Yes. We,re Eating Again.
+4
On Kingsway near Earles, TC looked a little worse for wear from the outside (power washing the awning would help a lot) but maybe that means that the food is so good that they don't care about the awning! Any way we threw caution to the winds and it turned out to be our best decision of Sunday morning! We were seated right away in the dining room which has evidently been rearranged to allow for social distancing. The Deep Fried Squid with Spicy Salt was very good. Everything was arriving at our table right out of the fryer or wok. The squid was hot and just pleasantly chewy. The jalapenos were not mild so one or two slices provided a pleasant burn. There was lots of garlic also. The Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce were nicely tender and flavourful. They were on the giant size and offered a lot to eat. At $6.75, these are a bit of a bargain compared to the "Chicken Paws" that we had a Cold Tea but really, you have to consider the surroundings and vibe. Not that there is anything wrong with the vibe here, but it is nowhere near as 'hip' as Cold Tea. These were some of the best Har Gow that we have ever had! The shrimp itself was just cooked and in surprisingly large pieces that maintained wonderful texture. There was a lot of the shrimp also. The wrapper was just thick enough to contain the filling. Perfect! The Steamed Chicken with Ginger Buns were also amazing. The ginger flavour was significant and made the buns into the ultimate comfort bite. Again, they weren't cheap with the filling. Don't miss these! We almost always order some version of rice roll. This one was Steamed Minced Beef with Rice Rolls and it was not our favourite. Not that there was anything wrong with how TC prepared it. The rice roll was tender and of nice texture but the minced meat is just a not too flavourful choice. We like this better with Chinese Donut. Finally, we had Deep Fried Minced Pork with Dried Shrimp Dumplings and these were pretty special also. Hot from the fryer and crispy on the outside. The filling was delicious. Order these also! So I love it when something unplanned works out well. Its good to be flexible. This turned out to be some of the best dim sum that we have had in a long time! As usual, we had a bunch of food to take home but a couple could easily eat here for under $40. The room is actually quite beautiful and comfortable. Our servers were friendly and efficient!
Top Cantonese Cuisine Restaurant is located in a cramped little mini mall on the corner of Kingsway and Earles in Vancouver. When we arrived for dinner on a weekend, we were surprised that it wasn’t overly busy (usually not a good sign for a Chinese restaurant). Almost upon arrival, our waiter was encouraging us to get their special Winter Melon Soup. If you’re Chinese, you’ve probably had winter melon soup before prepared at home. If not, just imagine a giant watermelon with white flesh on the inside that is fairly bland and tasteless. Usually, the flesh is diced into manageable chunks and the resulting soup is light and mild.
Good dim sum. Was disappointed that they don't have the carts to go round with the dim sum, but I liked the large and varied menu, so it gets a passing grade from me. Since this is a Cantonese restaurant, and since Cantonese is somewhat louder than Mandarin, AND since this is another one of those hugely popular Chinese restaurants, prepare yourself for the nearly deafening chatter beyond those burly doors. You might want to bring an extra cushion and a mobile device, because the wait time is long and you shall likely be sitting on those rock hard seats for a while longer than you expect.
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