dim sum at pearl harbourfront

I'm such a sucker for dim sum. To me, it's the perfect mid-Saturday morning meal. And while I mostly frequent the Chinatown dim sum joints for convenience, I recently checked out Pearl Harbourfront for a change of scenery. With views overlooking Toronto's harbour, the Pearl has a more upscale feel than the dim sum places I'm used to. They do offer cart service, but if the dining room isn't very full (like when I was there) they ask you to order off a menu. The food quality is definitely a step up from Chinatown. Everything tasted fresh and homemade. The price ended up being a few dollars more, but totally worth it. 

From top to bottom: haam siu gok (glutinous rice dumpling stuffed with pork); har gow (steamed shrimp dumplings); crispy deep-fried squid tentacles; bbq pork cheung fun (rice noodle roll); siu mai (steamed pork and shrimp dumplings); steamed black bean spareribs.

Pearl Harbourfront

207 Queens Quay W.

ding tai fung

Ding Tai Fung specializes in Shanghai-style dim sum and whenever I find myself in Markham, I always stop in for a quick meal. I'm not a dim sum expert, but I think that Shanghai style consists of mostly steamed dumplings along with some pan-fried versions (not a lot of deep-fried items like at regular dim sum places). And there is no cart service since everything is steamed/fried to order.

Always go for the xiao long bao or soup dumplings. These are the most popular and for good reason: they are really, really delicious. Be warned though, they are scalding hot inside. Use your chopsticks to gently pick one up and place it in your soup spoon. Nibble a little hole into the skin, slurp out the soup, then chow down on the rest of the dumpling. I like to dip mine in a mixture of vinegar, soy, chili oil and fresh ginger.

The sticky rice shu mai are ok, but seriously heavy. The sticky rice is mixed with a small amount of pork and mushrooms then wrapped in dumpling skin and steamed. One or two is usually my max.

The fried chicken soup is another one of my faves though not on the dim sum side of the menu. The dish is composed of two parts: the soup (pictured above) which has noodles (I think they are handmade), greens and pork, plus...

...A plate of toppings: soy sauce boiled egg, seasoned soybean sprouts, fermented chopped vegetables and a very crispy boneless fried chicken thigh. I throw everything on top of the soup and season it with a bit more chili oil, vinegar and soy. So utterly comforting on a cold day.

Ding Tai Fung Shanghai Dim Sum

3235 Hwy 7 E. 

Markham, ON.

weekend bites

I stayed in the city over the long weekend and I felt like all I did was eat. Starting with Friday morning dim sum at Dim Sum King:

I also tried the new self-serve frozen yogurt joint that opened up down the street. It was ok, but nothing I'd rush back for.

Nadège was super busy all weekend, but I managed to squeeze in for a trio of mini canelés and a few macarons (green tea, cotton candy and salted caramel). The bright pink cotton candy was surprisingly my favourite. I think it's time for another trip to Paris.

The ice cream trucks are out and I couldn't resist grabbing my first street cone of the year:

Happy long weekend!

dim sum king

Ever since Bright Pearl closed down for "renovations" I've been searching for a good dim sum place with carts. Over the weekend I decided to check out Dim Sum King, a new-ish restaurant on the third floor of a random Chinatown mall on Dundas St. Funny enough, I recognized a lot of the cart ladies from Bright Pearl (maybe they got head-hunted for their cart skills?). I got there just before 11 a.m. and by noon the tables were filling up quickly. The usual dim sum fare was offered up hot and fresh and I happily walked out stuffed. 

Top to bottom: sweet beef ribs; char siu bao (bbq pork buns); deep-fried shrimp dumplings; har gow (steamed shrimp dumplings) and siu mai (pork and shrimp dumplings); haam sui gok (savoury deep-fried glutinous rice dumplings); black bean spareribs; rice flour roll with shrimp.

Dim Sum King

421 Dundas St. W, 3rd floor

saturday dim sum

Rol San doesn't have the cart ladies that I love so much, but the dim sum is always fresh and consistent. Plus, even though you'll most likely have to wait in line if it's a weekend, the dishes come out fast. Our table was overflowing with baskets and plates just 10 minutes after ordering.

Rol San

323 Spadina Ave.