Had high expectations for this place. Sadly, it was just OK.
Parking: It was easy finding parking (11am on a Sunday). Apart from the mall parking, you could park near the GO station.
Crowds: Got seated with no wait time. We settled for one of the middle tables because all the booths were taken. - Tables were mostly Chinese families and the ambiance was certainly HK cafe-esque. Some tables were occupied by senior citizens reading Chinese dailies.
Decor: The decor is nice enough. High ceilings, white linen tablecloth, half-moon booths. However, how fancy can you really get within a (dying) retail mall?
Cost: Went for dimsum and got there before 1130am so S, M, L items were all $2.30. Made the mistake of ordering two items that were XL- those came in at 4.50. (Note the xiao long bao is XL).
Service: Was seated prompted. Food took a little bit to come out. Wait staff all assumed we spoke Cantonese. I'd say service was typical for a Chinese restaurant: efficient, albeit a bit brusque.
Food:
Ordered 8 items:
Good
- Shrimp Rice Roll (chao fun)
- Siomai- Not the best we've had, but good enough
- Tofu with shrimp - Tofu was steamed - really soft and jelly-like. Taste was mild but we liked the soft tofu texture and the broth
Bad
- Pork and duck egg congee
- xiao long bao - expected more. Yes, it seemed to have been executed well (hot soup intact) but taste left us wanting more. Did not think this was worth 4.50 for 4 small pieces
So-so
- durian pastry - it was ok. Could have done with more durian
- har gaw (shrimp siomai) - I thought it was tasty - wife thought otherwise
- Chives pancake - I order this every time I see it on any menu. So-so execution
What to try next time:
- Fried fish
- Pan fried buns
- Regular (non-dimsum) menu