I haven't been back to the Kingsway location of Lee Garden for quite some time. We've hit up the Coquitlam spot but once again, the Kingsway location was out-of-sight and out-of-mind. Finally, we decided to meet up with some friends for Dim Sum. As usual, their parking lot got pretty packed, so we ended up parking on the street. If you really want a parking spot, better make a reservation right when it opens at 9:00am. On that note, reservations will not get you in right away when it gets busy at around 11:30am. Best to go early or later.
We began with the BBQ Pork Pastries served as a trio. These were a bit pastry heavy with only a modest amount of BBQ pork. Pork was lean though and the sauce was pretty balanced between sweet and savoury. Flaky, but slightly doughy, the pastry had an on point exterior, but got progressively denser inside. I would say this was an average version of the dish.
I thought the Siu Mai was a bit hit and miss. I thought these were medium-sized compared to many other places. The pork itself was chewy and didn't have the rebound texture I was looking for. Hence they ate a bit dense. There was plenty of shrimp which had a sweet snap though and the seasoning was just right. I liked how they put the tobiko on after they had finished cooking.
On the other hand, the Ha Gau were textbook. Translucent, fairly thin and having appealing elasticity, the dumpling skin was great. It also helped that these were streamed just enough so that everything was cooked, but not overdone with excess moisture. Hence, the wrapper did not tear. Inside, the shrimp filling had a buttery snap and tasted great with sweetness.
Loaded with cilantro, the Beef Meatballs had the desired texture. They were bouncy and airy with mild seasoning. That didn't really matter as the dominant flavour was cilantro. I would say that a bit less would have balanced things out. Small detail, but I loved the bean curd skin at the bottom of the plate. It helped keep the meatballs from sticking, but I also enjoyed the texture.
Here we are with the Steamed Honeycomb Tripe & Tendon, one of my most favourite dishes not only for Dim Sum, but of all time. Yah really, I love the texture when the dish is done right. The one here was absolutely prepared properly. Each strip of tripe was a of a good size and had that desired tender texture with just a bit of chew. It had been stewed enough prior to the steaming and it took on all of the good sweet, savoury and garlicky elements. Tendons were equally tender, but still had texture, rather than melting away.
Another favourite of mine is the Steamed Chicken Feet. These are deep-fried, then braised and finally steamed. Once again, another solid dish as the texture was on point. The skin, fat and cartilage were buttery and soft while not being mushy. All of the chicken feet were intact and everything came off the bone easily. Flavours were similar to the tripe except with a bit more saltiness.
Okay, usually I break one of the BBQ Pork Buns apart so we can see the filling in the picture. I didn't do so here, so you'll just have to trust me that the filling was sufficient and full of the same BBQ pork as found in the pastries. The bun portion was a little more dense than some of the other versions I've had lately. However, at the same time, it was still fluffy and soft.
Another favourite dish of mine is the XO Daikon Radish Cake. For this one here, I thought they did a good job. Although not fried enough to create a uniformly crispy exterior, there was still browning where the aromatics were great. There was a bit of crispiness giving way to a soft pillowy interior. I thought that the briny spice of the XO sauce was a little light and this definitely could've used more of it.
Normally, you'd find me ordering some pea shoots or gai lan, but since they were featuring Water Spinach stir-fried with fermented tofu, I was changing it up! The wok-fry on the water spinach was good as it was cooked enough, but still remained crunchy. I would've liked a bit more fermented tofu, but it was still sufficient to provide a funky saltiness to the dish. On that note, more garlic would've been nice too.
I don't often order the Deep-Fried Chicken Knees, partly because it isn't offered on all Dim Sum menus. They had it here and I was pretty glad I ordered it. As you can see from the picture above, those pieces were large and meaty. Hence, we weren't only eating cartilage, there was juicy meat all around. They were lightly crispy with an impactful salty peppery seasoning.
For our Rice Noodle Roll, we opted for the beef. As you can see in the picture, the rice noodle was a little on the stiffer side, however, it was quite thin. Hence, it was soft enough that it was pliable. It ate better than it looked. Inside, the beef filling was tender and airy much like the beef meatballs. Also like the beef meatballs, there was a good amount of cilantro, which was the dominant flavour.
We went for three desserts this time around including the classic Baked Egg & Milk Tarts. Served in a set of three, these were uniformly almost exact in their appearance. We found the pastry to be flaky and buttery with no undercooked portions. The egg yolk custard was silky and light while being only moderately sweet. Overall a very good egg tart!
A surprisingly excellent dessert was the Deep Fried Crispy Coconut Milk Roll. Sure, these were a touch greasy, but it didn't take away from the eating enjoyment we had. Super light and crispy, the deep fried shells were aromatic and sweet. Inside, we found thickened milk that was also aromatic and sweet. It helped provide some moisture to balance out the crispy shells. Super tasty, would order again!
Finally, we had another classic in the Steamed Sponge Cake. Loved the use of brown sugar which made the smell and taste deeply rich and almost toffee-like. The cake itself was airy and soft which made things very easy to eat. Really nice end to a generally solid Dim Sum meal. Sure, some things could've been better, but with all things considered, we had no complaints about the food or service. I can see why the place remains popular and hence, extremely busy.
The Good:
- Solid eats
- We had friendly service
- Even though it is busy, seating isn't overly cramped
The Bad:
- Some dishes could've used a few tweaks
- When you want to dine here after 11:30am, a reservation might not even help you
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