
Chicken Feet or Fung Jau.
Prawn Rice Roll. The prawns are relatively large and springy.
This is special for today, Steamed Fish Head, with lots of ginger. This costs $2.50.
The fish eye ball is the only thing left as Polly and I dont eat the fish eye ball. Any one of you game for the fish eye ball?
Sticky Rice.
Instead of wrap in lotus leaf, the sticky rice is wrapped in bamboo leaves.
The bill came up to $21 including tax and tips. We were amazed at our appetite. After the meal, we decided to go for a walk to digest all the food we ate.
River Road is Polly and family’s favourite place during spring and summer for an evening walk. The river view with the north shore mountains as a backdrop is simply breath taking. One can also watch the planes take off from YVR airport.
In a glorious spring day, even the dandelions are smiling at the sun. I simply love spring except for my allergy which comes with spring.
Dim Sum 101 and Etiquettes
This is a Dim Sum 101 according to Ben. I don’t profess myself to be a dim sum expert but to those unfamiliar with dim sums, I might … I just might come across to you like an expert. :-)
The word Dim Sum is a Cantonese word and that by itself implies that dim sum is a cuisine from the southern part of China. In Cantonese, the name literally translates to “touch the heart”. I guess it came from the fact that “you select to your heart’s desire” what you want from a wide variety of choices.
Dim Sum is normally eaten at breakfast, sometimes during lunch time and almost never for dinner. The beauty about dim sums are that it comes in various kinds of small servings.
Dim Sums are either steamed or fried, but mostly steamed. They are steamed in small steamer baskets like the ones above.
The steamer baskets are stacked high one above another, sometimes as high as 10 baskets.
Table settings consists of a tea cup, a bowl, a small plate, a soup spoon and a pair of chopsticks. The one thing you can be always assured of seeing is the chinese tea. There is nothing to stop you from having a can of Coke or (heaven forbid!) coffee but it will turn up as really odd. Go with the crowd … just have chinese tea. Besides, its meant to clear your palate as you try different items.
Tell me if I am doing it correct … I had always used the bowl to hold the food and the plate to for the discards like lotus leaf and bones. Is that right or should it be the other way round?
One other thing about the tea … they are served in small tiny cups. I am not sure why the cups are small or what the practicalities of that are … but they are so small, you will empty it in three sips. So that means that in a sitting, you will have a lot of refills.
It is considered uncouth to pour your own tea. If you want to fill your cup, you must always fill the others around you first before you do yours. If you have a big table, it is OK to just fill the cups of those seated immediately next to you.
Oh, I meant to share with you that many Dim Sum restaurants uses disposable plastic tablecloths. They are practical and these days, the plastic does not look too plasticky. Higher end restaurants uses real tablecloths.
I believe it is only the Cantonese who does this. When someone pours tea for you, you don’t say “thank you” … you just have to tap the table 2 or 3 times with the index and middle fingers. You normally tap it in the area near your cup so that the pourer notices that.
When the teapot is empty, you just need flip open the lid like shown above. You don’t really need to ask the waitresses for a refill. Once the waitress sees an open lid, they will come and refill it with hot water. That is why a sign of good service in a dim sum place is how fast the tea pot is refilled after the lid is opened.
So there you go … Dim Sum 101. Consider yourself educated now. If you had never been to a dim sum place, you should go try it. Print this blog entry out and use it as your cheat sheet. :-)
Golden Dynasty Seafood Restaurant in Richmond
This restaurant had been replaced by another new restaurant, updated 18 Oct 2008
This is about the first meal we had in 2008. It is a dim sum breakfast we had with the families of Polly & Vincent and Wai Bing and KC. This dim sum breakfast is actually the continuation of our New year Eve celebration together. The previous day we went to Wai Bing’s house to usher in the new year. We had a simple and great home cooked meal, chatted till past midnight, went home to sleep and then met up again for dim sum the next morning.
Between New Year Eve and New Year Day, gosh, we must have chatted for 14 hours in all (Wai Bing, Polly, you do the math … is that right?). I did not realize we had so much to talk about. Over bottles of Guiness Stouts, We talked about normal stuff … you know, like … what you would do if you win the Super-7 (Wai Bing would buy an entire townhouse complex and give each one of us an unit, hurray!), educating the ladies on benefits of investing on a HDTV for the house, plans for next year … and other normal stuff.
Sorry … I digressed.
The Golden Dynasty Seafood Restaurant is where we went to. Although Suanne and I know of this place, we had never been in these before. It is located on a strip mall on 8360 Granville Ave in Richmond. It is where Rogers is, if you know the neighborhood.
One thing you will undoubtedly find … parking is very limited. I guess this is what happens when a certain business (this restaurant) dominates the business on this small area. Almost all the parking lots are all marked for specific businesses. If you can’t find parking right up front, drive over to the back of the strip mall. There are plenty there.
Golden Dynasty is a one of the larger and busiest dim sum restaurants in Richmond. They are big and can cater to wedding dinners too. The place was absolutely packed when we were there but we had no problem getting a table since Wai Bing had already made the reservation before hand.
I think the popularity of this place is due to its price. Their dim sums are categorized as small, medium or big but they all costs the same, $2.30. The quality is not bad too. There are specials which costs a bit more (see menu above).
I like dim sum restaurants where they cart around the dim sum to your table for selection. It’s good to be able to see what you’re ordering, especially for us who do not read Chinese. We had two or three servings of each dim sum … below.
The Steamed Prawn Rice Rolls was very smooth. Best eaten when steamy hot.
This is some kind of Deep Fried Wonton.
Suanne called this the Char Siu So. It’s a pastry with Char Siu fillings.
This is another dim sum with char siu fillings. It’s called Charn Pau (Baked Char Siu Bun) in Cantonese.
The Sin Juk Guen (Fresh Bean Curd Rolls) — love this a lot.
Everyone should try this very chewy Braised Cow Stomach.
Then we had the steamed Squid with few small To Fu Puff thrown in it. It does not look great … looked like it was yesterday’s dim sum.
We also had Wu Gok (Deep Fried Yam Dumpling) — not my favourite but Vincent loves this. He ordered 3 plates of this.
This is a Deep Fried Dumpling … oh … with red bean fillings? *shrugs*
We came across the Pineapple Bun again. Arkensen & Nanzaro loved this. Their Pineapple Bun are the mini version of those we had in Lido.
Everyone’s favourite … Siu Mai (Pork Dumpling with Fish Roe). If you have dim sum, you must have this … and don’t ask what is in it … just eat it and I am sure you will like it.
The Har Gau (Steamed Prawn Dumpling) is another very common dim sum item. I never did like Har Gau’s a lot.
The Fung Jau is translated as the Phoenix Claws. A fancy name for chicken feet or formally known as Braised Chicken Feet in Garlic and Black Bean Sauce. I get a kick watching my non-Chinese friends eat this — most would not even touch it. But seriously, this is great!
You can’t see it from the picture above. What is submerged under the congee is century eggs (or thousand year old eggs). In Cantonese, this is called the Pei Dan Sau Yok Juk or in Suanne’s translation, the Thousand Year Old Egg and Lean Pork Porridge.
The Steamed Chicken Bun is the favourites of the kids. Pretty ho-hum. Char Siu buns are better but we did come across it when they wheeled their carts over.
And finally, the Glutinous (or Sticky) Rice Wrap.
The total bill came to $80 for 3 families of 12 people (including kids). Not bad, huh?
I’ll blog about dim sum and Ben’s version of etiquette of eating in a Cantonese (dim sum) restaurant tomorrow. How does that sound?
Kingford Seafood Restaurant in Richmond
Kingford Seafood Restaurant is located on 5890 No.3 Road, Richmond. You cant miss this restaurant as it’s huge glass windows allow one to see through to the chandeliers decorated interiors.
The South Arm Community Kitchen celebrated the end of 2007 session with a Dim Sum lunch at Kingford Seafood Restaurant. We were there around 11:30 am and there was not many customers at that time. I like the ambiance of the restaurant, warmly lighted. This restaurant can accommodate 30 tables.
The dim sum dishes in Kingford Seafood Restaurant are categorized by size, $2.98 for small, $3.98 for medium and $4.68 for large. Special is priced at $5.38. Quite pricey in my opinion.
We ordered quite a lot of dim sum (some in double portions) as we expected more company but some people did not turn up. We ended up with some left over to take away. Here are the dim sums we ordered:
Steamed Prawn Dumplings (medium), springy and delicate …
… Red Bean Paste Pancake (small), a sweet dessert …
… Mixed Mushrooms E-Fu Noodle with Teriyaki Sauce for $10.88 as filler, …
and more desserts to cleanse the palate at the end. The desserts are some red bean custard and some kind of jelly with young shredded coconut in it.
Click on the link to see more Dim Sum.
Fisherman’s Terrace Restaurant in Aberdeen Centre in Richmond
Fisherman’s Terrace Restaurant was really busy, perhaps due to Christmas and year end celebration. We had to wait quite a while even though we had reservation.
Something different about this restaurant is that their teapot has the label of the tea on the teapot. There is one disadvantage for non-Chinese reader eating here as the menu is only in Chinese. We have to order from the menu and not from a cart.
We ordered twelve varieties of dim sum, some of them in two servings. Here is what we ordered…
Cold Shredded Chicken Salad.
Shark Fin and Scallop Dumpling.
Fried Dough serve with honey (Jar Leong).
Fried Glutinous Rice.
Fried Noodle with soy sauce and chives.
Three Mushrooms Steam Rice Rolls.
All Spice Garlic Pepper Fried Chicken Knee.
Shrimp, Dry Scallop and Spinach Dumpling.
Shrimp Dumpling.
Green Onion and Ginger Chicken Bun.
Fried Spring Roll.
Egg Tart.
We had a marvelous time getting to know more about one another while enjoying all the great dim sum. The total bill came up to $90 inclusive of tips.
