Eat a few bites at one restaurant, take a walk (which will do you good!), and then order food at a second and even third place. A progressive meal at two or more gives you a fuller dim sum experience. From Vancouver, a Skytrain to either Lansdowne or Richmond-Brighouse puts you in perfect position for most dim sum places.ĭon’t limit yourself to just one restaurant. I recommend the evening Amtrak, which sets you up in Vancouver or Richmond for an early start the following morning. While it’s not a long drive, I like to take the train it’s scenic and restful, and eliminates concern about traffic, parking hassles, and fees. If you drive out of Seattle early, you can beat traffic and arrive in time for late-morning dim sum. If you’re making the trip to Richmond, recruit a small group, as many of the orders come with three or four pieces, and with more people, you can sample more menu items. The joy of dim sum is that it’s an interactive meal that’s fun to share while socializing with others. I’m also impressed with their stir-fried sticky rice, its great smoky flavor evident from the use of a hot, well-seasoned wok. If you order (and you should) the “steamed dumplings with crab meat and meat” (actually crab meat with pork and vegetables), they’ll come to your table first, to show off the freshness of the crab and the delicacy of the dumpling. Golden Paramount (8071 Park Rd., 60) My newest discovery in Richmond, this restaurant is less gaudy than other dim sum “palaces” and ultimately more my style. For dessert, I like the baked tapioca pudding-rich and creamy, and best eaten while still warm. 3 Rd., 60) The baked barbecued-pork buns are a nice alternative to steamed, with a tender bun that’s buttery and a sugary crust. The pickled ginger with century egg and prawn roll (picture a translucent fried egg roll filled with shrimp and a dark-colored preserved egg) serves a big burst of flavors, while the steamed mushroom dumplings contain a variety of mushrooms and-could it be?-a little truffle oil.Įmpire Seafood Restaurant (5951 No. Jade Seafood Restaurant (8511 Alexandra Rd., 60) Perhaps my top pick for dim sum in Vancouver. (If duck tongue is on the menu, I recommend it as well.) 3 Rd., 60) I try har gow wherever I eat dim sum, but year after year I return to Shiang Garden for what I believe are the best in Richmond, sometimes ordering a basket of them and little more before moving on to another restaurant. Maybe even try something out of your comfort zone, like tripe or chicken feet. For every fried spring roll, get a slippery rice roll. Chinese food is about texture as much as flavor, so diversify your dishes. Order as few or as many items as you’d like, at whatever pace feels right. In Cantonese, dim sum is called yum cha, which translates to “drink(ing) tea.” Tea is really the crux of the dim sum experience, with all those dumplings and such serving as snacks to accompany it. ![]() To help, here are tips on where to go, what to order, and how to do dim sum right in Richmond, especially with Chinese New Year just around the corner.Įven minus the carts, it’s still easy to over-order, getting too much food too fast. ![]() But the food makes it worth conquering the fear factor. With the traffic, the crowds, and the sheer number of restaurants-usually with signage and menus full of Chinese characters-it’s easy to feel like a stranger in a strange land. As for that shrimp, Seattle’s tends to be a bland clump that’s almost unrecognizable, whereas in Richmond you’ll find large pieces which taste fresh and sweet, with a tell-tale snap when you bite into them.īut Richmond can be intimidating, even for people just across the Fraser River in Vancouver. ![]() In Richmond, these dumplings have translucent wrappers that are delicate and yet sturdy enough to support the shrimp inside. Take, for example, har gow (shrimp dumplings)-the benchmark of quality at a dim sum establishment. In addition, there’s better attention to such details as the crimping of dumplings. Perhaps because the chefs are from Hong Kong, the mecca of dim sum, I find the flavors to be cleaner and better-balanced than in Seattle, the food less greasy. Competition translates into culinary quality. There, a thriving Chinese population eats out regularly and demands the best for its dollars. Sure, dim sum is just dandy here compared to most of the country, but the bao and other delicacies are simply much better to the north in Richmond, B.C. ![]() I’m constantly apologizing to my Seattle-area friends for turning down dim sum invitations.
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