Amazing dim sum and hot tea! Ideal location for those craving Chinese cuisine and dim sum which is on the way to downtown Calgary. Located in a huge building shared with other Asian businesses. Free parking in back lot. Enter through the doors and walk up stairs. Huge restaurant, round tables ideal for conversations and lively. Request from employees and choose dim sum in the carts that goes around. Many of the items listed in English will indicate dumplings for dim sum. If you're familiar with Cantonese or Mandarin language and terminology, use it. This will work to your advantage. If you do not see the preferred items you'd like in the cart, kindly ask to order. For example, my son craved for steamed char siu bao. We didn't see it roll out from the carts during lunch. We kindly asked for one order of steamed char siu bao. Chefs made it, we waited patiently, and staff brought it out within ten minutes. Water refills given too. Excellent customer service. Highly recommend. read more

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Came here during recent Calgary trip - Service was pretty quick despite being a busy Sunday morning - seated after a short wait - they have the carts rolling around here! Which is nice to see, as most of those have vanished nowadays. Food was pretty average - I don't really have any complaints, nor compliments unfortunately. Nothing stood out as outstanding or bad. Worth a visit if you are craving dim sum - read more

Central Grand Restaurant - Dim Sum Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

My family has long adored this joint and I realized this past visit, that I have never written about it. First off, it has the rolling carts. You know how food just tastes better outside? Dim sum tastes amazing off rolling carts, right? You walk in to walls papered with copious amounts of photo's showing a hodgepodge of celebs and people who have sampled the food. Fun! The servers are pro's! I have always found everyone very kind, especially considering how many people they are servicing (competently). We have never lacked for water or tea and always gotten the dishes we were craving. The variety of food is great. Sometimes the squid is more tender than others or the doughnuts more crispy, but it is good every time. Their other menu items like pea shoots in garlic are also lovely accompaniments. Go early on weekends so you can get a parking spot in the mall lot and avoid the long line up. There is an elevator for those who find stairs an issue. There is also a store that sells frozen dim sum to take home in the same mall and an Asian bakery if you are so inclined. read more

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Came here to celebrate my mom's birthday. We made reservations and good thing we did as it was packed on Saturday for dinner. The restaurant is on the top floor of a mall type building. There is some parking lower and upper floor as well as street parking. We were seated right away and the place was loud with all the people. Some highlights from the meal were the Fish Maw soup was really good with big pieces. The shrimp balls were huge. The lobster in cream sauce with noodles was delicious. Steamed fish was great and they cut it at the table. The pork hock which took awhile was tender and flavourful. We also ordered additional noodles as we were celebrating a birthday and got some birthday buns. We also got red bean dessert and oranges. Staff were great. Food came out hot and tasty. It has been so long since we've been back. Hopefully, we will be back again earlier than the last time. read more

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I enjoyed this place, came here twice in my short trip to Calgary. Dim Sum was good and dinner was good. I see some Yelpers complaining about the service, but I felt it was professional. Compared to Golden Sands, the decor, bathroom cleanliness, food quality, they were all superior here. I would be back again if I ever visit Calgary in the future. read more

I tried out Dim Sum at Central Grand Restaurant a few months ago. Overall, I'd give my experience 8/10. Highlights include: - Siu Mai: 8.3/10 - Tofu Dessert: 8.5/10 - Shrimp Roll: 7.8/10 read more

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Super authentic Cantonese food. They have a lot of set menu options that are pretty good at giving variety if you want to order something quick and easy for a large party. They have plenty of space and good amount of parking in the mall space. We got a ton of food for a family dinner but some of the stand outs were the salted egg yolk fried tofu (crisp, rich, umami), braised mushroom and Chinese broccoli as a healthy option, deep fried chicken as super flavorful crisp skin awesomeness. They also have white cut chicken which tastes super clean and good with the scallion sauce. Everything is simple but executed very well. We came back the next day for dim sum and have to say that was very mixed bag. The stuff on the push carts wasn't super fresh or flavorful (fried items, rice rolls, fried rice), but anything hot from the kitchen was very good (siu mai, har gao, any fried noodle dish). So just be aware. read more

as a traveler from California, is the best dimsum I had so far in North America. Very authentic and they come in not too small. There are a lot of local chinese customer, so must be good to get locals here. They are very nice and great services. Just seeing how they interact with their long term customer, you know manga always return and the place is not so big, not they not selling a pretty restaurant vibe, but definitely the taste of the dimsum. Highly recommend the egg tart! read more

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Came for dinner with relatives who were regulars at this restaurant. It is on the second floor of an older Asian mall. The restaurant wasn't fancy and was very busy on a Saturday night. You have to make reservations, otherwise go after the dinner rush. Very authentic Cantonese food. Would definitely recommend and would come back. read more

Cheerful busy place near Centre St. N and the TransCanada, with lots of nearby parking. We had dim sum which we chose from servers circulating with carts loaded with delicious choices. Big space with lots of tables and pictures of famous guests on the entrance wall. Good choice for dim sum. read more

I've always wanted the Dim Sum Experience and was pleasantly surprised when my Chinese hosts suggested it for lunch and they acted as guides through the ordering process. Ladies with carts of various tidbits soliciting you to try whatever. I found it all delicious, the atmosphere authentic, and service immediate. Interestingly, my hosts did not, complaining about cold, improper preparation! But they're not on Yelp, so it was lucky day for the restaurant! read more

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Very good Chinese food . Excellent and recommended. Every times eating there I am feeling like in Hongkong or Chinese country.

Hopping busy, this dim sum place! It's the traditional way of serving dim sum via carts. One of the last few in YYC. Ordered steamed shrimp and shark fish dumplings, taro cake, deep fried taro and pork puffs, Bbq pork buns, beef innards, and great dessert like taufu fah. If you finish eating a dim sum dish, place dish at the edge of the table, it will be whisked away from your table in minutes. read more

Central Grand Restaurant - Beef Innards (ngau kan) - Dim Sum Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Since my parents were down to visit, we decided to stop for dim sum lunch at Central Grand Chinese restaurant. I have been to this restaurants several times over the years so it is a nice familiar choice. Atmosphere: 3/5 The restaurant is located on the second floor of a mall, which has several shops including an Asian grocery store and two frozen dim sum stores that we like to shop at. Parking may be difficult at times but we managed on this weekday noon. For lunch, only one side of the restaurant was open. It was nice to still see the traditional carts but it was also possible to order from a menu. The decor is interesting esp with photos of the owners with many Asian celebrities. Overall comfortable and noise level is ok - still moderately busy despite it being a late lunch on a weekday. Food: 4/5 We had their signature soup with noodles, sticky rice, shrimp dumpling, and squid. All the dishes were tasty - for example the sticky rice was actually made of the authentic type of rice and had a lot of toppings which is not found in other dim sum restaurants. By the time we got ready to order, it was getting late so there was less variety from the carts, but the food was still good. Price: 3.5/5 Overall reasonable Service: 2.5/5 Likely below average esp the owners' attitude at times; also I found it strange that if paying by cash, there is no tray for change therefore no chance to tip. Overall: 3/5 Overall good convenient restaurant with good food; average atmosphere and service. read more

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Excellent service, food and good ambiance. Reasonable price. Will definitely come back again.

Authentic. Although the price is expected to be pretty high, this Chinese restaurant hidden inside a small shopping mall was great. My family went in here right at dinner time and were the first people to come in. When you enter, you'll see all the famous people that have been in the restaurant. Food was great, I would highly recommend. Honestly anything there is good. I had fried tofu, crab, soup...just take your pick! read more

I couldn't post this review by giving it a 0 star so I have to give 1 star unfortunately. I have been going to this restaurant for many years and always enjoyed the food and service. But yesterday, it was like time in hell. We went for dim sum and were enjoying our meal until a dumb waitress brought a takeout food to our table which we didn't order and she recorded the food on our bill. After we advised her we didn't order the food and she realized it was for the next table, we brought the food over there. We asked her to remove the charge on our bill and she replied later after she dropped off the food. Later came and went, and we asked her again to remove the one food item and she refused. Next thing you know the customer at the next table who knew the waitress started to say the waitress didn't add the food item on our bill. How the hell did she know that? She had eyes on the back of her head??? I insisted she did add the item and the customer became silent. Then her son-in-law turned on me. I felt harassed and bullied by these customers for no reason and none of their business. We had to call the manager over to explain the situation and he removed the food that we never ordered. Then several staff came over to look at the bill over and over again .... it was really annoying. We never received an apology for the waitress' mistake. Instead we received suspicion as if we were trying to scam the restaurant over one food item. Needless to say, it was a hellish experience. Will never go back again. This waitress should be fired for her bad attitude ... and what she put us through. Not for making a mistake by bringing food to the wrong table or adding it on the wrong bill. But for not walking away from her mistake. We want to commend one waitress (hair in a high bun) .. for being so gracious and nice. After this incident happened, she came over and gave us a Chinese new year red envelope. Totally unexpected but such a nice gesture. Thank you from the bottom of our heart. We like to wish her happiness, health, wealth and all good things in life flow to her. read more

I'm here now.... It's packed and there are no carts going around really.... I've seen the same two carts twice...... Not too cool. And no rice crape.... :-( read more

This place has a small parking lot which is hard to get parking. You also have to pay. The food is often not that fresh on the carts and it's a bit more expensive than other places I have been to. However the service was good. read more

Doesn't get any more authentic than this. It's located on the 2nd floor of an all Chinese little shopping center. this is not a typical North American Chinese restaurant where everything cooked to the taste of white men! This is where the Chinese families go and eat. Open up your mind, be ready to try new things, and take a trip to China in the heart of Calgary! Tip: If you go there, be sure to have a Chinese speaking person with you, or you will be totally lost with the Chinese menu and might end up eating something you didn't plan on eating! read more

Lucky was I (well ok we) to be invited to a Chinese New Year dinner here. I'd experienced something similar before but hubs never had...he was going to be out of his element surrounded by 50+ people. I love the big table concept with a lazy susan in the middle (note to self: buy one for home). The menu was extensive and exciting. Peking Duck w/ Crepes, Deep Fried Seafood (prawn) Roll, Stir Fried Prawns w. Honey Walnuts, Fish and Shredded Duck Soup, Braised Crab & Lobster, Braised Chinese Mushroom with Veggies, Crispy Skin Garlic Chicken, Deep Fried Lin Cod in Soya, Duck and Pineapple Fried Rice, Red Bean Soup Dessert. I'm not a huge mushroom fan (even though I eat them) and must admit the unusual (to me) earthy mushroom in the veggie dish was not my favourite...but I loved the broccolini that accompanied the dish. Everything was so delicious. Out of the corner of my eye I watched hubs going back for seconds on almost every dish.....in fact almost everyone at our table went back for seconds. There was a ton of it so enough for the team! The red bean soup is something I've never tried before. It reminded me of a sweet black bean soup and while I didn't mind it I was done after a couple spoonfuls. Hubs on the other hand finished the entire bowl. This restaurant is a best kept secret. Tucked into a mall on the corner of 16th & Centre street you wouldn't know it was there if you weren't looking or been told. You can find parking easily behind the building. There are also other stores to browse through in the Mall associated with the restaurant. Definitely worth an outing. read more

Central Grand... I'm looking at the address and wondering why I haven't seen the sign for it before? I drive up... where IS this place? I park behind the Chinese mall on 16th Ave. I figure it's got to be around there somewhere. And it is! It's up the stairs and towards the end of the hall. It's one of those restaurants I wouldn't know what to order unless someone who knows Chinese food is with me. We all gathered for a special pre-Chinese New Year dinner. Thank goodness it was a set menu. I'm a rural-Alberta kid. The kind of Chinese food we grew up on was chicken balls, ginger beef and chicken fried rice. In fact, most every dish came with rice. Central Grand isn't this kind of place. It's the kind where when you order a fish dish, it shows up still looking like a fish... and there's no rice with. It's got the big round tables with the lazy susan in the middle so you can keep that food spinning round and round to each of the parties at your table. If you want your own room because you've got 50 people to feed, you'll find that here too. We were all seated in a room just off to the right from the main dining hall. I wish I could help you out in terms of specific dishes to order, unfortunately my knowledge stops here. But, except for the big mushroom things that I wasn't a fan of, I liked each of the dishes they brought us. The breaded chicken breast was quite tasty, and there was some version of a rice wrap that was certainly a popular dish at the table. If someone offers you the red bean soup thing as a dessert... well, it's different! Sweet. I ate about half of it before I had had enough. read more

Okay, I might be giving a biased review since my uncle works as the head chef here.. You might have had his dim sum... But anyways, the sizes and portions of the dim sum are pretty big compared to what we have in NYC and there's more varieties too. Some of the dim sum I haven't even seen in NYC yum cha before... The dessert here isn't bad either, the mango pudding, the coconut pudding, and so much more. I also had a traditional dinner here as well. The scallops are delish! But I think you can take the word for it since tons of Hong Kong celebrities have dined here.. read more

I love dim sum, but I hate long waits so it's always such a connundrum for me. However an afternoon on a weekday temporarily solved this little problem. My family and a few guests headed to Central Grand for celebratory lunch, and surprisingly our table of 8 were seated right away. Best part of dim sum? The carts of food being pushed about so not only do you get to see your food, you get to start eating right away! The dishes here are always fresh and you have the option to order anything off their menu if it hasn't been carted around yet. I'd be up for a midweek dim sum here again but you definitely won't catch me here on the weekend! read more

We weren't happy with our meal at U and Me, so my sister found this place on Yelp. We had a dim sum lunch here and had all the basics. Didn' t see any dishes that seemed extraordinary. Cool thing is all the pictures on the wall of the owner with famous or notable people. Really busy and hectic. My mom feels that a worker yelled at her when it was time to pay. Why would you come to Calgary, Canada for Chinese food? It's probably not a specialty, but there is a community. read more

Honestly, I can't say I agree with the high reviews on here. Came here for dim sum with my friend. First, their washroom was out of order, so you had to use the one in the mall. The mall washroom was filthy, and wasn't stocked up. I understand that is not their fault, but still was not pleasant. We didn't have to wait long despite the restaurant being very busy, which was nice. When we were seated, it was obvious the table had not been cleaned, as there were grease marks all over it. The carts came by quite often, which was nice. But, most of the plates we got were cold and the dumplings fell apart the minute you picked them up. The only things I liked were the steamed pork buns and the taro root cake. I had high expectations as it seems to be quite popular. But, I was definitely let down. If I returned, it would only be for the steamed pork buns and taro root cake. read more

Completely disappointed with the current quality of the food. Bland and boring, not what your looking to have for dim sum. Add to the equation, rude and ignorant staff, from the front desk to the servers, and this is a formerly good restaurant that has just hit my boycott list. Oh, and when the 'seating' arrangement issues were discussed with management, they ended up being the root of the problem. Completely inappropriate and unapologetic. We will be going to other better restaurants who actually appreciate the business. Ymmv, but be prepared for bland tasteless food, long periods of abandonment and ignorant staff. read more

Central Grand is one of my favorite places for Dim Sum in Calgary for a number of reasons. 1. The food is a la cart, but if you are wanting something that hasn't come around in a while you can flag down one of the waiters and order it. 2. It's busy during dim sum on the weekends which means the food in the cart is hot and fresh Although most of the dim sum offerings are good, there are a few that I have to get every single time we go because they're excellent: - Har gow/ shrimp dumplings - Tripe: Their tripe turned me into a tripe-lover. It's tender with a delicious garlicy sauce - Egg tarts: always warm, fresh, and not overly sweet - Almond bun: soft white bun filled with almond cream - Sticky Rice wrapped in leaves -Salt and pepper squid: As long as its fresh and hot. Once or twice we've gotten a cold plate of it and it was left uneaten at the end of the meal. I take a pass on the pan fried turnip cake because I find their version to be a little bland and skimpy on the add-ins. Otherwise I'll happily eat anything they offer. read more

This is a great authentic Chinese restaurant. I went here for a work function - we were entertaining some visitors from China and a co-worker suggested this restaurant. We ordered the dinner for ten with the Peking Duck. The duck was delicious. We also had a vegetable dish with shrimp, duck soup, some shrimp skewers, shitake mushrooms with bok choy, creamy lobster and crab, duck fried rice, garlic chicken, steamed sweet and sour fish and sweet red bean soup with lotus seeds for dessert. There was so much food and endless tea. We had our own separate room and the waiter would knock before he entered with a course, which I thought was cute. The walls are covered (and I mean covered) with pictures of famous people who have visited the restaurant. The food was delicious and we were able to pack up the leftovers. It is a bit pricey, but worth it for a special occasion. read more

Service: 3/5 Food Quality: 5/5 Dining Area: 4/5 Convenience: 4/5 Parking: 4/5 Value: 4/5 The food quality for both dim sum and evening dinner is excellent here. The dining area is way too small to accomodate everyone that comes so you'll need a number but it will be worth it once you get seated. Also, the service staff is aloof but gets the job done. read more

Here is a convenient place to go for dim-sum. Located on the top floor of the building on the corner of 16th Ave and Centre St N, you can find this fancier Chinese restaurant. Being frank, their food is simply on par with a lot of restaurants in Chinatown. There aren't a lot of things that really stand out to set then above the rest. But I do have to say that the tofu desert with ginger syrup is absolutely delicious. One of my favourite dishes here. For the price of the food, it can be hard to justify a visit when there are less expensive options elsewhere. Don't mistake me here that the food tastes great because it does. But I'm not always willing to shell out for the same elsewhere at a slightly better deal. read more

We were looking for a place for Dim Sum within walking distance and we weren't disappointed with this restaurant. We arrived first thing when they opened on a Saturday and there were only a few other people waiting to be seated. They seated us and served our drinks (we had tea) then 10 minutes after opening they started bringing around the carts. There wasn't a huge selection of food compared to the Dim Sum at King Fisher, downtown, but the food they served was of good quality. They didn't have any $3.50-4.00 items so it was a little higher than some places. It was very well staffed considering the quantity of customers during the early morning were quite small. We were able to eat, chat, enjoy our tea and head out in good time. If you're within the vicinity and are looking for some good Dim Sum I highly recommend this place. I don't eat Dim Sum frequently but the next time I do it's likely it will be at this place again. Note that the private lot only has room for about 10 cars but the restaurant seats about 100. read more

The salted fish rice, and salt and pepper squid...SO SO good. Best salt and pepper squid in the city. Oil is fresh, which is so rare . The servers are always kind and pleasant to me. I never get the "moody grumpy" server attitude that other Chinese restaurants have. While waiting for my pickup order, and RIGHT at closing, I was offered tea, and my cup was filled three times. Just that small bit of kindness goes a long way. read more

Parking s always an issue but when u get passed dat - its like dim sum heaven on a cart. I think its my fav place for dim sum in Calgary. Pricey but worth it. read more

Can not believe that this was my first visit EVER to the Chinese Mall on 16th Avenue. Always meant to - but never did. Terry Lo hosted a Chinese New Year dinner there last Sunday. When we arrived, we found the restaurant on the 2nd floor of the mall and as we approached I was surprised how full it was. We were in a room on one side that had 6 tables - with 8 people at a table - room could easily accomodate 50 people. Nice for a group event. Tables were all round with a lazy susan in the middle - eliminating the need to pass around dishes, we could just spin the wheel as needed. Handy! Terry had arranged for a 10-course menu. The food was incredible. I will just mention my favorite dishes... - Veggies with Shrimp: I'm not usually a veggie person, so this surprised me. The veggies had a silkiness to them - can't describe it differently that that. So good. - Shrimp Balls rolled in Almonds: These rounds were the size of small fists and incredibly hot - so I kept dropping it and spashing almonds all over. But it was so worth it. Can't wait to enjoy these again. - BBQ Chicken: I love chicken and I LOVE eating the skin. Not sure how this was prepared, but it was so tastely and I'm sure it must have been deep-fried. The skin on the chicken was crunchy... for me it could not have been prepared more perfectly. I will enjoy one whole order myself next time (ok - will probably have left overs to take home!) - I'm a dessert person and I was waiting to see what fancy treat would be laid before us. Will admit that my heart sank a bit when I realized dessert was Naval Oranges cut into slices. Wow - it turned out to be perfect. As I for sure enjoyed to much of the NINE other dishes, these oranges were the perfect way to cap the meal. So juicy - they did NOT buy those at Safeway. :) Loved it - can't wait to return! read more

I have been to central grand twice. It's close to my brothers house, so it's convenient when we are in Calgary for the weekend. The parking can be a little tough because the Chinese mall that this place is in gets busy, but once you get upstairs it's worth the hassle. The dining room is huge, so we've never waited more than a few minutes for a table. As is typical with dim sum that is cart based, the second you sit down you can start eating (love that!) The highlights for me are the salt and pepper squid which is amazing. It's totally different than the same dish which is just the tentacles... We got both and they were both good, but I prefer the softer slices as opposed to the chewy tentacle ends. We hit all the standard items like rice in a lotus leaf, su Mai, pork buns, dumplings and they were all good. I have to comment on the tripe. I used to think my brother ordered it just to see if I would eat it... I always thought it was just ok, but here it was great! I was surprised by how much I liked it, very juicy tender and flavourful. The other surprisingly good item was the cuttle fish. It's like a weird shaped squid (big head tiny legs). It was really really good. It's a little expensive for dim sum at about $25 per person, but everything was good, fresh and timely, so you can't complain at that. read more

Alright, Chinese Asian mini mall; consists of a market, stationery store and other miscellaneous shops all bunched into this 2 level building. Just like any typical Cantonese seafood restaurant, Central Grand serves dim sum in the day and changes to an a la carte situation in the evening for dinner. Located on the upper level of this mall, just like the building itself - the space needs a total facelift. Looking beyond the dreaded and dated exterior and the equally eyesoring mess of the interior, food was also a letdown. Overly salty, and greasy so sum it up, says something when I don't come out of a meal with even one picture. The one positive is that they do have a few more unique dim sum items that I typically don't see anywhere else. (More squid and duck feet options if you're into that) Service was mediocre, constantly had to wave someone down to get a refill for our tea and water. They were quick to take away empty plates and the carts were coming consistently in a timely manner as well. All the dishes that were also coming out were hot and fresh too. Prices here compared to our usual dim sum spot is slightly cheaper but with the food barely meeting expectations, I'd say it isn't worth it. Pass. read more

Came here for a Chinese wedding a few weekends ago. The manager/owner (not entirely sure of his position but he was clearly in charge) was so incredibly rude. He yelled at the dancers, in front of the head table, for bumping his cheap chandelier with the head of their dragon costume. Was rude to guests, barking orders at the wait staff and seemed pissed off to have guests in his restaurant. The wait staff were unbelievably rude, no grace at all when bringing dishes to the tables, and I even saw one waitress spending a good 10 minutes clipping her nails in the kitchen...I couldn't believe it! The bathrooms were disgusting, couldn't imagine what the kitchen looked like.Will never come here again...gross! read more

Not really sure why the reviews are so high...maybe because there are not many places like Central Grand in the area? Yes, it is cool that they do the traditional dim sum carts. But...we need to take into account the flavour and the freshness of the dim sum as well. Most of the dim sum we ordered was cold. The flavour was so-so. We ordered from the menu, a dish of yang chow fried rice. Honestly, it was over priced (same as the dim sum) and not very flavourful. The cleanliness of the plates and chopsticks were questionable too. No table cloths were used either. My boyfriend and I, both Chinese, were expecting it to be really good because of the long line up and Yelp reviews but were very disappointed. read more

Central Grand is a bit difficult to find, especially since there is more than one Chinese restaurant in the same building. Its cute how front entrance is decorated with pictures of the owners with celebrities who have visited the restaurant.( Karl Lagerfeld, Tom Ford, Jet Li to name a few...) We had a reservation for a table of 8, thank goodness because the place was packed. The service was fast and efficient. Out of the seemingly hundreds of items, I particularly enjoyed the various shrimp ones. Just to say I've done it, I had a chicken foot...I didnt like it one bit. Someone forgot to tell me there is bone inside, so after spitting that out on to my plate all lady like, I ate the skin part. I can only describe it as a slimier version of KFC chicken skin. Very fatty, and squishy. The salt and pepper squid, egg tarts and egg buns are well worth the calories. The egg tarts are served very hot, and are less sweet that your typical dessert tart, they were the best part of the meal. Im happy to be able to say that Ive finally tried Dim Sum. Its a relatively cheap meal, thats fun to share with friends, and I had a full stomach for only $17 with tip! read more