I've been trying to hold off on this review as long as possible but I just had to give in after my last visit to Rol Son. Dim sum is more than just a bunch of dumplings sitting in bamboo steamers. It's a culinary experience like no other. On with the review:
+++PROS+++
1. Everything comes out steamingly fresh
2. Decent quality for downtown dim sum
3. Bathroom is not haunted (see Bright Pearl)
4. No visible mice droppings, which is always a plus for any restaurant in Chinatown
---CONS---
1. You order off the menu. A big part of the dim sum experience is to see those old Chinese ladies wheeling around those dim sum carts barking "ha gow! shui mai!". You don't get this here.
2. No fear. Part of the real dim sum experience is the fear that the dish you really want to eat won't actually be available when you go. Ordering off a menu eliminates this fear.
3. No fried taro balls - blasphemy! My favorite dim sum dish isn't even served here! The menu is a bit limited as well.
4. Too many whiteys. There's a lot of gwai los that come to this place, which makes me think that the old Chinese couples are dining it up at another finer dim sum establishment. But where are they?
5. Busy, long waits. Don't show up during prime dim sum hours expecting a table in anything less than 20 minutes.
Overall, 3.5 stars.