dim sum – Page 3 – Elsie Hui

January 2, 2012January 4, 2012

Great Taste Chinese Restaurant

It was New Years Eve, and we wanted to grab a bite to eat to kill some time – and we found ourselves walking by what use to be one of our favourite Chinese places to eat… and noticed the place had changed names. So, out of curiosity, we went into what is now called Great Taste Chinese Restaurant

Since this wasn’t a meal, and we were looking for snack, we ordered really random snacks – which we really LOVED! Something I’ve always ate if I found, it would be Shanghai Style Sticky Rice (Savoury). These sticky rice are only availability on weekends only – so I was really happy it was a weekend when we popped in! We can pick from sweet or salty sticky rice, but I do prefer the salty ones.

Dumplings will also always be a great snack for me! It’s never too early or too late to eat dumplings, and here, they have Pan Fried Shanghai Style Pork Dumplings which we always remembered them as being like wor-tip (potstickers) pan fried to a nice crisp. I believe they make these dumplings themselves as it doesn’t look uniform – so I like to think it’s made of good quality pork dumpling filling. This filling is very flavourful and is perfect alone or with the vinegar dip they provide you with.

The last snack we had to order is Deep Fried Sweet Buns which is an Asian style bun made with either Hong Kong or Korean rice flour as it adds much more “bounce” in the dough. This bun is made with “threads” of the dough and then steamed. In this case, it is deep fried to a wonderful golden brown such that you get a crispy shell with a soft bun inside that shreds into strands/threads. This wonderful bun is then dipped to one of my all time favourite condiments – condensed milk. It’s a great vehicle to move condensed milk to my mouth – and when paired, it’s a great combination! The hot crisp of the exterior of the bun, the soft gooey strand inside of the bun with the sweet condensed milk sure make it a treat!

I’ve been trying to not use too many pictures in my blogs lately, but i have to post a picture of the “silver thread buns” interior as well! Even though this bun is cut into 3 pieces, it’s a great bun and I think the picture kind of shows it!

This was such a great place for simple Shanghai style snacks that I’m sure I’ll be back to eat here! I loved it before the new owners and I’m still loving it! I assume the owners changed, as the concept of the restaurant has changed – but the food is still really good.

Great Taste Chinese Restaurant

123 2nd Avenue SE
Calgary, AB T2G 0B2
403-265-9880

December 8, 2011December 8, 2011

U & Me Restaurant – Dim Sum

I’ve been meaning to try U & Me for dim sum for a long time, and we just haven’t gotten to it as it was always “out of the way”. Chinatown parking isn’t the easiest or the cheapest, so we like to go on Sundays… but, parking then is difficult as there’s Chinese school and other activities that go on. But, U & Me does have a few parking spots that they dedicate to their customers – which is great, but when we got there, it was full on this Saturday morning.

We just paid the parking in a paid lot as we didn’t want to waste our time and energy finding a spot. We made it to U & Me and what appeared to be a back door. It was interesting, but we got seated quite quickly and into a back room. The place was already starting to get packed!

We were seated by the window which was quite nice. Our tea, and slips to mark off which dim sum we wanted came instantaneously! So, we just marked a few items, and waited. The wait time wasn’t bad at all, and the food was really good!

We ordered the Shrimp & Scallop Tart since it was something we’ve never heard of or tried, and it came out in a bamboo basket but the dumpling of shrimp sat inside of a tart made of the Chinese white buns! It was really unique and it looked great too! A fairly large piece of scallop sat on top of the tart and it was very exquisite!

From there, we tried another dish we’ve never tried before, and it’s the Pan Friend Country Fish Cake which was actually deep fried in my opinion – and not pan fried! It was fried to perfection as the colouring was perfect, the crunch was intense and the food inside the dumpling wasn’t over or under cooked! Inside the deep fried wonton wrap was fish paste and it was seasoned wonderfully and it tasted great! This was a hit dish for me! I really enjoyed it!

From there, we went to things we like that is more typical. Of course, I ordered my favourite Steamed Beef Tripe with Ginger & Onion as I do at any dim sum place I go to (unless it wasn’t good one too many times). They made this decent, but it wasn’t my favourite. The flavours seemed to be a little watered down and it just didn’t feel like it was freshly steamed. I am afraid to say it, but I think it was a left over from the day before and they just steamed it back up! The texture of the tripe was tender, but it was dry and hard along the edges – which steaming food doesn’t normally do that!

U & Me - Steamed Beef Tripe with Ginger & Onion

As another common item – the popular and famous Steamed Shrimp Dumplings which everyone who goes to dim sum knows how to order “Ha-Gow”! So, we ordered it as well, as many people say they’re delicious here! Guess what? They were delicious! Inside the steam basket was 4 large shrimp dumplings and 1 smaller one in the center – probably for visual interest, and it was spectacular! The shrimp was sweet, and it wasn’t mushy at all! It was very succulent, and the skin was quite thin! I wouldn’t go as far as calling it the thinnest or anything, but compared to many places, it was quite translucent! So, well done on the shrimp dumplings!

The last savoury dish we enjoyed was something I loved as a child and rarely see it done the same way anymore. The dish I’m talking about is Steamed Cuttlefish in Curry Sauce. I know, gross you may think – but don’t mock anything till you try it. Most of the things I like does have either an acquired taste or texture, and I think that’s why I like it! It’s not the same as everything else! But, these cuttlefishes was large enough where there’s lots of texture to it. It was soft and tender and the curry sauce was perfect. The consistency of the sauce coats the cuttlefish perfectly – and this was one of my favourite dishes of the visit!

U & Me - Steamed Cuttlefish in Curry Sauce

Then, we end with a sweet dish for dessert, the Steamed Cream Custard Cake which is something I order often. It’s an eggy dish as some would say, but it’s basically a steamed sponge cake made into layers and held together with cream custard. It’s really good and they’re never overly sweet. The cake is filling but it’s really light.

U & Me offers a huge selection of dim sum throughout the day which is unique on it’s own. The dim sum and sweets are excellent, in fact it is one of the best dim sum in the city! This is a location I will definitely consider going back to as the selection, taste, and price was all exceptional!

The dessert after hours (around 8pm to 10pm) and food is wonderful too! Be sure to try out late night snacks at U & Me!

U & Me Restaurant

223 Centre St S
Calgary, AB T2G
(403) 264-5988

October 25, 2011February 29, 2012

U & Me Restaurant in Calgary for Dessert

We made it to U & Me for dessert this one evening after eating up and being dissapointed with their dessert. So, we made a quick stop for a re-do, and it was the best re-do I’ve had in quite some time.

We ordered Deep Fried Crispy Milk 脆皮炸鮮奶 which was really delicious. They deep fried these milk balls to perfection and it was seasoned wonderfully. Of course, it comes with the little plate of sugar for you to dip your little fried balls into. The inside was warm and smooth custard texture and it was really enjoyable. If you want to make Deep Fried Crispy Milk at home, here’s a simple recipe!

One of my favourite dim sum is the Steamed Sweet Cream Buns 香滑奶皇飽 and I’m really happy we ordered it. It was steamed really nice here, and it wasn’t over steamed such that the buns were soggy. The cream inside was really smooth and creamy, sweet and delicious.

Finally, the last dessert we enjoyed was Chilled Mango Pudding 香芒滑布甸 which isn’t too extraordinary, but they did do a good job here. It was quite full of mango flavour – even though it didn’t have chunks of mango it, it did have slices of mango on the side – then everything was drizzled with evaporated milk.

We’ve never had dim sum from U & Me and with food quality like this in the evening, I’m really wanting to come here for dim sum on a weekend morning one day soon! What a great place!! This place is opened daily until 4am, and that’s impressive. It must be the one and only place that has such extended hours!

Here’s a review on the Dim Sum from U & Me!

U & Me Restaurant

223 Centre St S
Calgary, AB T2G
(403) 264-5988

August 30, 2011August 30, 2011

Harbour City

We recently went back to Harbour City after many years of trying new places, and Harbour City being one of our favourites, we chose to go there again. The quality of food has decreased, unless it’s the same, but we’ve been eating much better dim sum. But, it’s still not bad at all. We’ve definitely had worse, and for it’s price, it’s quite reasonable! (you pay what you get! – Reasonable price, reasonable food)

One thing I like most about Harbour City is the fact they still do it “old style” meaning they still bring out the bamboo steamers table side with a cart/trolley. Many restaurants have switched to a sheet of paper and they’ll just take out what you’ve ordered. I really enjoy the old style, but it always makes me over eat – since they always bring something that looks really good to the table side. This is really good from the restaurant business perspective though!

We’ve tried our typical items as always to compare and contrast: Shrimp dumpling (or known to lots as Har Gow) here was really large, and the shrimp was decent. It didn’t have any odd tastes or anything, but the texture isn’t as crisp as “fresh” shrimp dumplings. The skin was relatively thin, it’s standard for dim sum places in Calgary. One bamboo ste4amer comes with 4 large shrimp dumplings.

Another would be the Pork Dumplings (known as Siu Mai) was another really large portion! This bamboo steamer came with 4 large siu mai’s and they were really good! Pork Dumplings is something you really can’t go wrong in when you’re eating or making! Of course, it’s just minced pork with some Chinese mushrooms, and sometimes shrimp basically!

The Chicken Feet wasn’t something I enjoyed from Harbour City. This is one of the items I remember loving, and it’s changed. It’s as though it was a left over, and they added water to the chicken feet to heat it back up. If you look at the picture, the colours seemed washed out… well, it looked like that! The skin was falling apart, as were the bones (really over cooked) and it was unfortunately kind of tasteless in flavour. I am not sure if it’s just my steamer that was like that, or if it has changed or what’s going on, but I’m almost afraid to try it again from here! 🙁

Moving on though, the lady who pushed the dim sum to us kept asking if we wanted Spareribs so eventually we caved and got some. Funny thing though, she didn’t give us spare-ribs, she gave us Pork Tendons! After it arrived on the table, I looked at it and said “it’s not cooked, spareribs shouldn’t be translucent!” until I realized it’s not. It was really good though, the black pepper sauce was extremely peppery. But, because it wasn’t something I wanted, I didn’t bother finishing it. I wasn’t about to argue with anyone either, so I just ate as much as I could and left the rest.

One of my old time favourites that I seem to only be able to get from Harbour City is the Shrimp balls with corn which is a steamed ball with shrimp in it, with corn kernels on the outside. It sounds weird, I know, but the balance of flavour and texture actually works! The sweet and crispness of corn, and the chewy ball of shrimp – it’s actually really good! It’s one of those dishes that you have to have when you’re here! I know a lot of people that don’t like it though…

And, the highlight of this dim sum trip would be the Curry Cuttlefish and it’s my highlight not because it’s extra good or anything… it’s more the fact I haven’t had it for almost 2 years from anywhere, and I saw it, and I had to order it. It’s one of those things I didn’t expect to have at the end, but I just had to. And, am I ever glad I did! The texture was great, the flavours were there, it was just an all round great dish! I’m not sure why I don’t order this more often…

Last but not least, it’s a BBQ Pork Pineapple Bun, and it’s basically a BBQ Pork Bun, but inside what the Chinese call a Pineapple Bun from the top of the bun that mimics the look of a pineapple. It’s a sweet pastry bun, with a crumbly crunchy top. The top is similar to a cookie, and the bun itself is soft sweet – it’s a wonderful bun by itself also.

Weird thing about this trip, I didn’t get Beef Tripe, mainly because I didn’t see it being pushed passed my table, or they pushed it, and didn’t say anything to me. Oh well, I’m happy with most my meal here at Harbour City! Few things I never really understood about this restaurant, it’s the awkwardness of the location where you pay the bill… it’s tucked away in the corner, with spare tables and chairs. It’s quite a mess there, and I don’t know why they did it this way. And, the place is painted dark blue… which isn’t really an Asian colour… so, if I was to hold a special event, I’m not sure I’d pick it from the colours. It’s not going to look nice in pictures! Oh well, those are just some funny things I thought up of… and regardless of those weirdness, I enjoyed my experience here at Harbour City again, even though it’s changed.

Harbour City

302 Centre St S
Calgary, AB
(403) 269-8888

August 11, 2011March 11, 2019

Urban Rice

Dim Sum is always something I crave – maybe it’s because I’m Chinese, or maybe it’s because I don’t know how to make it… or, it’s the fact I live so far away from the Chinese communities I feel a little “home sick”. Regardless, dim sum is something I enjoy as it’s part of my heritage.

Urban Rice is a location that was recommended to me by a good friend. I’ve been to their previous location and loved it, so I’ll just follow them around like the hungry person that I am. It’s been really nice with all the festivals at Olympic Plaza downtown as I can fulfill my cravings in Chinatown, since it’s not far distance apart!

We were seated in a pretty big table – a table for 4 people, maybe they knew I’ll eat a lot or something, but I appreciated that! They didn’t try to cram me into the corner or anything like most Chinese restaurants. The place was was quite full when we got in, and we could smell all the dim sum. We quickly sat down and mark off on a sheet of all the goodies I wanted to try!

We had our few favourites such as Beef Tripe, Chicken Feet and Turnip Cake which turned out really well! I pretty much ate the entire dish of chicken feet all by myself! 🙂 I didn’t realize until the end, and I had all the bones on my plate! No questions about it, I ate the beef tripe, and my other half ate all the turnip cake! We had nothing to complain about! (Well, it seemed like the food could use a little more salt, but that didn’t make the food bad.)

Ok, the beef tripe wasn’t as tender as it should be, but it was still tender enough to eat it! The flavour of the ginger and green onion was really nice too! I like to add a bit of hot sauce to my beef tripe, and it was really good. The chicken feet was the most flavourful dish of them all! Soaked in it’s sauce, and cooked till fall off the bone it really wasn’t a surprise when I ate the whole dish!

We also ordered some specialty items on the item as well, and another favourite of mines would be the Shanghai Style Pork Dumplings which I actually get some frozen ones from T&T Supermarket at steam at home for when I’m carving dim sum that badly, and it’s just out of my reach! 🙂 The skin was a little thick, but the dumpling altogether was really good! I of course like to dip it in the vinegar because that’s the way it’s eaten! The best thing about this dish is the fact it came with 5 pieces — which means I got to eat 3 of them!

Overall, I quite enjoy this location, as it’s got big portions of food, and they have lots of items to try out. The best part of this experience was all the dim sum was $3.25, which made the entire experience seem a little extra delicious at the end of the day when our bill was just slightly over $20!!!

Urban Rice

104- 108 3rd Ave SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 984-3380