Due to convenience, our friend took us to this nearby traditional, Cantonese Dim Sum restaurant for lunch. Featuring entirely of push-cart service, the vibe and product offerings were packed full of colonial Hong Kong nostalgia!. My expectation for the food quality of the place was not high due to its lack of mention on social media. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised by the more than acceptable rustic and old school offerings. Though most menu items lacked refinement and were crafted with an edge ( eg., Giant size Har-Gow or Scallops dumpling in thickish wrappers…etc ), some actually turned out to be quite tasty and enjoyable! The Fried Taro Croquette with light, fluffy cocoon and generous saucy filling was one such stand-out!
Being in BC, I was also delighted to see ‘Stirred fry BC clams in black bean sauce’ featured as a Dim Sum item! Size of those bi-valves was huge! A few banquet style dishes like ‘Deep fried stuffed Crab Claws’ also made unexpected appearances. However, the rarely seen “ Hand scooped, Silky Tofu desserts in wooden barrel crate “ absolutely thrilled my wife! Together with the availability of her beloved ‘Coconut jello pudding’ they really made her day! For me, the sight of my favorite Hong Kong street-side food - ‘Braised Chui-Hau Beef Offals’ presented in a mobile cart version brought back fond childhood memories.
All in all, a surprisingly memorable and enjoyable garden-variety Dim-Sum lunch!
One last word! Unlike the extremely attractive pricing of the western style dinner we had the night before. Compared to Toronto’s ( Richmond Hill/Markham ) norm, we noticed the average price point for Dim-Sum dishes in Vancouver was a whopping 70%+ more. Go figure?!
