Sun King Dim Sum

For a heavily Asian-influenced city, it's surprising to see that Dim Sum in Vancouver is only served for brunch/lunch. Sure, there have been some places that have attempted Dim Sum all the time; but it just hasn't seem to work (although Kam Wai serves it until 6:00pm). I know some people will point out that we have Shanghainese Dim Sum available for lunch and dinner. However, what I am focusing on is Cantonese Dim Sum. Therefore, there are only two options if you want Dim Sum anytime. You either make your own (or someone makes it for you) or buy frozen. Now that I've used the "f" word, it may bring up thoughts of the stuff you would find at T&T. Although some of the products are decent, most of the Dim Sum is mediocre at best.

Of course there are a few independent purveyors of frozen Dim Sum and honestly, I haven't found one that will ever rival a good restaurant (nor should it). Kam Wai Dim Sum (which now has a full-service restaurant on Pender) in Chinatown is alright if you're in the area; but usually I'm not. There was Top Quality on Hastings at Willingdon (that has since shut down) that I used to frequent. However, on my way home one day on Parker Street, I noticed that the corner market at Gilmore had become Sun King Dim Sum. Interesting. Honestly, this is a very odd location for a frozen Dim Sum store. It's in the middle of a residential area with no other businesses around it. I kept passing this place until one day I noticed it had opened for business. Naturally, I stopped and went in to check it out.

Something was familiar with this place... From the display down to the packaging, it looked a lot like the now defunct Top Quality. Much like Top Quality, Sun King is definitely a family-run operation. How do I know? Unless we are regressing and adopting labour laws from China and India, the front counter staff were a bit young. Anyways, in separate meals, we were able to sample some of items we had purchased. There are no specific instructions as to how long and in what manner someone is supposed to cook each product. That's an epic fail in my books since not everyone would necessary know. For the Sui Mai and Haw Gow, it is probably best to steam them for no more than 10 minutes. To prevent the dumplings from sticking, it's best to use a bamboo steamer. However, if you do use a plate, make sure you either grease it or use something like lettuce, Napa cabbage or carrot slices as bases for the dumplings.

Alright, enough of the cooking lesson. As for the Sui Mai, I would say it is pretty good. The pork is tender while still exhibiting a nice chewiness. I felt that there was a right amount of seasoning with a good balance of salty and sweet. The Haw Gow didn't fare as well. It's pretty much expected from frozen Dim Sum. The dumpling skin was far too thick and gummy. Although the filling was decent with fully deveined shrimp and bamboo shoots, there wasn't enough to counteract the thick skin. I thought that the BBQ Pork Bun was not bad. It could've been a bit fluffier; but the filling was quite plentiful and tasty (a bit on the sweet side). The same couldn't be said about the Chicken & Shrimp Bun. In theory, the filling sounded quite good; however, the shrimp is quite dry. Combine that with a dry bun, the whole thing kinda got stuck in my mouth while I was attempting to chew.

Another item we tried was the Loh Mei Gai (sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves). The rice itself was moist with plenty of ground pork filling. Not heavily seasoned, this was a winner. The last item were the Pork Wontons. I'm not a big fan of pork-only wontons. For me personally, I love the all-shrimp versions. However, I really didn't mind these ones. The pork was juicy and well-seasoned. The meat was not gritty and had a good "bounce" to it. There are many more different varieties of Dim Sum available that we have yet to try. For the items we did sample, they were pretty decent. Of course we can never expect restaurant quality Dim Sum from frozen products (assuming the restaurant we are referring to is good). However, Sun King fills the void when we want Dim Sum at home any time of the day.

The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- Wide range of products
- Some decent items

The Bad:
- Will never be confused with good Dim Sum
- Strange location (works for some people)
- No instructions on the package
- Cash only

Kennedy's Sports Pub

Originally, Toolman and I were going for some dosas for lunch today. We headed over to the Dosa Grill and... it's closed! WTH? This is like the 3rd time for me with this place. The operating hours clearly state it should be open. This is one of the most annoying attributes a restaurant can have. I have very little patience for a place that decides on their operating hours on a whim. Usually, I just give up on those places no matter how good the food is. Poco Ocean in Coquitlam is a prime example. Although the food is good, you have to roll the dice when it comes to being open. So without a place to go, we settled on Kennedy Sports Pub. Yah, I know, a pub is not necessarily a foodie haven. But, we were short on time and there are pubs that can produce some pretty good eats to go with the booze.

As with many establishments of this genre, the food can be pretty standard. After all, much of it is supplied by Sysco. Of course raw materials and execution are 2 mutually exclusive things. I did the pub food thing and went for a Canuck Burger that was topped off by mushrooms, bacon and cheddar. You know what? It was a typical pub burger. Although, there were lotsa fresh veggies and the patty was cooked just right, not being too dry. I added yam fries and those too were quite decent. Toolman was even more adventurous and ordered Chicken Strips. Yah, I know I'm being sarcastic here. Well, once again, the strips were fried nicely while the meat still being tender. Yup, pretty generic food; but it was prepared right. Not expensive either. It won't set the gastronomical world on fire; yet it did the job. Not too sure about the pub itself, it's looking a little tired. Probably time for a makeover.

The Good:
- Like most pubs, it's cheap
- Food was edible
- Service was good

The Bad:
- It's generic pub food
- The deep fryer must get a good workout

dot. desserts

*Restaurant is closed*

If you didn't already know, I'm not much of a dessert person. While I do eat dessert, I'm rarely actively seeking it. Now, on the other hand, Bear is all about the desserts. In fact, he'd probably give Mijune a run for her money. While bears generally like honey, it is only fitting that he enjoys his sweets. So, as we were finishing up our meal at Shanghai Village, the topic of desserts came up. I wasn't really paying attention; but like a Corolla to an accident, Bear spoke up. Without giving much thought, he suggested we try dot. desserts. Alright, I remember this place... The last time I was at Posh, our server mentioned that her friends had opened up dot. desserts. Now, don't ask me how we got on that topic. I think she was flirting with Rich Guy or something. Wait, scratch that, Rich Gal could be reading this! Anyways, Bear mentioned the place is quite small and we could easily miss it. He wasn't kidding. We had parked nearly right in front and I still didn't see it. In fact, the "bubble tea" written on the front was more noticeable than the dot. desserts name.

Checking out the place revealed only a few seats. We got the last one which was a bar-type table with bar stools. I wasn't a big fan of this setup despite looking quite cool. For some reason, my seat kept wanting to go all the way down to the lowest setting... So other than their bubble teas, the main items are their parfaits and crepes. Judes opted for the Mango Parfait while Bear went for the Strawberry Mandarin Orange. I got to try both and I though they were pretty decent. Nothing Earth-shattering since it is pretty much a constructed dessert rather than a cooked dessert. Thus, it's all up to the ingredients (which were good), although I find the pricing to be on the higher side.

Milhouse had the Caramel Apple Parfait and it was pretty standard with cooked apples, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream and almond slivers. The apples were slightly bland. They could've used more sweetness and tartness. For myself, I went for something different in the Caramel Apple Crepe. This was pretty average in my opinion. The crepe was a little on the doughy side, although I did like the subtle flavours (wasn't too sweet). Although I wasn't necessarily overly impressed with anything; nothing was terrible. The prices are on the higher side; yet I can understand this given the high rent location. It's a decent place pretty much.

The Good:
- Friendly staff
- They got parfaits if you like 'em
- Good location in terms of parking and safety

The Bad:
- Slightly pricey
- Really small place, tight seating

Shanghai Village

*Restaurant is closed*

For much of the day, it was sunny and warm. I thought to myself that it would be the perfect evening for softball. Of course I shouldn't have been so optimistic since we do live in Vancouver. As Milhouse and I were heading West towards Montgomery Park, it was becoming quite apparent that the weather was taking a very nasty turn of the worse. We were hoping that the weather would hold up for our game; but all we could see were dark clouds and rain in the distance. While we were in the 1st inning, we noticed some clouds swirling in the distance that looked ominously like the beginnings of a tornado. Lucky for us, we were neither in a trailer park or Arkansas. Off in the distance there were lightning strikes and thunder. Then all of a sudden, rain and hail came down hard. We all scattered and naturally the game was called. Funny how Miss Y was late again and arrived just as we were scattering. I wonder if she was trying to bid on a dress on eBay again? Yes, her excuses are getting more bizarre every time. Next time, I'm bracing for the "I was busy playing Farmville" excuse.

So whenever we get together, whether we get to play the actual game itself or not, we still go for eats. Hey, why am I on this softball team in the first place??? So the first course of action was to decide on a place. Bear jumped into the back of my car and we held an impromptu meeting. Yes, we take eating very seriously! After a brief discussion, we decided on Shanghai Village. Joining me tonight were Bear, Milhouse, Judes and Hot Chocolate. Apparently the rain made some people go home rather than eat! Wimps!

We started with the Nanjing Marinated Duck. Sometimes when we order duck at Chinese restaurants, they end up to be more bone than meat. Not in this case. There was plenty of tender, well-seasoned meat kept moist by the fatty skin. I particularly liked that the natural duck flavour was able to stand up to the salt. Up next were the complimentary Xiao Long Bao. That's correct, you read right, they are free if you spend over $30.00 (I think...). Usually the only thing you get for free at Chinese restaurants is attitude. I must admit that these XLBs were pretty good. The dumpling skin is one of the thinnest I've seen and there was juice abound. The only thing I would wish for is that the pork to be a little less gritty. Oh, and our award for "epic fail in picking up a XLB" tonight goes to Milhouse. He got more on the table and steamer than his bowl. Another staple of Shanghainese Dim Sum are the Green Onion Pancakes. The exterior was crispy; however, I personally found the inside a tad doughy. With that being said, they were still quite good, exhibiting a nice aroma.

We are suckers for interactive food, so we got the Stir-Fried Pork with flour crepes. There was plenty of juicy, tender pork for the 8 accompanying crepes. I liked both the colour and taste of the pork. There was a rich stir-fried flavour that was sweet and only a tad salty. Something that we would've never ordered if our server didn't recommend it was the Stuffed Eggplant. Arriving on a metal plate atop hot rocks, the dish retained heat until we finished it. This was a favourite of our table. The pieces of eggplant were oil-blanched perfectly so that they were completely tender without becoming a mushy mess. Almost randomly, some pieces had ground pork stuffed into them and it was like finding a little treasure. There was no absence of seasoning in this dish either. It would've probably been better if we had rice or a steamed roll. Something that we usually order at a Shanghainese restaurant is the Stir-Fried Rice Cake. Unlike the other versions we had of this dish, the one here is stir-fried with cucumbers, peppers, beef and pine nuts. This was another winner. The rice cake was the perfect texture of being chewy; yet soft at the same time. We really liked the tender beef and slightly smoky flavour of the sauce.

The last dish was the Fried Bun with sweetened condensed milk. This one was fried up nicely with a crispy exterior and a fluffy interior. A very simple item really; but dipped into condensed milk, it's a treat. Too bad we didn't have any stir-fried pork left, I would usually stuff the ends of the fried bun (sans inside) with the pork (a Chinese taco?). Anyways, the food here at Shanghai Village is generally good across the board (at least with the items we had). Their XLB can definitely compete with the best in town. If I can draw a comparison in terms of decor, pricing and quality of food, Shanghai River comes to mind. However, I found the service better here and I didn't have to drive to Richmond...

The Good:
- Consistent food
- Very good Xiao Long Bao
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Some might find the prices a tad high (for me, it was worth it)
- Nothing outstanding; but consistent across the board

Acme Cafe

"Uh, you wanna go where for lunch???" That's what I got from JuJu and RBC while we were suiting up for Sunday morning hockey. My suggestion of the Acme Cafe was both confounding and interesting all at the same time. When I gave the exact location, some nervous banter ensued. I assured them that it is a new restaurant and the area is evolving. Being the next block over from the new Woodward's development, it is obvious that there is indeed change happening in the neighbourhood. I remember a time when Hastings was the hub of activity. Not only was Woodward's still around, there was Golden Crown across the street. Back then, that was some of the best Dim Sum around out of Chinatown. That is now long gone, replaced by decrepit buildings and the occasional pub. Located near the old location of Save-on-Meats, Acme Cafe dares to go where some won't. It attempts to bring the diner concept right into the heart of the Downtown Eastside.

Once we got out of the Britannia ice rink, everyone decided to hop in my car. Oh okay, sacrifice the safety of my car eh? I guess it is a small price to pay since I did have 2 skeptical eating companions. The skepticism didn't stop there. We ended up parking near Tinseltown so that my car wouldn't be right in the middle of Hastings. Turns out that it would've been a better idea since it would've been directly across the street in plain view from Acme. You might be wondering why we were so cautious... Well, I did have all of my goalie gear in the car including 2 expensive sticks. Although, I'm not sure what anyone would want to do with my stinky gear. It's a built-in security device in itself!

So when we finally entered Acme, JuJu and RBC were pleasantly surprised. Complete with booth seating and a large counter, it certainly had elements of a diner with a modern touch. To their dismay, I insisted on sitting at the 3 window stools, although there were some prime seats at the counter. I had to explain that natural light would render better pictures. They didn't seem all that impressed. It also didn't help that the window seats were pretty darn hot. I'm truly blessed with patient and understanding friends! Without further ado, we ordered some drinks. RBC had the Chocolate Milkshake while I went for Vanilla. A tad on the watery side and not too sweet, we didn't mind the shakes. If you were looking for thick, sweet shakes, this may not be for you. A surprising blast from the past, JuJu ordered the Pop Shoppe Root Beer. I haven't seen one of these for a long time.

For my main, I went for the Crock Pot Supper Feature, which happened to be the Sheppard's Pie. When it arrived, it didn't look like much; but one spoonful revealed flavourful, tender beef with smooth whipped potatoes and a rich gravy. This was a very satisfying sheppard's pie, if not a tad on the salty side. JuJu ended up with the Meat Loaf Sandwich. Wedged in between a whole wheat hoagie were 2 slices of soft mealoaf with caramelized onions, arugula, swiss cheese, grain dijon mayo and BBQ sauce. I gotta say that this sandwich is money (sorry for the Guy Fieri quote). The flavour really worked with a bit of smokiness from the BBQ sauce, tartness from the mayo, a splash of bitter from the arugula and sweetness from the onions. The only thing I'd change would be the bun. It reminds me of the old Tim Horton's bun which is a bit dense. When you try to chew through, everything shifts or falls out.

JuJu and I couldn't resist and got a side of Mac 'n Cheese as well. We both agreed that it was pretty darn good. It was extremely smooth and cheesy without being salty. Moreover, the macaroni didn't degrade, maintaining its shape and texture. I didn't finish mine and packed it up. My son ended up eating it; therefore, it must've been good (he hates everything). RBC opted for the Chicken Club and as you can see, there are some quality ingredients at work. Real sliced turkey, cheddar cheese, bacon and fresh tomatoes made for a solid sandwich. We were quite impressed with their take on diner food. I found the prices to be fair, if not a tad on the higher side. It is evident there is a level of care and effort put into everything they serve. Of course it ain't mind-blowing food and it really isn't meant to be either. However, it is very solid eats presented in a retro environment. Coupled with personable service, it certainly was a pleasant surprise in a unusual location.

The Good:
- Solid eats made with care
- Personable service
- Embraces the diner concept

The Bad:
- Although improving, the location is sketchy
- Not exactly expensive; yet not exactly cheap either

Elizabeth's Chalet

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I suggested to Dee & Ann of Me Plus Food that we meet up at Elizabeth's Chalet for dinner. You see, we had been planning to find some interesting eats for a while now. A few places came to mind and finally we settled on Elizabeth's Chalet. Now, to be honest, I knew nothing of the place other than the fact that it seemed to have some good reviews. Of course, being out in Cloverdale made it an adventure in itself. Last time, I had a pretty decent experience at the Vault nearby. Now where the Vault is both eclectic and trendy, Elizabeth's Chalet is not. I arrived a little early and as I walked in, I was stunned for a few seconds. No, it wasn't a blast from an Imperial Storm Trooper; rather I suddenly felt a whole lot younger. When Dee and Ann arrived, the hostess immediately pointed them in my direction by default. Why? Let's just say I stood out like a dandelion on the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach.

Looking very much like it has been stuck in a time warp since 1980, Elizabeth's Chalet has a homey feel to it. From the pink tablecloths down to the Victorian floral print on the chairs, the place is classy in its own special way. I found that the service was quite good. In fact, the assistant waiter knew the proper etiquette, which is a whole lot better than some other places I've been to in Downtown. While Ann and Dee chose to go for the Early Bird, I went for a la carte. Reason? For variety of course! I started with the Warm Duck Salad. The salad was quite decent. The pan fried duck pieces were generally good with a definite soy taste. Some bits were a tad chewy probably because the duck fat had been fried until it was crispy/chewy. I found that the dressing (or the duck fat from the pan frying) made the salad a tad greasy.

Dee and Ann decided to go for the Early Bird for $22.00. Dee started with the Carrot Ginger Soup. He thought it was not nearly as good as what he had at the Cannery. It was decent though with a smooth texture while the flavors weren't too strong. Yet, he couldn't really tell it was carrot besides the color. Ann went for the other appetizer option - Caesar Salad. Yah, nothing much to get excited about really. It was your typical standard Caesar Salad. Pretty solid nonetheless.

For my main, I went for the Prime Rib special @ $13.95. A perfectly medium-rare prime rib resided on a plate complete with mashed potatoes, broccoli, carrots and Yorkshire pudding.
Most parts of the prime rib were tender with the rare portion being a tad chewy (which is pretty standard). The mash potatoes were very fluffy and buttery. I liked it. The veggies were still a bit firm which was nice. The au jus was understated with some meat flavour, it didn't overpower the natural flavour of the prime rib.

Continuing on the meat theme, Dee had the 6 oz Sirloin. Definitely a bit tougher cut of meat compared to the prime rib. It was cooked medium rare, but was tougher to chew. It was topped with a ton of good mushrooms. He liked the home fried potatoes were good, half-crispy house potatoes. The broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots still had a crunch to it. Dee suspected they were steamed. The cauliflower had a bit of sauce on it, but he couldn't taste it. It was kind of bland.

Ann ended up with the other choice for the early bird being the Red Snapper Four Seasons with mashed potatoes and fresh veggies. The premise of the sauce are the veggies representing the four seasons, consisting of tomatoes, olives, celery and onions. I got to sample the fish and I thought it was cooked quite nicely. The fish was still moist and flaky while cooked all-the-way through. I wasn't so sure about the sauce. I found that the fish got lost in the tartness. Rather than letting the fish shine (although snapper is mild-tasting), all I could taste was sauce. Mind you, that might've been the intention. As mentioned before, the veggies and mash potatoes were good.

For dessert, Ann had the Lemon Cake. I found the cake to be quite sweet with not much lemon flavour. It was actually quite dense despite its light appearance. Dee had a slice of the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. We both thought that the filling was quite good balancing sweetness with tartness. However, the crust was not flaky at all. It was dense and chewy. Overall, the food at Elizabeth's Chalet can be summed up as traditional. The place is the antithesis of modern and trend-setting. It is a place that represents yesteryear and doesn't apologize for it. We were not their target clientele; yet the food was decent. For the prices they charge, especially for the specials, it is a bargain. Portions were good, service was friendly and stares from the older patrons were priceless.

The Good:
- Honest-to-goodness service
- Solid traditional food
- Decent value

The Bad:
- Nothing modern here, if so, go down a few blocks to the Vault
- Food is solid, if not unspectacular

Kam Wai Dim Sum

*Only a takeout and frozen Dim Sum store now*

I remember a time when dining in Chinatown was the the thing to do. Yes, people other than tourists, would flock down to places like Ming's and Park Lok. Not really that they were great restaurants; rather they were the only places that you could get decent Dim Sum. Oh how times have changed. We now not only have Chinatown #2 in Richmond, it's more like an Asian City. I swear, it is the only place in the GVRD that I can totally forget I'm in Canada. Furthermore, there are great places to get Dim Sum scattered all over the Lower Mainland. So, other than Floata, there is really no Dim Sum to be had in Chinatown. Mind you, I personally wouldn't even categorize Floata as an acceptable place to go other than there is no competition nearby. Until now. Okay, we are really comparing apples and oranges here. On one hand, you have Floata, which claims to be Chinese fine dining (which I think is quite funny) and then you have Kam Wai, which is your typical hole-in-the-wall. Whereas Floata can seat 1000, Kam Wai would be hard-pressed to do 50. But when we talk about what is really important, the food, Kam Wai wins hands-down.

If the name Kam Wai seems familiar to you, it is because they are known for their frozen Dim Sum store on Gore Street. When I used to live in Downtown, I was a regular customer. I just like to eat Dim Sum at all times during the day and frozen was the only way to achieve that. Ah, but wait. Kam Wai, the restaurant, offers Dim Sum from 9:00am to 6:00pm. All day Dim Sum! I really wish more places would adopt this concept since Dim Sum is really a form of tapas and you know how tapas is popular. Look at places like Bao Bei and Terracotta, they are charging 3X the amount of money for what is essentially Dim Sum. Of course, they have the ambiance, style and staff to justify the costs. However, for a purely food point-of-view, I'd rather just have real Dim Sum for less. Now, if we could only get Dim Sum late night...

At first, I wasn't even sure if I found the right place while I was pulling into the adjacent parking lot. From the outside, it sure doesn't look like a place where I could get Dim Sum. Walking inside didn't really convince me either. It looks more like a simple HK-style cafe than a Dim Sum joint. But rest assured, they do indeed serve Dim Sum. Like many places these days, they employ a checklist to order the Dim Sum. It seems logical in this case since it is all day Dim Sum. They can't possibly push carts around for 9 hours a day. So I ordered too many items as usual starting with the obligatory Shrimp Dumplings. I gotta admit, these were pretty solid. Filled with perfectly cooked crunchy shrimp and a slightly chewy wrapper, these would not be out of place at a higher end restaurant.

A little bit on the pale side, the Sui Mai were also very good. Consisting of pork and shrimp, there was a nice "bounce" texture to the meat. I liked how the seasoning on this one was not too aggressive. One of Viv's favourite dishes is the Shrimp Stuffed Eggplant and this one was excellent. Completely overstuffed with shrimp mousse, the eggplant was fried perfectly so that it was tender without becoming mushy. Each piece remained in one piece, even after being cut. I liked how the black bean sauce was not too strong and with the addition of peppers, the flavour was more multi-dimensional. Another measuring stick for Dim Sum are the rice noodle rolls. We ended up ordering the Shrimp Rice Noodle Rolls. The noodle portion was a little on the chewier side; but the shrimp filling was both plentiful and cooked perfectly. Curiously, the BBQ rice noodle rolls are crossed off on the checklist. Guess it isn't a big seller?

Another item we usually get are the Beef Meatballs. A pretty simple dish really. Just pureed beef mixed with starch, baking soda, seasoning, water chestnuts and onion (sometimes cilantro). The trick to the beef meatballs is to achieve a smooth texture with a little bit of "bite". Some places fail when the meatball becomes mushy or too chewy. The ones here were quite good. There was the right balance of soft; yet retaining the "bounce" to the meat. Also, there wasn't copious amounts of onion which can overwhelm the meat. One dish that I rarely order at Cantonese Dim Sum is the Xiao Long Bao. It never seems to come out right. If I want my XLB fix, I go to Shanghainese Dim Sum. Sadly, this was the case here as well. Containing very little juice and with a gummy dumpling skin, these were your typical Cantonese Dim Sum XLB. Don't get me wrong, these XLB were good to eat as a regular dumpling; but they were not XLB.

We got my son's favourite item at Dim, which are the Shrimp Spring Rolls. However, he only eats the crunchy spring roll wrapper only. Fine, I get the shrimp, seems like a good deal to me! Once again, they were filled with properly cooked shrimp while being crispy and not oily on the outside. I only wish that they did not add green onion to the filling. I found that it detracted from the natural sweetness of the shrimp. Yet again, another classic Dim Sum dish is the Steamed Spareribs. I liked how most of the pieces were of actual rib; rather than cartilage. The pieces around cartilage are normally less tender and sometimes even quite fatty. The meat had the right texture of being soft enough to chew while still being chewy. Although I found it a bit on the saltier side. Another dish for the kiddies was the Pan-Fried Soy Rice Noodle Rolls. I didn't particularly like this version since it gets all cluttered by the sprouts, mushrooms, carrots and green onion. What it ultimately ends up being is a stir-fried noodle dish. I'm sure some people like it. I for one do not. Even grabbing a piece to dip into the hoisin or sesame sauce is a chore with all the other things clinging onto the noodles. With that being said, the noodles were quite oily; but with a good texture nonetheless.

Ah yes, one of my favs, Beef Honeycomb Tripe. It always seems like I end up eating the whole thing. What do people have against tripe? I guess looking like the way it does doesn't help. Well, the tripe was prepared correctly here. There was practically no gaminess and the texture was a good balance between tender and a touch of chewiness. It was aggressively seasoned being mostly sweet with some savoriness. Ending off the meal were the Egg Tarts. We were warned that it would take 30 minutes since they only serve them fresh. And fresh they were. Flaky with a semi-sweet egg custard filling, these delivered. And really, that is pretty much the story of Kam Wai. It really delivered, in the most unlikely of setups. I wasn't expecting much and it exceeded my expectations. Although inexpensive, I wouldn't say the Dim Sum is any cheaper than places like The Roc; but if you really must have Dim Sum in Chinatown, skip Floata and stroll down to Kam Wai.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Mostly well-executed food
- Friendly staff (unlike a supposed classier joint such as Floata)

The Bad:
- No ambiance whatsoever (if you care)
- Street parking only (which is hard to find and expensive)
- Lack of round tables (difficult to share if you are in a large group)