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So with a ChineseBites meetup at Western Lake, it meant plenty of food at my favourite spot. How could I resist? With only 7 of us, it was highly unlikely we would even put a dent into the food. We began with 2 cold dishes in the Japanese-Style Chicken Feet and the Chef's Specialty Shredded Chicken. Completely gelatinized with generally crunchy tendons underneath, the chicken feet were flavourful with a touch of Maggi sauce. As for the shredded chicken, they did their best impression of the one found at Koon Bo. Everything from the jellyfish to the pickled greens were texturally on point while the strong sesame oil essence was balanced out by the sour tang and mild saltiness of the pickled veg.
Continuing on with the kitchen specialties, we had the Rice Flour Rolls & Beef Offal Hot Pot as well as the Rice Flour Rolls with Steamed Spareribs Hot Pot. Naturally, these 2 dishes shared a common ingredient in the plain rice flour rolls which were soft with a nice elasticity. In terms of flavour, they were very different though. With the offal hot pot, there was a certain richness and background gaminess. The thinner sauce combined with the daikon was appealingly sweet. As for the offal, the pieces were tender while retaining a chew. The sparerib hot pot was a bit saucier due to the use of starch as a thickener. There was a noticeable amount of black bean as well as a natural meatiness from the spareribs. The meat itself was classic bouncy.
Oh and the specialty dishes didn't end there as we were served one of my personal favourites - Stir Fried Radish Cake with Spicy XO Sauce. Lightly crispy on the outside with minimal grease, the daikon cake was soft with a medium density. The dish was garlicky and spicy as well as briny from the dried shrimp. Strewn within the daikon cake was enough cured sausage to add an aromatic saltiness. Exhibiting an equal amount of impactful flavours was the Deep Fried Squid Tentacles with Chili Salt. The tentacles were tender with a buttery chewiness. Light and crispy, the batter wasn't too oily and was nicely spiced by garlic, chilis and wok salt.
After awhile, we were wondering if any of our dishes would be anything other than large ones as we got a large bowl of Minced Pork & Oysters with Rice in Soup. The dish ate and appeared exactly how it was described on the menu. No, it wasn't a congee per se as each grain of rice was still intact and as you can see in the picture, it really was a soup. Due to the addition of fresh oysters, the broth had a certain brininess and seafoody flavour. Personally, I would've preferred an actual congee. Continuing on with shellfish, was had Clams in Spicy Chinese Wine Broth. Plump and buttery, the clams were cooked expertly just on the threshold of being done. The broth was briny and spicy with a slightly herbal aftertaste.
When a pair of hot pot rice offerings arrived, we were already full! Imagine the pain! (Yes, #firstworld problems). The first was the Chicken and Cured Sausage Rice with one broccoli floret (added colour...). This featured chewy and dried rice topped with a considerable amount of marinated chicken thigh meat. Hence, the chicken was tender and bouncy. With the addition of sweetened soy, this was a solid version of the dish. The other rice hot pot was the Pork Jowl and Salted Fish also with a necessary green accent (the dish was pale!). As much as the pork was pale (nice and bouncy though), the flavour was also rather mild. However, when little flakes of the salted fish was added, there was more than enough flavour to go around.
As we moved onto Donut Rice Noodle Roll, the meal was getting closer in resembling a regular Dim Sum service. I found the rice noodle to be medium-thickness, yet at the same time soft with a nice elasticity. Inside, the donut wasn't exactly crunchy anymore (but could've been due to our delay in eating it). The addition of pork fluff on top added a sweet saltiness. Stuffed to the max with shrimp mousse, the Pan-Fried (more like deep fried) Eggplant with Shrimp Paste was on point. Soft while not mushy, the eggplant was blessed with a considerable amount of buttery and bouncy shrimp mousse. The richly-coloured black bean sauce was impactful with a noticeable saltiness. 
Arriving at the same time as some of the specialty items were the Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) and Siu Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumplings). I found the haw gow to be large with a buttery and sweet shrimp filing. There was a natural flavour to the shrimp as well as aromatic sesame oil. There was the requisite snap texture, but the dumpling skin was a tad thick and doughy though. I would have to say that the siu mai was better than the haw gow as it hit all of the good qualities. Again, they were large with buttery shrimp and bouncy pork. The pork fat was mixed well so that it helped bind the filling without there being chunks of fat. Moreover, the amount of shiitake was impactful adding that strong Earthy taste.
Maybe being a bit repetative, we got a few dumplings that were similar in some ways to the previous two. First, the Prawn Siu Mai with corn and dried scallop resembled the regular siu mai but ate very differently. Since it was comprised of prawn, the snap texture was more apparent as well as more sweetness especially with the addition of corn. The dried scallop did its sweet briny thing which made the flavours even more impactful. With the same prawn found in the haw gow, the Prawn & Pea Tip Dumplings had the same bouncy texture with the addition of tender pea tip leaves. I found the dumpling skin to be a bit on the chewier side, but not in a bad way.
Off to something without shrimp, we had the Beef Meatballs. Much like the previous dishes, these were some large balls! However, size ain't everything right??? These were on point texturally with a buttery bounce as well as a balanced amount of greens. Other than that, they were mildly seasoned and definitely needed the Worcestershire sauce. Okay, we really couldn't escape the shrimp here as the next dish was the Pan-Fried Chive Dumplings with... yep, more shrimp (not that we were complaining though). Frankly, there was more shrimp than chives hence once again, it was buttery and sweet with the bright herbalness of the chives. I would've liked to see even more browning on the exterior though.
Double the offal, double the fun right? In addition to a big hot pot full of assorted offal, we also got the Steamed Beef Tripe and Tendon. The plate was practically overflowing with tripe which made me happier than finding an empty parking lot in Richmond during the middle of the day. These were tender with a bite while being penetrated fully by the sweet garlicky sauce. Off to dessert, I wasn't so fond of the Deep Fried Yam Balls topped with syrup. Sure, they were crispy and sweet, but they were also very glutinous and dense. Pretty heavy after eating all of savoury dishes. But what do I know, I'm sure some people enjoy them very much (as food is super subjective).
For me at least, I enjoyed the 2 cold desserts in the Chilled Goji Berry in Lychee Gelatin and the Green Tea Coconut Milk Gelatin. The first was lightly sweet and aromatic from the lychee. Firm, but not overly so, the gelatin was served cold and was an excellent palate-cleanser. As for the second gelatin, it was a bit heavier due to the coconut milk. This was creamier and a bit sweeter, but still a nice way to balance out the barrage of savoury dishes. I didn't get much in the way of green tea though. However, there weren't many things to complain about here since Western Lake has the perfect combination of good eats, large portions and reasonable prices. There is a reason why one cannot get a table without advance reservations.*All food and beverages were complimentary*
The Good:
- Large portions
- Consistent eats
- Reasonable prices
The Bad:
- Trying to get a table is tough
- Tight seating
- Hurried service
