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| - This is one of the few standout restaurants of the far West End. Tucked away in the bowels of the Doubletree Hotel, it's easy to pass up simply because it's so well hidden, and the airport area's really not known for its food. This place is a total gem: while the service can be oddly snooty and disinterested at times, and some of the mains are average, the dim sum's wonderful and in my experiences in Toronto, second only to Lai Wah Heen downtown.
Fair warning: I've only dined her twice. Which is to say, I've seen virtually none of their extensive menu. I had a perfunctory but largely forgettable General Tao here, but I've heard good things about their more traditional, less Americanized dishes. Beyond that all I've eaten is the dim sum, all of which was very good. Some standouts, in the menu order:
Har Gau, Crystal Prawn Dumpling - This isn't the most exciting item on the menu, but for me it's a must, and they do an exceptional version here. There are bunches of whole shrimp in these things, giving the filling has a wonderful texture. The skin of the dumpling is chewy and tender. It would be easy to skimp on such a common offering, but they've really gone all-out here to do a great job on what's often a boring standby.
Siu Mai, Pork Dumpling With Scallop and Fish Roe - This is exactly as it sounds, and it's delicious. An oversized perfect piece of siu mai, each dumpling is topped with a thinly-sliced piece of scallop that adds a bit of silky texture and light flavor, which is in turn topped with salty fish roe that adds an element of crunch. It's really good.
Deluxe Steamed Barbecue Pork Bun - Fluffy white buns with cloud-like consistency, each packed with a ton of rich, sweet, barbecued pork. Simple and delicious, it's one of the best barbecue pork buns in the city.
Sticky Rice Filled With Assorted Meats Wrapped And Steamed In Lotus Leaf - I often find that in this dish, the lotus flavor overpowers everything else, leaving the meat filling to taste like a flavorless mush. Not so here, as the lotus flavor plays well with the filling to create a rare harmony.
Steamed Coconut Flavour Bun - These are sweet, light, fluffy, and delicious. They're also kind of big, so be aware of that when you're ordering them. I saved these for last the first time I had dim sum here, and since portions all around were larger than I expected, it was like I was force-feeding myself tasty dessert clouds. I felt like Kirby. But yeah, they're good!
Pan Fried Bun With Minced Chicken And Pumpkin In Black Bean Garlic Sauce - Mother of god, speaking of things that were surprisingly large... These buns are, by dim sum standards, huge. They're also PACKED with hefty ingredients; they've got a sort of salty exterior, and then inside you hit the savory chicken and the subtle sweetness of the pumpkin. These are a big highlight for me, but yeah - they're large, and they're heavy. Don't order this thinking you're getting a light fluffy steamed bun. These things have alot of body to them, and a ton of flavor. I highly recommend them.
I could've sworn I had some sort of crab dumpling here, too. But I'm not seeing it on the menu. If it did exist, and I wasn't just having the Chinese cuisine equivalent of acid flashbacks to a previous trip to Lai Wah Heen, I'm sure it was great. None of the dim sum here missed the mark.
This place is great and doesn't get nearly the press it deserves. If you're ever trapped eating by the airport, make Grand Chinese your go-to.
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