Dim Sum @ Western Lake

Ever since Whipping Girl told me about Western Lake, I've attempted to have Dim Sum there 3 times to no avail. There seems to be this big lineup everyday! I feel that lineups are a waste of my time. This is especially acute when the lineup consists of pushy, rude and impatient people. Yes, that is what you call a Dim Sum lineup. This, my friends can be one of the most frustrating things in life. You will find people trying to skip the line, block the doorway so you can't get in or better yet, try to get their name on the list even when they are clearly behind you. Vandelay and Donna Chang just went to Western Lake recently and sat near the door. Some lady in line decided to use Donna's chair as an armrest; but she ended up elbowing her in the back. Hello lady! Personal space??? This is why I have always left when I saw a lineup at Western Lake. However, today was the day we actually went for it. Yes, the day I scale the wall, climb my Everest - put my name down and lineup! Fortunately for us, it was only Viv and myself. Consequently, we got a table for 2 within 5 minutes! Karma! I knew something good would happen to me. I was at Costco the day before and guess what? Yes, I was in line to pay. In fact, there were a lot of people there and this lady wanted to butt in front of me because she only had "one" package of gum. What was I to say? Well, it turns out that she didn't remember her PIN and took forever to pay. It probably took her 10 minutes to check out. Even the cashier apologize saying, "that's what happens for being a nice guy, eh?" I said aloud that you can look at my body language and derive how "thrilled" I was. But I remember that Karma would reward me.

And reward me it did. While other people looked on and waited, Viv and I got to sit down and eat right away! For the purposes of trying as many dishes as possible, we got 10 for the both of us. Yes, a little ambitious considering that the portions here are quite large. This was especially problematic since we had a small table for 2. Trust me, there were many times during the meal we simply ran out of room for the food, teapot and camera. The old couple sitting beside us (and I mean literally RIGHT beside us) were a bit intrigue as to what I was up to. After all, I was frantically taking pictures of Beef Meatballs from different angles. That would look normal to you, wouldn't it?

Well, those Beef Meatballs were some of the largest ones I've ever seen. They were not only large, they had a nice soft texture without being overloaded with seasoning or baking soda. Equally impressive, the Shrimp Dumplings were large bursting with whole crunchy shrimp. Similar to the meatballs, the dumplings were only mildly seasoned. With more large whole shrimp, the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll was soft without falling apart. Literally spilling out of its plate, the Black Bean Spareribs were both plentiful and meaty. Most of the moderately seasoned pieces were not fatty nor full of cartilage.

A bit of a deviation from the regular Dim Sum fare was the Fried Daikon Pudding with XO Sauce. Normally, daikon pudding is cut into large squares and pan fried. In this instance, the pudding was cut into smaller pieces and deep fried. Finishing off the dish, the fried pieces were tossed in a spicy XO sauce. XO sauce usually consists of an oil base cooked with dried scallops, dried shrimp, garlic, ginger, chilis and sometimes, Virginia ham. Viv really liked this dish since it was a departure from the usual bland preparation of daikon pudding.

Much like Golden Swan, there was a partial piece of scallop atop the Scallop & Shrimp Dumpling. But this is forgivable in this instance because it was half of a larger piece of scallop. Although aesthetically unappealing, we must remember the reasonable prices they charge at Western Lake. Furthermore, the one at Golden Swan was in 5 little pieces, so you really could ascertain they were scraps. Taste wise, the dumplings were lightly seasoned and full of shrimp. However, the dumpling skin was a bit chewy. Trying to do her best Miss Y impersonation, Viv ordered the Xiao Long Bao. That's right, a dish that is rarely done right at any Cantonese Dim Sum restaurant. If you want Xiao Long Bao, you must get it from a Shanghainese restaurant and even that is not necessarily a guarantee that they will be good. Predictably, they had no juice and the dumpling skin was hard. I didn't like this dish and we really shouldn't have ordered it.

Thinking that I had ordered the Goon Tong Gow (Dumpling in Soup), the Supreme Seafood Dumpling in Soup turned out to be 4 large shrimp wontons in light chicken broth. At the bottom of the bowl, there was a really large piece of fish maw as well. Presentation wise, this was a disaster; but you really can't complain about the size and quality of the wontons. I just wish the broth had more flavour. At this point, the Shrimp Spring Rolls arrived and it barely fit on the little table. They were crunchy, not oily and full of shrimp. The last dish was the Egg Tarts and although they looked nice and all, they were quite bland.

In fact, all the Dim Sum items were surprisingly lightly seasoned. That is a compliment, not a complaint. The portion sizes were really good and the price reasonable. Service was hectic; but polite. Other than the tight dining space and the ridiculous lineup, there is not much to complain about Western Lake. In addition to Bing Sheng, Dai Tung and Golden Phoenix, Western Lake is one of the better mid-priced Dim Sum places in Vancouver.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Low prices
- Dim Sum is not too salty

The Bad:
- Dining space is tight, you will be really close to the next table
- If you are unlucky enough to sit near the front, people lining up will encroach on your space
- Crazy lineup