Chongqing (Surrey)

Since Chongqing on Scott Road is near my work, I've been there many many times since it opened almost a decade ago.  However, I haven't blogged about it since 2016 and hey, it is always good to get an update.  I'm sure things have changed since then!  Sorry, I used an old pic of the front because I was too lazy to cross the street...  Anyways, nothing outwardly has changed but they do have rice noodle rolls on the menu now (they didn't before).

On the note about the Rice Noodle Roll, we did order the shrimp version and it came out fully-stuffed.  Usually, there are empty pockets of just rice noodle, but this one has shrimp in almost every bite.  Hence, it ate very hearty and was quite the good value.  Texturally, the shrimp had a good meaty snap and was well-seasoned.  As for the rice noodle, it was on the medium-thick side but was not dense and still had some elasticity.

Sticking with shrimp, we had the usual Ha Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumpling) which featured a fairly thin dumpling skin.  It was rather wet, so it was a touch soft.  However, there was still elasticity and some chew to them.  Inside, the shrimp filling was quite good.  It was very moist (hence the wet dumpling) and had a nice sweetness.  In terms of texture, the shrimp had a buttery snap and was rather light.

So of course we had to get the ying with the yang in the Siu Mai (Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumpling) as well.  These were also solid with a moist buttery texture.  The pork was classic bouncy with equally rebound textured shrimp.  Dumplings were also well-seasoned so it didn't taste "porky".  On top, there was a dollop of raw tobiko which made it more appealing.

If we didn't get enough shrimp already, we also had the Shrimp Spring Rolls.  As you can see, they added a layer of nori in between the shrimp and the wheat wrapper.  This enabled the wrapper to be extra crispy because the nori sealed the moisture in.  Also, the slight seaweed flavour added extra umami.  As for the shrimp filling, there was lots of it and the sweet buttery snap was definitely there.

Normally, the Deep Fried Taro Dumplings look like footballs, but some places add a swan's head to create a "bird".  Well, they are cute and sure why not have something more aesthetically-pleasing right?  However, those head/neck things were not tasty.  On the other hand, the dumplings themselves were good with soft creamy mashed taro (love that lard!) with a tender and properly seasoned pork filling.

One of my favourite dishes is the Bean Curd Skin Rolls.  They consist of a fried bean curd sheet outer wrap with a ground pork filling.  I found the one here to be good with a chewy bean curd skin while the filling featured pork that had a good rebound.  It was mixed with some veggies and the filling was not too heavy.  The starch-thickened and watered-down oyster sauce provided enough flavour, but the peppers on top added a weird aftertaste.

So we got the usual BBQ Pork Buns just because it is something we always order?   I got lazy and didn't open one up for the picture, but you can see the filling peaking through.  It was good with lean BBQ pork that was not too saucy.  However, there was still the usual sweet elements with a bit of savouriness.  The bun itself was soft and fluffy and stayed as such even after sitting around.

One of the best dishes of the meal was the Steamed Pork Spareribs.  As you can see, there was a bevy of meaty rib pieces (with minimal fat) that were overflowing out of the sauce plate.  The rib pieces were tender with a rebound chew.  Seasoning was on point with enough salty garlickiness without going overboard.  There was pumpkin underneath to soak up all the flavours.

Yep, another favourite of ours is the XO Daikon Radish Cake and this was done right.  Each cube was fried enough to be crispy on the outside while the inside was soft without falling apart.  Beyond the inherent seasoning in the radish cake, the amount of XO in the wok-fry was sufficient to add both spice and brininess.  They did this without making the dish greasy, even though the pieces were deep fried. 

We got the Singapore Fried Noodles as a larger dish and indeed it was overflowing on the plate.  There was a sufficient amount of ingredients to be found including peppers, onions, BBQ pork and shrimp.  This was wok-fried properly as the noodles were chewy and not clumped together.  There was caramelization of flavours and the curry provided some spice.  Veggies were still vibrant and crisp.

Inexplicably, the Steamed Beef Meatballs came last.  They were fairly large and sat in broth.  They were a bit firmer than what I personally would've liked, but that didn't make or break the dish.  The whipped meat was still tender and of course was bouncy.  They kept the greens to a minimum so it didn't overwhelm the flavour profile.  So as you can tell, the Dim Sum service was solid.  Yes, Chongqing is mainly a Szechuan spot, but they manage to do proper Cantonese Dim Sum. Pretty good given its location and good all around for GVRD.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Reasonable-pricing
- Spacious dining room

The Bad:
- Parking lot is a bonus, but the spaces are super narrow