Quest for the Best Dim Sum in Winnipeg

Quest for the Best Dim Sum in Winnipeg

When I was young, Winnipeg had three restaurants that served dim sum, all of which sat within a dilapidated block known as Chinatown.  Back then, no self-respecting Chinese person would consider dining anywhere but the big three because all you’d find is chicken balls and sweet and sour pork that shouldn’t even be called Chinese food. 

As Winnipeg ethnic diversities grew, dim sum started appearing outside of the Chinatown gate.  An Asian population growth at the University of Manitoba now associatively brings a Chinese flavour to the south end of the city.  Today, you still find dim sum downtown but some south end restaurants also include it in their menus.  Asian grocery stores also see frozen dim sum if you want to reheat at home.

Dim sum describes a type of Chinese food that you normally enjoy at lunch.  Originating in southern China, dim sum literally translates to “touching the heart” or selectively choosing foods that one loves.  The southern Cantonese also refer to dim sum as drinking tea or “yum cha,” in reference to the traditional tea that’s always drank with dim sum.  Traditional dim sum comes on rolling carts, where you order what looks appealing.  Today, you see more of the mark-off menu, where you write down what you want.

Dim sum consists of a fair variety of foods, including rice with meats, congee, deep fried dumplings and steamed dumplings.  In searching for Winnipeg’s finest dim sum, I isolate five common dim sum entrees, which form the basis of what’s commonly ordered:  shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings, beef dumplings, beef rice noodles and spring rolls. 

Dumplings should come plump and juicy, not overly fat and not containing too much oil.  Seafood should taste fresh and deep fried foods should taste crispy and not greasy.  Dim sum is traditionally eaten in one bite, but the portions should be large enough to fill you up without having to order a table-full.  Prices vary slightly between the restaurants but all of them separate into large, medium and small dishes. 

New Hong Kong Snack House:

• Shrimp dumplings:  Small and a little fishy.  I’m not sure if I like the roe in the dumpling.
• Pork dumplings:  Small, very dense, and very doughy. 
• Beef dumplings:  not available
• Beef rice noodles:  not available
• Spring rolls:  did not come

42.5/100

Southland:

• Shrimp dumplings:  Dumplings are huge but have no flavour.
• Pork dumplings:  The abundance of fatty meat leaves you feeling bloated.
• Beef dumplings:  Too much water in the blend leaves the texture spongy.
• Beef rice noodles:  The layer of grease hides the true taste of the roll.
• Spring rolls:  They might have tasted good at one time but after a tanning session under the heat lamps, they’re cooked to death.

52/100

Noodle Express:

• Shrimp dumplings:  The dumplings are made the traditional way, but some have a funny taste.
• Pork dumplings:  The modest-sized pork has quite a bit of fatty meat.
• Beef dumplings:  The beef looks pale and doesn’t have as much colour as some; there’s also not as much Worchestershire.
• Beef rice noodles:  These are well done with lots of beef.
• Spring rolls:  The rolls are nicely fried with a great assortment of vegetables in the stuffing.  These rolls are smaller than usual, like Vietnamese rolls.

69/100

Golden Terrace:

• Shrimp dumplings:  These dumplings are made the old fashioned way, with ground and mushy shrimps (many of today’s dumplings come with whole shrimps, rather than mashed).
• Pork dumplings:  The pork dumplings are a good size but over-seasoned.
• Beef dumplings:  There’s a little too much vinegar in the seasoning.
• Beef rice noodles:  The noodles have good consistency but there’s barely any meat.
• Spring rolls:  The rolls are overcooked and dry.  Stuffing contains taro, which is a difficult ingredient to accustom to.

71.5/100

Victoria: 

• Shrimp dumplings:  The thin dough falls apart easily.  There is no substance to hold the shrimps together; thus the cover breaks and the shrimps fall out all over your plate.  Eating the shrimps individually reveals the bland components of the dumpling.
• Pork dumplings:  The dumplings come juicy and plump with nice flavour and not too much MSG.
• Beef dumplings:  The beef has nice flavour and balance, not too acidic and not too doughy.
• Beef rice noodles:  The noodles are not too oily and have a fair amount of meat, although the meat is under-seasoned.
• Spring rolls:  The rolls are a little over-fried and dry.  The stuffing is nice and not too oily.

76.5/100

Yea Dim Sum:

• Shrimp dumplings:  Dumplings are made the traditional way, mashed and reformed.  They’re smallish, meaning bite sized.
• Pork dumplings:  The nice looking pork dumplings are also bite-sized but a little one-dimensional.
• Beef dumplings:  The beef could use some more flavouring and texture.
• Beef rice noodles:  The noodles are nice and tasty without being too greasy.
• Shrimp rolls:  This version comes stuffed with beef and vegetables.  The large-cut of beef’s a little tough.

81/100

Dim Sum Gardens:

• Shrimp dumplings:  These dumplings are also made the old fashioned way, with ground and mushy shrimps.
• Pork dumplings:  The plump pork dumplings have lots of meat and little fat.
• Beef dumplings:  The beef tastes traditionally tart and astringent with a vinegar backbone.
• Beef rice noodles:  The noodles are fat free and swimming in delicious Japanese soy.
• Spring rolls:  The rolls taste crispy, well-fried, and have good stuffing.

82/100

Jing Jing:

• Shrimp dumplings:  Course ground shrimp fits in the nicely formed wrap.
• Pork dumplings:  Nicely made with good, pure pork flavour.
• Beef dumplings:  Excellent beef with lots of water chestnut to add texture.
• Beef rice noodles:  No rice noodles available.
• Spring rolls:  The rolls are the weakness.  They’re nicely fried but poor rolling job leaves a flat and squashed looking roll.  The filling consists of a mushy, ground mixture that may be a challenge for many diners. 

83.8/100

Kum Koon:

• Shrimp dumplings:  They offer several different kinds of shrimp dumplings, including the new method of having whole shrimps, as well as the traditional method with mashed shrimps.
• Pork dumplings:  These gigantic dumplings have moist meat, small amount of fat and great flavour.
• Beef dumplings:  The beef is a little heavy on the Worchestershire but not overwhelming.  The size is a little smaller than average.
• Beef rice noodles:  The noodles are not very greasy and there’s good meat to noodle ratio, but the overall size is a little small.
• Spring rolls:  The rolls taste crispy, well-fried and have an excellent combo of meat to veggie stuffing.

84.5/100

North Garden:

• Shrimp dumplings:  Dumplings are made the traditional way, blended with some whole shrimps—nice combo.
• Pork dumplings:  The monstrous pork dumpling comes with a layer of shrimps on top.
• Beef dumplings:  The beef doesn’t have as much colour as some, and not as much Worchestershire, but it has nice texture with bits of waterchestnut.
• Beef rice noodles:  The noodles are nice and tasty without being too greasy.
• Shrimp rolls (regular spring rolls not available):  The rolls are nicely fried without too much grease.

86/100

	Shrimp dumplings	Pork dumplings	Beef dumplings	Beef rice noodles	Spring rolls
New Hong Kong
Size /4	2	2	n/a	n/a	n/a
Construction /6	3	1	n/a	n/a	n/a
Taste / 10	6	3	n/a	n/a	n/a
Total:  42.5	11	6
Southland:
Size /4	4	3	3	2	3
Construction /6	5	3	4	4	2
Taste / 10	4	6	4	3	2
Total:  52	13	12	11	9	7
Noodle Express:
Size /4	2	2	2	2.5	2
Construction /6	5	4.5	4	4.5	5
Taste / 10	5	7	6.5	8	9
Total:  69	12	13.5	12.5	15	16
Golden Terrace:
Size /4	4	3	3.5	3	3
Construction /6	4	5.5	5.5	3	5
Taste /10	8	8	7	6	3
Total:  71.5	16	16.5	16	12	11
Victoria:
Size /4	4	3.5	3	3	3
Construction /6	2	6	5	6	4
Taste /10	5	9	8	8	7
Total:  76.5	11	18.5	16	17	14
Yea Dim Sum
Size /4	3	3	3	4	2
Construction /6	6	6	5	6	2
Taste / 10	9	9	8	9	6
Total:  81	18	18	16	19	10
Dim Sum Garden:
Size /4	3	3	3.5	3	4
Construction /6	5	5	4	5	5.5
Taste /10	9	8	8	8	8
Total:  82	17	16	15.5	16	17.7
Jing Jing
Size /4	2.5	3.5	3.5	n/a	3
Construction /6	6	5.5	6	n/a	4
Taste / 10	9	9	10	n/a	5
Total:  83.8	17.5	18	19.5		12
Kum Koon:
Size /4	3	4	3	2.5	3
Construction /6	5	6	4	6	6
Taste /10	9	8.5	7.5	8	9
Total:  84.5	17	18.5	14.5	16.5	18
North Garden:
Size /4	4	4	3.5	3	3
Construction /6	5	5.5	6	5	5
Taste / 10	9	9	9	7	8
Total:  86	18	18.5	18.5	15	16