Landmark Seafood Cuisine

If you are like me, you love engaging in dim sum every now and then. The experience of sharing your food with friends and family while sipping cups of tea is unequaled. Having been to a lot of dim sum places around the city, I must say that Landmark Seafood Cuisine is one of the better ones around. So good that Stephen Harper himself has dined here. The scores of people lined up to eat here on any given Sunday, is a testimony to the popularity of this place.

Right as I entered the premises, I saw a lineup of eager patrons waiting to grab a seat while they watched scores of people enjoy dim sum. A television set plays Chinese soap operas whose sound is drowned in the murmur of conversations that go on at the many tables here.

Like most Chinese food places, this place is grand and utilizes a red and gold theme for its decor. The giant display tanks where they store crabs, eels and other sea creatures is magnificent to look at.

The service is good for the most part. However, the establishment does seem a bit understaffed on weekends as their staff scramble from hosting to seating to taking orders and setting tables. Nevertheless, they treat you well and they value all customers.

The food quality is what sets this place apart from its peers and they have a wall full of awards and accolades to prove it. I definitely love their execution in food although I must warn you to stay away from the staff that try to sell you food from the cart. These have usually been circling around and are not as fresh as what you get when you order off the menu.

My favourite items at Landmark are their ja lurng, turnip cake and ta ciu bao. They are all dim sum classics but Landmark makes them very well compared to a few other places.

Definitely make the trip here and try out their food if you love dim sum or want to try out this exciting cuisine for the first time.

Good quality Cantonese dim sum, low prices. Our party of 7 arrived for dim sum at Landmark Seafood Cuisine on a fall Sunday afternoon at about 1:30 We stood waiting for a table in a resto almost complete full with Chinese families and groups of friends meeting up on the weekend. We filled time looking at options on the printed menu, and were seated in about 10 minutes.

The printed menu seemed pointless, as the cart service came frequently. The standard dim sum selections were offered by waitresses pushing carts. Vegetables (yu choy, green beans) were available from carts, although the congee and made-to-order fried dumplings would require ordering from the menu. Shortly after 2 p.m., we noticed that the carts had stopped rolling. We revisited the printed dim sum menu to figure out the dishes we hadn't ordered, and summoned a waiter to have those prepared. Our order didn't take long to arrive, but in that short time, the restaurant emptied out to less than half full.

All of the food arrived at the table hot. Our sons thought that the dim sum was well prepared, and better than some of the other places that we've frequented. Service was attentive, and was easy to flag down waitstaff for more tea and water when needed.

Surprisingly, the bill for dim sum was lower than we've experienced for some time. With seven people, the total before tip was under $10 per person including tax. On a quality to price ratio, dim sum at Landmark Seafood Cuisine was judged as excellent. (The alternative Chinese restaurant across the street on Victoria Park may have had more unusual dishes, but the price was quite a bit higher, for frequent dim sum diners).

The restaurant is quite large, so the venue could easily accommodate a large wedding banquet. The room was rather noisy, so it was difficult to catch up on family news around the table for eight.

I did see a few non-Asian faces in the restaurant, but would guess a representation less than 2%. The parking lot behind the resto at the corner of Victoria Park Avenue and McNicoll Avenue was ample.

Landmark Seafood Cuisine is worth trying for dim sum, especially if you're in the western side of Scarborough, rather than over in Agincourt. For people who prefer less bustle, perhaps a lunch date not on a weekend would be a better option. Our family has had dinner at this venue before, but it's been some years since the ownership changed hands.

The service is great! The staff is very helpful. Copious amounts of food at a ridiculously cheap price. We had five people with us and ordered seven dishes (including the Peking duck). With soup and dessert, the total bill was under $90 including tip. Will definitely come back!