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Temporarily distracted from my quest to finish off places I've not visited for Dim Sum in Richmond, it took an invite from ChineseBites to finally do a post on Sun Sui Wah. Yes, I've done the Vancouver location a few times, but never Richmond. It's not like I haven't dined at that location, I just never got around to blogging about it. Since we had a pretty large budget to play with, we ended up with 35 (!) dishes (a few multiples though). With an experienced eating crew, we almost finished it all too!
Onto the novel posing as a blog post, we began with the Baked BBQ Pork Pastry. As evidenced in the picture, the pastry was flaky, yet a bit dense and doughy on the inside. Inside, there was a decent amount of lean BBQ pork that was saucy and sweet. The whole thing was rather buttery (or was it lard?). Plated in a deep dish was the Deep Fried Squid served with some sweet and sour sauce. The coating was crispy while the squid itself was a chewy tender. The wok-toss of chili and salt ensured that there was enough seasoning, but there was a background flavour of possibly old oil.
As expected, we got our dessert course at the start of our Dim Sum meal. Whatever, we were hungry and since we were the last seating for the day, we couldn't wait until later to order them. I tried the Egg Tarts and they were flaky and buttery. I would've liked to see a bit more colour, but it was not underbaked either. In the centre, the egg custard was a firm silky where it wasn't too sweet. Along with the tarts, there was the Creamy Egg Yolk Buns oozing with a sweet liquid filling. This was rich and definitely not good for the waistline, but yummy nonetheless. The bun itself was soft and fluffy.
Back to the savoury items, we got all of our Rice Noodle Rolls at once. These included Shrimp, Beef, Deep Fried Bean Curd Skin Roll with Fish Paste and Donut. Consistently across the board, the rice noodle was relatively thin and soft with some elasticity. There was definitely enough moisture to keep it from getting chewy or too hard. In terms of filling, the shrimp was good with a meaty snap while the beef was nicely tenderized and processed. I found the donut to be on the crunchier side, but at least it didn't soften. The most interesting of the bunch was the fish paste. It was buttery with a rebound enveloped by a crispy bean curd skin shell. Nice contrast in textures.
From steamed, we went with some more deep fried goodness in the Shrimp Spring Rolls and Deep Fried Glutinous Dumpling. Piping hot with a firm crunch, the spring rolls were good texturally. I liked how the grease was drained properly. Inside, the shrimp filling was well-seasoned and did its snap texture thing. However, there was very little of it. As for the deep fried dumpling, the exterior was crispy and of course greasy as usual (the glutinous rice flour absorbs a lot of the oil). That particular layer was a bit thick though. Filling was a nice mix of ground pork, pickled veg and dried shrimp (although a bit fatty).
Since we were on the fried food theme, we continued on with the Deep Fried Taro Dumpling. As much as this dumpling arguably absorbs even more oil than the aforementioned one, this wasn't overly greasy. Exterior was crispy while the mashed taro was soft, well-seasoned and aromatic. The filling was a bit sparse though. The XO Daikon Pudding Cake was also fried and wok-tossed. Hence, the dish was mildly spicy with a salty brininess from the dried shrimp. Texturally, the cake was soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside albeit rather oily.
Although we already had daikon pudding cake, we decided to also get the Pan Fried Taro Pudding Cake. Well, this was not a good decision as the cake was super dense and hard. It did taste okay with enough seasoning and dried shrimp as well as a nice crispy sear on both sides. Also fried, the Shrimp Mousse Stuffed Eggplant, Tofu and Pepper was a difficult dish to share with 10 people. Hence, I only tried the eggplant and it was fairly soft, but okay. The mousse was bouncy and sweet although a bit overprocessed. I found the black bean sauce to be salty enough.
We finally made it to the steamed items (they took longer to cook) with the Bean Curd Skin Roll and Lo Mei Gai (sticky rice steamed in banana leaves). The bean curd skin roll featured an appealingly chewy and uniform exterior. Inside, it was mostly shrimp and bamboo shoots. The shrimp was cooked just enough so it was still buttery and bouncy. We made the fatal mistake of ordering too many carbs, including 2 orders of the lo mei gai (despite warnings from Diana). But seeing how I had to try everything, I ate one anyways. The rest weren't missing much as it was dry and chewy. On the other hand, the saucy filling with shrimp and pork helped alleviate that somewhat.
My favourite part of Dim Sum has to be the offal and we got a couple of them. Starting with the Bible Tripe, it was prepared the classic way with ginger, green onion and in this case carrots. This was pretty standard, yet good at the same time. The tripe was soft while retaining a chew and the seasoning was on point. Not completely described properly, at least in English, the Beef Tendon with BBQ sauce was not actually coated with Bull's Eye. Rather, in Chinese it referred to the sauce used for BBQ pork. Thus, the flavour profile was pretty sweet with a touch of star anise. Texturally, the tendon was on point being soft while retaining a bite.
Almost 3/4 of the way through, we finally got the ying and yang of Dim Sum in the Haw Gow and Siu Mai (shrimp dumpling and pork & shrimp dumpling respectively). Large in size and sporting a semi-thick and appealingly chewy skin, the shrimp dumplings were pretty good. The filling featured whole shrimp pieces that exhibited a sweet snap with a noticeable sesame oil hit. As for the other dumpling, it was good in its own right. Consisting of bouncy pork chunks and equally bouncy shrimp, the textures were on point. I thought the seasoning was on the aggressive side, but it didn't matter as I dunked it into hot sauce anyways.
One of the more surprising things we had was the Xiao Long Bao. Much like the last time at Kirin, it seems like Cantonese Dim Sum spots are beginning to step it up with this Shanghainese dish. I found the dumpling skin to be pretty thin and slightly chewy. Inside, the pork filling was rather gritty and natural pork tasting with a good amount of gingery soup. Exhibiting similar qualities to the beef filling in the rice noodle roll, the Beef Meatballs were buttery and tender (yes, with a bounce texture). It was mildly seasoned with just the right amount of green onion for flavour without being overwhelming.
When we were ordering, we were deciding between the Phoenix Talons (chicken feet) and the Duck Webs (duck feet), when it occurred to us that we could get both! Just by appearance alone, I was already concerned with the chicken feet as the skin looked too tight. It was as suspected where the skin was firm and the cartilage underneath was crunchy. This definitely needed to be cooked more. On the other hand, the duck webs were just right. The skin was buttery soft, yet retaining a bit of chewiness. Underneath, the fat and cartilage were soft and tender. I enjoyed the garlickiness of the sauce too.
Nearing the end, we had another Dim Sum classic in the Steamed Black Bean Spareribs. This was a pretty packed dish with very porky-tasting meat (despite the ample amount of garlic). In terms of texture, these were just right with a tender chewiness (and yes bounce). The pieces were mostly rib and very little in the way of cartilage. From classic to something different, we had the Steamed Halibut Collar. We found the dish to be somewhat fishy, but the ample seasoning and spiciness helped masked it somewhat. They timed the steaming perfectly as the fish was tender and buttery (although the collar is usually fattier anyways).
We really didn't have the BBQ Pork Buns last, but since we had dessert as an appetizer, these were the closest to something sweet. I found the bun to be firmer and sweet on its own. The filling was balanced between sweet and savoury where the meat was on the fattier side. So there you have it, our 35-dish Dim Sum meal for 10 people. Overall, it was actually pretty consistent and good. Pricing was decent too, but the service was fairly sparse.
The Good:
- Overall well-prepared Dim Sum
- Reasonable-pricing as the final bill wasn't that scary
- Fairly comfortable dining space
The Bad:
- Service was okay, but we couldn't flag down anyone for simple requests
Wow. I actually got a text from Vandelay! For a moment there, I considered calling in a search party because he has been MIA for about 1/2 year. That was the last time we met up for lunch. Nothing to worry about since he is living and breathing. In fact, he asked if I had time for a quick bite at Carp. Yes, it is C-A-R-P, not crap. Located across from Kingsgate Mall on Prince Edward Street, this lil' takeout spot serves up a simple menu that includes probably the next fad in Vancity - Poke Bowls.
We dug into the Tuna Poke Bowl first and the dominant initial flavour was that of sesame oil. Then it gave way to light soy and then the mild sweetness of the soft tuna itself. Although there was a heavy sesame oil presence, that is my personal preference, so it worked for me. I wasn't a huge fan of the amount of raw onion as it was a bit too sharp. I loved the crunch of the little tempura bits as it added texture. The rice was a touch on the drier side, but that worked well with the wet ingredients. Next, the Chirashi Don featured an array of appealing sashimi atop the same sushi rice. For the price, I thought this was a decent offering.
We also got a Bento which included Miso Soup, Nigiri, California Roll and Chicken Curry. With similar ingredients as the chirashi don, the nigiri was pleasant enough with chewy rice and fresh pieces of salmon, tuna and ebi on top. As for the curry, it was sweet, but not too much so. It was rich and full of tender shredded chicken. I could taste the curry, but it was rather muted. Again, the drier rice served its purpose going along with the curry. Seeing how I was enjoying poke, Viv wanted in on the action, so I got a Salmon Poke Bowl to go. It was very similar to the tuna poke bowl except with a more robust texture with the salmon. Also, it was a bit sweeter. Interesting that this was the first time I visited Carp since it has been up and running for a year. Should've done it earlier!
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Reasonably-priced
- Friendly people
The Bad:
- A little rough around the edges (but I didn't mind)
- Limited seating
One of the biggest perks of blogging and IGing about food is not what you would think it is. Sure, eating all the yummy food and getting the occasional invite can be a real treat, but the best thing is the awesome people I get to meet who share the same passion. I've made so many friends in the past 8 years and more recently, a considerable number from IG. Sharon and Peter are perfect examples... So what do friends do on a Sunday? We went for brunch at Burdock & Co!
The first dish to arrive was the Gluten-Free Eggs Benny on a scone with grilled bacon and lemon Hollandaise. Although the eggs weren't runny per se, at the very least, they weren't cooked through (would've liked them runnier though). As expected, the GF scone was on the firmer side, but it was not a deal-breaker. Loved the crispy thick-cut maple and fennel bacon as well as the creamy Hollandaise. I did notice the butteriness, but not much of the lemon. Still a good Benny nonetheless. Next up was the Crispy Fried Chicken with buttermilk mash, pickles and poached egg. The nuggets of moist and tender chicken were crunchy and well-seasoned. Underneath, the mash was creamy and smooth while the pickles added a bit of an oomph to the dish.
My favourite item was the Pork and Chanterelle Ragout Fettuccini with fennel pollen. The al dente noodles were tossed in a considerable amount of tender and moist ground pork. I liked the meatiness of the dish as well as the woodiness from the mushrooms. There were good layers of flavour without a heavy reliance on salt either. Our last item was almost like a dessert in the Summer Berry Calfoutis with whipped cream and syrup. This was bubbling hot as it arrived at our table. Hence, it stuck to the plate a bit. I liked how it was soft and sweet with a crispy bottom side. It was rather sweet from the syrup though and it would've probably been better on the side. As a whole, we enjoyed the brunch at Burdock & Co, but the portion sizes were rather small. It was more like eating breakfast tapas (but that is their style).
The Good:
- Generally on point execution
- Nice flavours
- Attentive service
The Bad:
- Small portion size (but they are about share plates anyways)
For all the people that absolutely love brunch, Vancouver is surprisingly not blessed with many great brunch spots. Yes, we have The Red Wagon, Yolks, Cafe Medina and BLVD Bistro, but really, that's about it. I know many will point out that many restaurants and hotels in town offer decent brunch, but let's just stick with the places specifically dedicated to the craft. Enter Jam Cafe, yes that popular spot in Victoria that sports large portions at reasonable prices. Located on Beatty Street in the old Cafe Medina location, we now see the same lineups that grace the Victoria location.
To illustrate their portion sizes, when the Red Velvet Pancakes hit the table, it looked more like a triple-layer cake more than a breakfast item. In fact, it sure at like it too. We ended asking for the cream cheese icing on the side and that was a good thing as it was pretty sweet (but not too much so). I found the pancakes to be on point with a super moist interior that was well, "cakey". There was a rich chocolate flavour that wasn't sweet at all. Hence, when combined with the cream cheese icing, it was just right. My son had eyes on the The 3 Pigs with sausages fried in pancake batter. I was only moderately okay with these despite his enthusiasm. The batter wasn't as fluffy as I would've expected and it wasn't as crispy on the outside either. The sausage in the middle was meaty and well-spiced though. We weren't fans of the side of fruit salad as it looked like it had been sitting for awhile.
We also had the Smoked Salmon Benny topped with fried capers and served with hashbrowns. The eggs were nicely poached being runny while not raw. Buttery with a hint of lemon, the Hollandaise had a nice silky consistency. As much as the fried capers provided both a crunch and salty hit, there was a bit too many of them. We had to brush off half so the dish wasn't too salty. The side of hasbrowns were fantastic though being thoroughly crispy on the outside and fluffy soft on the inside. Our last item was the Chicken & Waffles with country gravy and fried eggs on top. I thought the chicken was fantastic being moist and well-seasoned with a flavourful crunchy exterior. The gravy was meaty and rich with plenty of meat, however, the waffles were a bit lifeless. Certain imperfections aside, we still enjoyed our breakfast at Jam. Prices were reasonable and the portions were huge.
The Good:
- Large portions
- Reasonably-priced for Downtown
- Some good dishes to be found
The Bad:
- A bit rough around the edges, but that's their style
- Not sure if I'd lineup for that long
It has been a couple of years since I had last visited PappaRoti. I remember it was after a filling lunch at Sura with Whipping Girl (more like Missing Girl these days...). We headed across the street to see what all the fuss was about - this newly opened store hawking soft and airy coffee buns fresh from the oven. Well, we enjoyed them and that was that. However, they are much more than just desserts. So a tasting organized by Sharon would help us reacquaint with the classics as well as some lesser known items.
Now, we all associate the classic coffee bun with PappaRoti, but the tasting would introduce us to a selection sandwiches. These included Chicken Chipotle, Apple Chicken Blue Cheese, Turkey & Brie, Roast Beef and Vegan Moroccan. My favourite was the classic turkey & brie as it featured smoky breast meat complimented by the creaminess of the cheese. As much as the roast beef didn't look like anything special, it was very good with tender slices of meat spiked with the sweetness of caramelized onions. Naturally, the chicken blue cheese was pungent and sharp with tender chunks of chicken.
Of course, we tried some Coffee Buns with various accompaniments including Strawberry Jam & Cream Cheese, Kaya, Nutella & Banana and Strawberries and Whipped Cream. Best when eaten fresh from the oven, the buns were light and airy while sporting a crispy semi-sweet topping. I personally loved the simplicity of the thick flavourful cream cheese with jam. Contrasting that was the mother of all options in the Strawberries & Whipped Cream with banana and ice cream finished off by a chocolate drizzle. This was a meal in itself and I wasn't too sure of the ice cream since it added too much moisture to the bun.
One new item resembled a Pain au Chocolate. It was actually a Choco Banana Rollie made with croissant dough and topped with the same crispy coating as the coffee bun. Yes, this was rather sweet, especially with the filling. I liked how the banana was in the background being aromatic while letting the chocolate lead the way. It goes without saying that the coffee buns were pretty much what I expected (which was a good thing), but the sandwiches were really surprising. Generally a sandwich is a sandwich. However, they were done right and worth paying for.
*All food and beverages were complimentary*
The Good:
- Light and airy coffee buns
- Surprisingly on point sandwiches
The Bad:
- On the pricier side, but it is Downtown
Posts
Temporarily distracted from my quest to finish off places I've not visited for Dim Sum in Richmond, it took an invite from ChineseBites to finally do a post on Sun Sui Wah. Yes, I've done the Vancouver location a few times, but never Richmond. It's not like I haven't dined at that location, I just never got around to blogging about it. Since we had a pretty large budget to play with, we ended up with 35 (!) dishes (a few multiples though). With an experienced eating crew, we almost finished it all too!
Onto the novel posing as a blog post, we began with the Baked BBQ Pork Pastry. As evidenced in the picture, the pastry was flaky, yet a bit dense and doughy on the inside. Inside, there was a decent amount of lean BBQ pork that was saucy and sweet. The whole thing was rather buttery (or was it lard?). Plated in a deep dish was the Deep Fried Squid served with some sweet and sour sauce. The coating was crispy while the squid itself was a chewy tender. The wok-toss of chili and salt ensured that there was enough seasoning, but there was a background flavour of possibly old oil.
As expected, we got our dessert course at the start of our Dim Sum meal. Whatever, we were hungry and since we were the last seating for the day, we couldn't wait until later to order them. I tried the Egg Tarts and they were flaky and buttery. I would've liked to see a bit more colour, but it was not underbaked either. In the centre, the egg custard was a firm silky where it wasn't too sweet. Along with the tarts, there was the Creamy Egg Yolk Buns oozing with a sweet liquid filling. This was rich and definitely not good for the waistline, but yummy nonetheless. The bun itself was soft and fluffy.
Back to the savoury items, we got all of our Rice Noodle Rolls at once. These included Shrimp, Beef, Deep Fried Bean Curd Skin Roll with Fish Paste and Donut. Consistently across the board, the rice noodle was relatively thin and soft with some elasticity. There was definitely enough moisture to keep it from getting chewy or too hard. In terms of filling, the shrimp was good with a meaty snap while the beef was nicely tenderized and processed. I found the donut to be on the crunchier side, but at least it didn't soften. The most interesting of the bunch was the fish paste. It was buttery with a rebound enveloped by a crispy bean curd skin shell. Nice contrast in textures.
From steamed, we went with some more deep fried goodness in the Shrimp Spring Rolls and Deep Fried Glutinous Dumpling. Piping hot with a firm crunch, the spring rolls were good texturally. I liked how the grease was drained properly. Inside, the shrimp filling was well-seasoned and did its snap texture thing. However, there was very little of it. As for the deep fried dumpling, the exterior was crispy and of course greasy as usual (the glutinous rice flour absorbs a lot of the oil). That particular layer was a bit thick though. Filling was a nice mix of ground pork, pickled veg and dried shrimp (although a bit fatty).
Since we were on the fried food theme, we continued on with the Deep Fried Taro Dumpling. As much as this dumpling arguably absorbs even more oil than the aforementioned one, this wasn't overly greasy. Exterior was crispy while the mashed taro was soft, well-seasoned and aromatic. The filling was a bit sparse though. The XO Daikon Pudding Cake was also fried and wok-tossed. Hence, the dish was mildly spicy with a salty brininess from the dried shrimp. Texturally, the cake was soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside albeit rather oily.
Although we already had daikon pudding cake, we decided to also get the Pan Fried Taro Pudding Cake. Well, this was not a good decision as the cake was super dense and hard. It did taste okay with enough seasoning and dried shrimp as well as a nice crispy sear on both sides. Also fried, the Shrimp Mousse Stuffed Eggplant, Tofu and Pepper was a difficult dish to share with 10 people. Hence, I only tried the eggplant and it was fairly soft, but okay. The mousse was bouncy and sweet although a bit overprocessed. I found the black bean sauce to be salty enough. 
We finally made it to the steamed items (they took longer to cook) with the Bean Curd Skin Roll and Lo Mei Gai (sticky rice steamed in banana leaves). The bean curd skin roll featured an appealingly chewy and uniform exterior. Inside, it was mostly shrimp and bamboo shoots. The shrimp was cooked just enough so it was still buttery and bouncy. We made the fatal mistake of ordering too many carbs, including 2 orders of the lo mei gai (despite warnings from Diana). But seeing how I had to try everything, I ate one anyways. The rest weren't missing much as it was dry and chewy. On the other hand, the saucy filling with shrimp and pork helped alleviate that somewhat.
My favourite part of Dim Sum has to be the offal and we got a couple of them. Starting with the Bible Tripe, it was prepared the classic way with ginger, green onion and in this case carrots. This was pretty standard, yet good at the same time. The tripe was soft while retaining a chew and the seasoning was on point. Not completely described properly, at least in English, the Beef Tendon with BBQ sauce was not actually coated with Bull's Eye. Rather, in Chinese it referred to the sauce used for BBQ pork. Thus, the flavour profile was pretty sweet with a touch of star anise. Texturally, the tendon was on point being soft while retaining a bite.
Almost 3/4 of the way through, we finally got the ying and yang of Dim Sum in the Haw Gow and Siu Mai (shrimp dumpling and pork & shrimp dumpling respectively). Large in size and sporting a semi-thick and appealingly chewy skin, the shrimp dumplings were pretty good. The filling featured whole shrimp pieces that exhibited a sweet snap with a noticeable sesame oil hit. As for the other dumpling, it was good in its own right. Consisting of bouncy pork chunks and equally bouncy shrimp, the textures were on point. I thought the seasoning was on the aggressive side, but it didn't matter as I dunked it into hot sauce anyways.
One of the more surprising things we had was the Xiao Long Bao. Much like the last time at Kirin, it seems like Cantonese Dim Sum spots are beginning to step it up with this Shanghainese dish. I found the dumpling skin to be pretty thin and slightly chewy. Inside, the pork filling was rather gritty and natural pork tasting with a good amount of gingery soup. Exhibiting similar qualities to the beef filling in the rice noodle roll, the Beef Meatballs were buttery and tender (yes, with a bounce texture). It was mildly seasoned with just the right amount of green onion for flavour without being overwhelming.
When we were ordering, we were deciding between the Phoenix Talons (chicken feet) and the Duck Webs (duck feet), when it occurred to us that we could get both! Just by appearance alone, I was already concerned with the chicken feet as the skin looked too tight. It was as suspected where the skin was firm and the cartilage underneath was crunchy. This definitely needed to be cooked more. On the other hand, the duck webs were just right. The skin was buttery soft, yet retaining a bit of chewiness. Underneath, the fat and cartilage were soft and tender. I enjoyed the garlickiness of the sauce too.
Nearing the end, we had another Dim Sum classic in the Steamed Black Bean Spareribs. This was a pretty packed dish with very porky-tasting meat (despite the ample amount of garlic). In terms of texture, these were just right with a tender chewiness (and yes bounce). The pieces were mostly rib and very little in the way of cartilage. From classic to something different, we had the Steamed Halibut Collar. We found the dish to be somewhat fishy, but the ample seasoning and spiciness helped masked it somewhat. They timed the steaming perfectly as the fish was tender and buttery (although the collar is usually fattier anyways).
We really didn't have the BBQ Pork Buns last, but since we had dessert as an appetizer, these were the closest to something sweet. I found the bun to be firmer and sweet on its own. The filling was balanced between sweet and savoury where the meat was on the fattier side. So there you have it, our 35-dish Dim Sum meal for 10 people. Overall, it was actually pretty consistent and good. Pricing was decent too, but the service was fairly sparse.
