BEST DIM SUM IN VANCOUVER

Okay, there's sub-categories here. There's the dim-sum I grew up with where carts wheel around food and you point and peek under the lids. There's fancy schmancy dim-sum you'd take your out-of-town guests to and there's everything in between.

You can tell how good a dim-sum restaurant is by ordering their steamed bbq pork buns (cha siu bau) and their shrimp dumplings (har gow). Older Chinese people tend towards steamed dishes like good quality rice noodle rolls (cheung fun) and such dishes as chicken rice (gai faan), which generally are served in clay-pots.


It is my belief that the ability to make good deep-fried stuff is a given if you want to stay in business. Give me good ol' deep-fried salt 'n pepper squid and deep fried sesame balls anyday and I can tell you how good their fry-chef is.

• Cheap & Traditional DimSum (carts)

FOOD REVIEW

RESTAURANT: Golden Ocean Seafood Restaurant

ADDRESS: 2008 W. 41st Avenue (upstairs)

PHONE: (604) 263-8886

PARKING: underground parkade; street/meter parking

COUPONS: No

FOOD: 10/12

AMBIENCE: 3.5/6

SERVICE: 5/6

TOTAL POINTS: 18.5/24

PRICE: $$$

NOTES: good shrimp dumplings (har gow); great "green" black sesame balls; okay deep-fried squid. This restaurant is particularly good for dinner and is usually busy on weekends.

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• FANCY-SHMANCY DIM-SUM (by order; generally on a menu checklist)

NOTE: look forward to seeing also "best in Richmond" for my favourite fancy-shmancy dim-sum

FOOD REVIEW

RESTAURANT: Kirin Seafood Restaurant (Cambie-City Square)

ADDRESS: 555 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver (City Square)

PHONE: (604) 879-8038

PARKING: parkade (validated)

COUPONS: No

FOOD: 12/12 (freshness, consistent quality, menu/creativity, plating)

AMBIENCE: 6/6 (cleanliness, decor, washrooms, general atmosphere)

SERVICE: 6/6 (efficient, friendly, personable, welcoming, professional)

TOTAL POINTS: 24/24

PRICE: $$$$

NOTES: excellent salt'n pepper squid, cha siu bau and har gow; consistently good noodles and creative/unique dim sum offerings.

Kirin is nice enough that you can take your out-of-town guests here; I've seen mayor Sam Sullivan dining here...and he seems to be a regular customer (as it's right across from city hall)

**check out Best in Richmond for my favourite fancy-shmancy restaurant there

• REGIONAL DIM-SUM (SZECHUAN/SHANGHAI)

FOOD REVIEW

RESTAURANT: Golden Great Wall Szechuan Restaurant

ADDRESS: 705 West Broadway, Vancouver

PHONE: (604) 872-0328

PARKING: street/meter pay parking; apparently they have a limited number of validated "spaces" in the parkade in their building

COUPONS: No

FOOD: 10/12

AMBIENCE: 5.5/6

SERVICE: 5/6

TOTAL POINTS: 20.5/24

PRICE: $$

NOTE: great shanghai noodles & little juicy steamed dumplings (siu loong bau); excellent chinese deep-fried donuts (yau tiu) & green onion pancakes (choong yau beng). Their dinners are not as good as their lunches.