Great place for dim sum. Reservations recommended, otherwise the wait time can be long. Good portion sizes, authentic taste.
Amazing dining experience! Hostess was nice and we only needed to wait 15 min with our reservations. Servers are quietly professional and despite there being a huge line at the door, they didnt rush us out when we were done eating. Food was awesome and the shrimp shumais are impressive. We liked everything we ordered. Only thing was the pepper salt tofu had no flavour other than being salty. I will definitely come back here with family. Make sure to call and make a reso to minimize wait times. Parking lot is non existant but there are non resident parking about a block down the street.
They serve traditional Chinese food and their speciality is Dim Sum, i personally like Dim Sum a lot and they have excellent flavours in it. So if you also love Dim Sum then try it here.
Great dim sum place, but have fun trying to get in; this place is very crowded and very noisy. It’s worth it, though. The servers are very busy, so you may have to get their attention.
Western Lake seldom disappoints and is a thoroughly fine destination for traditional Chinese food fare, especially their highly popular morning dim sum service, and still ranks very highly. It continues to impress with its innovative yet familiar meat dishes.
It's a fairly small restaurant but it's a delicious one! The portions here are more than generous compared to other dim sum places, and the food comes out in a timely manner after you order so everyone can quickly enjoy some dim sum. This is definitely one of my go-to places for various group sizes since everyone will leave with a full stomach. Long wait time before you get seated, but it's well worth it.
They also have their own app for takeouts, which I am intrigued enough to give it a try next time.
Make a reservation. It was insane. Order less than you think you need. The portions? Also insane. In general, this place is great, but it’s well known. You’ll be fighting for space. We waited an hour and a half. Worth it though.
Consistently good! Have not been disappointed! Line up early. This place fills up fast! You can call ahead and reserve your table. Excellent dim sum choices, and prices were reasonable.
Quantity and quality were consistently great. I would give this place 4.5 stars ⭐️
Just arrived at Vancouver YVR during Easter holidays. I typed dim sum on zomato. Western Lake was shown as the highest score in Vancouver. Of course, there was long-long-long queue at lunch time. Waitress told us that we had to wait for at least 1-hour if there was no reservation.
We made a quick decision. Let’s return to it tomorrow morning (opens at 9am)
The selling point of the food is the portion & the taste *JUMBO-sized*. We ordered 4 items only for 2 persons. But we cannot finish it all.
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I was with my brother and my 3 kids during spring break on a Tuesday morning looking for a dim sum place that opened early because we were waiting for my mom while she was at the eye care centre. My brother worked at Chau and recommended this place so we decided to pop in. Upon entering it was chaos-the small waiting area was packed and we couldn’t find a host to take our name down. Someone finally came to greet us and wrote down the number of guests in our party and gave us a piece of paper with a number. So we waited. It took a while because they had a bunch of resos and were behind on that. We finally got seated after about 40 minutes. They give you a menu with pictures and descriptions of each dish and I ordered some safe dishes I knew the kids would like and some new dishes we wanted to try out. I have to say that the dim sum here is amongst, if not the best I’ve ever had! Their har gow and shrimp dumpling with pea tips are ginormous!!! The chef’s specialty with chicken is sesame seasoning goodness-the combination of chicken, veggies and jelly fish is so unique and the textures are amazing! The chicken feet is soooo well seasoned and really juicy! The shrimp rice roll, my daughters devoured so I didn’t get to try it. My son polished off the clay pot with rice noodles and beef omasum. We ordered this pan fried chive dumpling thing that was loaded with prawns and the beef balls did not disappoint. My oldest decided not to give up pork so she ate the sticky rice and she is picky but loved it! The one piece that she ate did not have the Chinese sausage in it so she was a bit disappointed. The only dish I wouldn’t order again is the steamed gai lan with a side of oyster sauce-it wasn’t anything I couldn’t easily make at home. Overall the food was realllly delicious and super memorable! We had so much leftover that we packed up for my mom. Price was shockingly inexpensive for the amount and quality of food that we got, and the service was super impressive and friendly. Our food came out really quickly too! I would make the trek from Surrey to Vancouver every time I have a dim sum craving (which, let’s be honest is pretty much weekly) and wait many times over in the packed waiting area to have their dim sum again!
Over the years, Western Lake Chinese Seafood Restaurant has consistently been rated high by diners in Vancouver.
There are always crazy long line-ups for their dim-sum on the weekends which shows how popular the place is.
One way to cut short the waiting (which can be an hour on weekends) is to call ahead and make reservation. However, the wait is definitely worth it.
All the dishes are delicious and living up to the name. The portions are MASSIVE and extremely filling.
The service is pretty friendly and responsive which is quite the change from a Chinese restaurants.
No frills dim sum. Huge portions and reasonable pricing. Don’t forget to make reservations to ensure you bypass the hour long waits during peak periods.
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Made reservations for 14 for 12pm on a Saturday and we were seated quite promptly at around 1210 (did check in at 1145). They gave us two tables beside each other and put them together.
Despite being super busy the hostess at the front was very friendly. You don’t get that type of service on a busy weekend at a lot of dim sum restaurants.
Food was pretty good. Good portions and some of the items are above average size like the mexico bbq pork buns, siu mai and shrimp dumplings. The vermicelli dish was huge and tasted great with good portion of meat and vegetables. Eggplant with shrimp was fresh and flavourful. Spring rolls were crispy. Only downside was that the chicken feet were a little underdone.
Go early or make a reservation and check in few minutes early. This place is quite busy. They have customers waiting in the dining space even when the waiting area is too full.
Parking can be a pain. Side street is minimal with most permit parking. Your best bet is somewhere along Victoria or 33rd.
Both their dim sum and dinner are consistently tasty and good, portions are sizeable and pricing are fair. They likely have the largest har gows and siu mais out there.
Don't go without reservations as this place isn't that large, again be prepared to wait a bit longer even with a reservation. Word of caution, like all Chinese restaurants this place is loud but due to small size and close quarters, don't expect to have a conversation unless your table is small.
Bottom line: I haven't had dim sum in a while and people have been hyping this place on the weekly basis. I had to try it myself and I heard it's reservations only or it's a three-hour wait. THREE HOURS?!?! GTFO. That's beside the point cause I heeded the warnings and got myself a reservation for four.
Reservation Under Cindy
+4.5
Vancouver is home to the second largest Chinese population outside of China, right behind San Francisco. So you could say Asians like me are quite spoiled with the amount of options available when it comes to Chinese food. I can get pretty picky as not all options are top-notch. My longtime favourite place to go for solid Chinese food is Western Lake.
According to our host, who brought us all together today. This was suppose to be the best place for dim sum in the city (Something she had read). I guess it is debatable, but seeing as she did the research and none of us wanted to, we accepted her assessment and found ourselves there on a Sunday at 10am.
Went for lunch yesterday. Dim Sum portions were huge. Food Quality was good too. And very reasonably priced. We had way too much leftover. However, the lineup is a long one! Well worth the wait though!!!
One of the most popular places for dim sum in Metro Vancouver is Western Lake Chinese Seafood Restaurant on Victoria Drive. This restaurant has been open for nearly a decade with dim sum from 9 am – 3 pm every day and it continues to attract line-ups outside the door.
Went to Western Lake for dinner with a friend and his dad from out of town based on the reviews. The atmosphere and the ambiance of the restaurant is quite nice; the space is large and clean. The staff were friendly and polite but the lady taking our order kept trying to direct us to order more "westernized" items like the sweet and sour chicken, as my friend and his dad were white. We know she meant well but I was hoping to give them a more authentic Chinese dinner experience.
The food was delicious though. The fried rice was just right and not at all greasy. Our seafood was cooked well and the beef was so tender. I would like to come back to try dim sum given the other reviews.
Our favourite destination for Dim Sum. Always a line up but usually never more than five to ten minute wait. Great selection. Portions are generous and always fresh. Had a problem once and they took the item off the bill and gave us a complimentary dish as a compensation. Prices are reasonable for the portions. Have found cheaper, but then you pay for what you get. Once you try their Dim Sum you will realize why the line ups are worth the wait.
A definite shoot score on the dim sum! Above average to pretty good quality on the dim sum and variety. Is it the best dim sum quality - nope. However, it is pretty fricken good! I certainly can say it is the best VALUE= quality, quantity, and price I have had in Vancouver. I ran into some folks who traveled from Poco to come here( 26 km) for the dim sum. That is a pretty good endorsement. Best to make a reservation for holiday or weekends.
Hey you win some you lose some ....but in this case, you win some you dim sum with a smile at this place.
PS: 7 people ate with no holding back on seafood and we were there 2 hours and the bill before tip $132
Parking 3/5
Only a few spots located behind the building but plenty of parking can be found behind the restaurant in the residential area.
Seating 4/5
Place is very busy, ensure to call in advance for reservations. Despite the line up we were seated right away without delay.
Cleanliness 5/5
Very clean table, dish ware and bathrooms.
Service 5/5
Great service, attention to detail. Plates cleared from table in a timely manner, dishes arrived together and quickly. Never had to chase down a server.
Food 4.5/5
Wasn't overly salty, lots of flavour. Good variety.
Price 4/5
For the quality and quantity of food, especially for larger groups it was definitely a good pick.
Overall 4.5/5
My favourite dim sum restaurant in Vancouver, hands down. When someone asks for a recommendation for dim sum, this is the first place that comes to mind for me.
The dim sum is delicious and at affordable prices. Notable mention: the Sui Mai (steamed pork dumplings) are insanely huge. Probably double the size compared to other restaurants. A good variety of menu items.
There are fairly long waits though. Good idea to go early (around 10 or 11am) or make reservations ahead of time.
Western Lake will always be our staple dimsum place her in Vancouver because its yummy, big portions and not that expensive. The only downside is its always full of people. My advice is come earlier than the lunch time or later.
We arrived around 12:30 pm so as usual we need to get our number and the server said to come back around 30 minutes.
Around 1pm we got our table around the back which is great because its not that noisy at the back compared to the tables near the door. 👌🏻
We ordered the following:
1.Steamed chicken feet with special sauce- 4/5
2. Steamed dumpling with prawns and pea leaves-4. 5/5
3. Rice flour rolls in hot pot with beef offals- 5/5
4. Steamed bean curd warps with fish paste- 4/5
5. Steamed rice flour rolls with prawns and yellow chives- 4/5 (forgot to take a picture of it)
This place will always be one of the yummiest dimsum place here in Vancouver. So make sure to stop by Western Lake whenever you're in town. 👍🏻
Probably the best dim sum I have had. I was in Vancouver and made quite a trip out of the way to come to Western Lake. The reviews made me. The line was huge, and the wait was long. But wow, those baked hum baos with a light sugary crust were worth it. Everything else was amazing as well. You know it is good when almost everyone inside is chinese. Service was great and the food came out hot and fresh, much better than carted dim sum restaurants. Will go back, for sure, the next time I head to Vancouver.
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Western Lake Chinese Seafood Restaurant is an authentic Chinese restaurant located in the Kensington area. The restaurant has a staple of the Kensington area for the past decade and their food is the reason they remain popular.
If you're thinking of coming to Western Lake for Dim Sum, get ready to wait. Generally, there is at least a 30 mins wait so be sure to put your name down so you can get a number. However, for this visit, we went for dinner. They do have some rules for dinner too where they like to set reservations on the hour (like 5PM, 6PM, 7PM, etc.) and not in between hours.
We opted for the set menu as it was a fairly large family gathering. All the dishes came out group and the service was superb. We were so busy speaking with family and enjoying ourselves that we completely forgot to take pictures. So for this review, we'll just focus on the dishes that we took pictures of.
The Crab was cooked perfectly and we really enjoyed the rice cakes. The flavour from this dish is simply divine. The crab brains were fried well and was not oily at all. The crab was fresh and the meat did not stick to the shell. If you have not had crab this particular style, we would definitely recommend it.
The Fried Chicken was equally as good. The skin was crispy and the meat was nice and juicy. The shrimp crackers tasted great and they must have been fresh too. The chicken had a good mix of dark and white meat so if there are picky people out there, there's enough for everyone to enjoy.
We really enjoy our visits to Western Lake because the food never disappoints. Service is good too which is sometimes not always expected at Chinese restaurants. Parking, however, is a completely different story. Our tip would be to park either along Victoria or East of 32nd Avenue and walk a block.
Overall, this is a great choice for authentic Chinese food that is both tasty, generous with their portions, and has great prices. We would highly recommend Western Lake to anyone. Just make sure to have reservations or else you might find yourself looking for another place to eat!
The dim sum here is authentic and there is a good range of options. The service is lackluster and just plain rude at times. You will wait a long time to get in then will be rushed to make choices and eat quickly. They were exasperated by questions and sometimes just refused to answer and walked away. The food was tasty but it was a terrible experience. They made it really hard to enjoy our meal.
The size of the dim sum was shocking – almost 2 times as big as the ones I am used to. We didn't feel ANY effects of MSG, thr first time we had dim sum there. Unfortunately, we felt the MSG on our second and third visit. All the waiters are polite and friendly, that's a plus, the hostess is curteous. The price is right. There are quite s numer of dishes I want to come back and try.
不設優惠却經常爆滿的粵式茶市
備註：茶市下午一點以前不接受定位，只能登記排隊
這間酒家名叫西湖，光看招牌的話相信很多人都會以為是一家蘇杭菜館，其實它是間真真正正的地道粤菜酒家。從外觀全不起眼的西湖酒家打從開業以來，生意一直都很好。特別是每天上午9時至下午3時的粵式茶市，由於點心份量大又好吃實惠，所以早茶時段即使毫無折扣優惠仍然門庭若市，下午一點以前不接受訂座，只能登記排隊，所以經常有許多人在門外排隊輪侯入座，至於晚飯一般也需要提前訂座。在溫東，凡生意這麼好的餐館，一般都有“好吃實惠”的特點，這家也不例外。最近酒家榮獲本地權威食評網 YELP 排名 #1 和 ZOMATO 亦排名 #1 ，更被數百名食客推選為溫哥華最佳點心食肆呢！
One thing we can guarantee about Western Lake is the long line ups for dim sum! Expect to wait regardless of the day and time. This is our go to dim sum place in Vancouver, great tasting food and cheap prices for big portions, can't get much better than that! We have ordered a variety of dishes such as the prawn dumplings, steamed rice rolls with prawns, steamed rice rolls wrapped with Chinese donut, sticky rice, chicken rice, prawn dumplings with scallop, eggplant with shrimp paste, spare ribs, and the yam balls for dessert. There are not many negatives to say about the food, except the eggplant is very oily.
We will be back.
If you want huge portions of dimsum for cheap, this is place to go! However, the catch is that the food is made with a lot of flour to make it monster-sized. Must try the "Chilled Wolf Berry and Lychee Gelatin" dessert, it is very yummy!
This place is always packed with people. Make sure to make reservations ahead of time. Even with reservations, you don't exactly get your table on time, but you will sure be ahead of all the people who came early waiting for an hour!
The food is pretty killer here for dimsum and dinner. Make sure you get resos or prepare to wait for a while. Sometimes the lineup extends all the way outside. Prices are reasonable for the quality your getting. Sun sui wai quality or even yet, it's debatable western lake could be better...
Update: April 10 2016
Wow its busy here on the weekends. In fact I believe it's just busy always here in general. Dinner is killer here. Service is TOP notch. Good quality and reasonable pricing. Love it.
Update: June 22 2016
Got the set menu dinner for four people. Delicious.
Monster dim Sum for breakfast, alright deal for dinner. Place is pretty good. Always packed. Dim Sum taste floury though sometimes. Been here at least 5+ times. Worth a try. Call for reservations if going around noon.
This is our go to place to take all our out of town guests for dim sum. The portions are large and the price is reasonable. The only downfall is the wait. Expect to wait at least an hour if you choose to go here.
Pretty good dim sum restaurant, they have a good variety of dimsum on the menu. Portions of the dishes are good and also taste decent for the price you pay. Service isn't bad either but the place is small so tables are limited.
Always love eating Chinese food in Vancouver. Especially the seafood. They don't have this crab in Calgary (or I have yet to see) but this restaurant offers a set dinner. We did one for 10 people and it came with a lot of food. They brought a live crab out on a tray for our approval. It is seriously so good if you like crab!
Very delicious! Big portions, worth the wait. Been there twice now and both times I'm happy with the food. They bring tea often. Lines can be long but for sure worth it!
I thoroughly enjoyed the gigantic portions of dim sum served at this place but it certainly wasn't the best that I've had. I still enjoyed my "Tim Ho Wan" in Hong Kong better (well I am comparing it to a 1-Michelin star restaurant after all). The place was packed when I went but thankfully they allowed a reservation system. The service was standard. You get a sheet to fill out and they make food based on that order. Gone are the dim sum cart days... People around me seemed to have enjoyed their dim sum a lot but I think they were just "cheap" eaters looking for the best bang for their buck. I'm a foodie and I don't find it all that great tasting. It just reminded me of the "giant levels" in Super Mario Brothers 3 where everything is just larger than life. I'd call this the most gigantic dim sum for your dollar restaurant instead of the best dim sum you can ever have restaurant.
You get your money's worth for the dimsum here! The portion sizes are HUGE compared to regular dimsum (Siu Mai are about triple the size of regular dimsum). The quality of the dimsum is really good too!! Highly recommended! The line ups on Sunday's are ridiculous though, we waited an hour for a seat for 2
Frequent Diner. First visit last Friday nite. Amazing, friendly service. Excellent seafood, esp the deep fried fried crab balls. Price very reasonable. Will come back!
One of the Best in Vancouver. This is one of the best Chinese Restaurants I have tried in Vancouver for dinners.
The place is a bit small, therefore you won't feel very comfortable sitting there - the tables were too close to each other. However, it is worthwhile because both the food and service were good.
Definitely will go back again.
Awesome dinner menu. Good food and good service to boot. loud and crowded but the food more than makes up for that. set meals and single dish orders are all good. Deep fried squid, lobster, steamed fish, tapioca pudding dessert (pre-order) just to name a few
What a gem in East Van. This place has good quality food, good portions, very friendly service. Reasonable pricing. Add all those with a clean and presentable dining environment. Kudos to the chefs and waiters and management of this fine restaurant.
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Go for Dim Sum, Not for Take Out. I really like the dim sum here. Huge flavourful sui mai. I also like the rice rolls with offal. But you must call and make a reservation. Once you have a reservation, you still wait when you arrive for the reservation but for less time. If you don't have a reservation, you can expect to wait during peak times on a weekend for at least 1.5 hours.
We got take out from Western Lake last night to bring over to a friend's place. We thought we would give it a try since we like their dim sum. It was Ok. The dishes were not very flavourful, but I guess on the plus side didn't seem like it had too much MSG.
We had seafood chow mein, honeymoon rice, peppery fried squid, black peppercorn beef tenderloin on hotplate, and braised tofu with vegetables. The sauce in the chow mein and braised tofu veggie dish seemed like pure cornstarch sauce with very little chicken stock or soy sauce flavour. There were chunks of thickened starch in the veggie dish (baby bok chou, wood ear mushroom, gai lan, baby corn). The fried squid were mushy in the take out container. The beef tenderloin was the star of the dinner, pretty tender and good peppery flavour. I picked up the take out on time and so it shouldn't have been sitting and waiting too long for the squid and noodles to get soft. Well at least this experience tells me to stick to dim sum and not go for dinner.
Delicious!. Their crab cooked in the salt egg yolk is to die for! also love their deep fried milk dish! the only complain i have is that regardless of having a reservation or not.. you will always be seated 30-60 mins later.. a bit frustrating but i guess its typical amongst chinese restaurants..
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Food, not Atmosphere. This is one of our favourite restaurants to go to for family dinners. Don’t go for the ambiance and décor – those are non-existent. It’s loud with tacky carpeting, and the tables are crowded too close together. However, the food is always good and definitely a good value for what you’re getting. A few of their specialty dishes require pre-ordering, so make sure to let them know when you make your reservation. We always pre-order the whole braised duck stuffed with sticky rice & chestnuts and the baked tapioca pudding for dessert. Some other classic favourites on the menu include the hotpot with scallops, eggplant & egg tofu and live crab from their fish tank, prepared in its own broth, served on a bed of thin egg noodles. You have to specify that you want the noodles, but do make sure you get them; they are delicious for soaking up all that lovely sauce at the bottom of the dish. Also try the squab (aka pigeon) – the crispy skin and dark gamey meat is always a crowd pleaser. Another bonus: A recent change in BC bylaws also means you can bring your own wine to the restaurant for a minimal corkage fee ($5).
Small Restaurant Good Food. Dim Sum has been great since the day it opened. Food is consistent but so is the wait time. Visit before the rush or after and don't need to wait. Price and proportions are good. It's a pretty small location in general, and there is no parking. Need to find street parking.
One of the best places for dimsum in vancouver! After having dimsum in HK, nothing else tastes good but western lake is the only place I still enjoy :) Siu Mai the size of my fist! (im exaggerating but it is really big)
Nice place for Dim Sum. Gets crowded fast so we came the moment it opened.
The dumplings were pretty big and flavorful (so much shrimp, yum!), plus the other dim sum we order were just as good.
Service was also good with servers refilling our tea when we asked for it.
I went to Western Lake for dinner last week for the first time with a friend. We ordered crab, beef and broccoli and the beef and parsley soup. Every single dish was delicious. The service was spectacular. I love this place and definitely will go back.
I mean it's not the best dim sum I've had. But it's best considering it's price. It's my regular spot
I always go to this place if I want to have some good dim sum and somewhere else if I got a bonus :)
Big dishes/ good services. The dishes are in big portions.
services are fair and friendly.
clean area.
very good gathering place.
It's hard to find good places for dimsum. Lunch date with an adult friend! Yay! Yes, I had to wait for at least 20 mins for a table, but it was worth it. I knew the place was good when it was already a packed house before 11 am on a weekday. When you enter, make sure you receive a number from the hostess or put your name down ASAP, otherwise you'll be very angry to find out you've been waiting for a while and not getting anywhere. Place was clean, spacious, we were served tea right away. Dim sum was delicious! We ordered the usual dimsum meals; sui mai, seafood dumplings, sticky rice in banana leaf and tripe. We had egg tarts which were really good. My friend has become an eggtart expert after many dimsum eating adventures. Good portions for the price. We now have found our dimsum joint and we'll meet regularly to catch up! Recent: Went to Western Lake again last week! Of course we ordered a lot of food, but it was worth it!
Long line-ups. Dim sum is good, the beef been curd is superb, service is good, prices are reasonable, but the line-ups are long.
Dim sum treat. Another day off school for the kids meant another lunch out. We arrived at 11:45 and there was no line up. Luckily, we just beat the rush by about 15 minutes.
Ordered the usual suspects. Shrimp dumplings, shui mai, spring rolls, rice with chicken and sausage, flat rice noodle with shrimp, chicken feet ...
The food was delivered quickly and the food was promptly consumed. Nice portions size and good quality.
Surprisingly, the dim sum wasn't overly salty.
We shall return and attempt dinner next time.
Bethany Ho, Bites Of Vancouver
+4.5
4989 Victoria Dr Vancouver, BC Food Rating: 8.5/10 I had the day off today, and decided to go to dim sum! I don’t go very often although it’s one of my favourite meals to eat…I see it as the Chinese equivalent to “brunch” and who doesn’t like brunch? My must-orders are always Shiu Mai, Pan Fried Eggplant with Shrimp Paste, and Steamd Rice Rolls with Prawns , although I honestly don’t think there’s a single item on a dim sum menu that I don’t like. Portion-wise, all of the dumplings are much bigger than at most dim sum places, and I thought the prices were very decent. It got pretty busy with people waiting outside around 11am, so I’m glad I went early at 10am. My favourite thing turned out to be the sticky rice (no surprise, I love rice!). I’ve had dinner here before as well, and enjoyed the food. Steamed Shiu Mai Dumplings Steamed Prawn Dumplings Steamed Shanghai Style Pork Dumplings (XLB) Steamed Rice Rolls with Yellow Chive and Prawns Pan Fried Eggplant with Shrimp Paste Stir Fried Sticky Rice with Chinese Sausage Steamed Beef Shortribs with Black Pepper Sauce
Sherman even hails it as one of the best dim sum spots in the GVR!! :O Okay, the bar was set high. The lineup outside looked promising. We ended up waiting 40 mins for a table -.- My grandma went a bit crazy with ordering, she ordered 10 dishes for the 4 of us haha!We ended up packing up 1/3 of it home! I have to say, I was quite impressed with her choices, I would've picked most of them myself! My grandma even told the server "She's a food blogger" haha!! Hey, way to blow my cover
MISS VANCOUVER PIGGY
+4.5
Western Lake is an occasional dim sum restaurant of mine but I have never been here for dinner! On a weekend evening, we made last minute reservations just in case the restaurant was busy and when we walked in, there was a family of six waiting for a seat by the entrance. The staff was very busy and no one paid attention to the door, however, when our reservation time came up, one of the waiters came to look for us. This was nice considering that we were not forgotten. The restaurant's interior is clean as well as simple and not too cramped. GINSENG CHICKEN SOUP, SCALLOPS WITH SNOW PEAS, LOBSTER IN CREAM AND BUTTER SAUCE, STEAMED TILAPIA, GREEN BEAN SOUP WITH TAPIOCA, AND BRAISED SQUAB . SOUP OF THE DAY, GINSENG CHICKEN SOUP ($18.80). Our waiter was kind and gave us a heads up that the soup is only available in one size which is usually meant for eight people. I thought that was nice of him considering there was only the two of us and some may be surprised at the huge bowl. However, i
We have passed by Western Lake Seafood Restaurant for many times. There is always a long line at the entrance and our friends highly recommend it to us. Steamed Rice Roll w/ 3 kinds of mushroom 三菇滑腸粉 Very smooth but one of them is too salty… Steamed Shiu-Mai 魚子北菇燒賣 We were astonished by its size!!! The hugest Shiu-Mai we have ever seen in Vancouver, haha. Blanded Lamb Slices with side Soy sauce 白灼小肥羊 We have seen this on many Dim Sum menu but…the sound of it didn’t arouse our appetite. This time we are “brave” enough to try and it tastes like it sounds. Bland. But I guess it’s in a good way though. Sauteed Chicken with black fungus and squash 金瓜雲耳炒雞片 Heavier than we thought. Not bad. Deep fried Prawn Dumpling with salad dressing 沙律明蝦角 This is my favourite dish>v< We could hardly finish it… In our opinion, the charm of Western Lake Seafoo
I have been to Western Lake for dim sum before and was impressed with their dim sum menu. However, due to the crowds, the line-ups and the limited parking during dim sum, I have not been there in a few years now. Since we had a reservation (and I wasn’t the one driving), I was excited about trying their dinner menu.
However, the restaurant is clean and with decent décor. If the food is good, I usually do not mind the atmosphere too much. With absolutely delicious dishes, you can bet I will be back, especially if I am craving prawns or eggplants!
At last a dim sum place that opens at 9 am, close to home, quality food and reasonable prices. But do hurry up, the line ups at Western Lake Chinese Seafood Restaurant begin close to 10 am. Another plus for this place is that there are clear coloured pictures of the dim sum plates, so one who reads no Chinese knows exactly what one is ordering. Deep fried stuffed pork dumplings - sweet and salty, definitely a repeat. Steamed Shanghai style pork dumplings - those were the only 'okay' dish. Steamed scallops with prawns dumplings - exceptional and seafood tasted very fresh. Pan fried eggplants with shrimp paste - the best in the city, with eggplants not overcooked. And the steamed rice flour roll wrap with Chinese donut is a treat not to be missed. Western Lake Chinese Seafood 4989 Victoria Drive Vancouver, BC 604-321-6862
The dumplings are HUGE! The congee is well seasoned, and the chinese-donut wrapped in rice rolls are pure genius. And guess what? The spare-ribs actually have chunks of meat on it.
Western Lake on Victoria Drive is my usual spot for dim sum. My fave dish here is the siu mai pork and prawn, baby-fist-size dumpling. They’re always so big, and juicy! Western Lake is a small restaurant, so there are often long waits for dim sum on a weekend morning. It can get very busy during special dates and holidays as well. For this visit, I felt like the service was good as we had a reasonable wait time and didn't feel rushed when a crowd was forming at the front. So good job!
The steamed shiu-mai dumplings were ridiculously big. I’ve never seen such massive dumplings. They were almost a bit too big since I had to break it up into multiple pieces to eat it. The mushroom, pork, and shrimp filling was flavourful and moist. These were good and definitely a great bang for your buck portion wise. The steamed prawn rice flour rolls
Western Lake Chinese Seafood 西湖海鮮酒家 on Victoria Drive offers good portions, quality and price. Their service is prompt and ingredients are always fresh. Over the weekend, we came here with a group of friends to take advantage of their King Crab + Beijing Duck dinner set for 10 – promotional price $338. With KC typically $30/lbs nowadays, this was a steal! Last year, crab alone was $200+ at Jade Seafood Restaurant and Excelsior . Crispy Beijing Duck Skin with Crepes: served on the side with simple garnishes and seafood hoisin sauce. The duck wasn’t very greasy and the warm crepes was fun wrap. Best of all there are crispy shrimp crackers on the bottom. Duck Meat with Lettuce Wrappers: the second course of the Beijing duck was of course the lettuce wrap. Diced and stir fried with chives and radish. Delicious with lettuce, on its own or even mixed with some rice. Shredded Duck Meat Soup with Dried Scallops: the last course of the Beijing duck was a soup. Thick and good texture simi
...this meal was very satisfying and my must order dish for future visits would definitely be the impressive shiu mai dumplings.
Meta Knight's favourite dish: Deep Fried Squid with Spicy Salt. I absolutely agree with him because the squid was not chewy, drowned in garlic spice, and deep fried to perfection. A bit too oily but that is to be expected of a deep fried dish. The dish behind is Rice Rolls in Clay Pot with Beef Inner. It actually says "beef inner" on the menu.
Western Lake provided us with a solid eating experience.
The food was really good and fresh! we were able to be seated outside and have delicious dim sum! It got packed after we got seated around 11:30am.
The waiters were very efficient and courteous. I loved the Chinese broccoli with garlic ! and everything else we picked felt fresh! Will definitely try out this place again
Very good tasting dim sum items that are large portions and priced similar to other restaurants. The pan fried shrimp and chive dumplings were nearly twice the size of others and tasted great. Overall very good. Very busy so make a reservation.
It’s my first time having lunch at Western Lake Seafood restaurant. Their portions are impressive and the overall taste is decent, even though we spent some time waiting for our spot. The most surprising dish is their shumai, super big and each one has more than five pawns. You can also order their frozen dim sums, probably for your lazy day meals or just a nutritious breakfast. Remember to order by phone, and pick up with a 10% off discount. Will come back someday soon, and try more dishes!
By far the best dim sum I’ve had, and I’ve had a few. Be aware the portion sizes are huge. Bigger than your standard size so don’t over order like I did. All made fresh at the restaurant with quality ingredients. Staff friendly as well. Worth a visit. Very busy so book or attend early.
Had dim sum at Western Lake, everyone’s review was not joking about how large the portion sizes are. Got the fish maw and crab meat soup that had huge chunks of real crab meat in it. Also got the steamed chicken rice dish that was so big, it was enough to feed two people for two meals. Got a bunch of other steamed dishes that were equally delicious! Everything is as yummy as it looks!
We had dinner with Peking duck and was amazing! The restaurant front is not so fancy but inside is nice. Service was ok. We also tried egg tofu, crab and other dishes.
The dim sum here remind me of home. So good and the environment is nice for family and friend gathering. Remember to make advance booking. Recommend their egg tarts and siu mai!!
If you want jumbo-sized portions for dim sum, this is the place to go! I kid you not, you’ll have shrimp dumplings and siu mai that are the size of a child’s fist here! Service was attentive and the quality was good but not great (to get those giant portions there’s a lot of fish paste as filler). The ambiance was also super cozy. If you’re going, I’d advise you call ahead to make a reservation as it can get very busy!
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