This afternoon we were aiming for dim sum for lunch. We looked to Shanghai Lu Restaurant after our original choice was busy with no possibility of even waiting for a table to free up. The four of us each thought another was making a reservation, so walked in without one and was turned away.
Plan B was a block away and had plenty of empty tables that required no wait, and after our meal I can see why. The lack of seated guests and the fact that it was the lobby restaurant of a Holiday Inn sound have been a sign we heeded.
We took turns checking off what we wanted, settling on 7 dishes to share between four. The group was all health conscious so we kept it no carb and lots of meat and vegetables instead.
The food took much longer than I have had at any other dim sum spot. I suspect the lack of customers had dishes being prepared only as needed. Each not near the calibre I wanted or hoped for, especially when originally setting ourselves up for our first choice restaurant.
The Steamed Scallop Prawn Dumplings was bland, with no flavour of scallop or prawn.
The Steamed Pork Shiu Mai Dumplings with Tobiko looked washed out in a great grey palate. The normally orange of the fish roe was especially faded. The flavour was as one toned as this looked.
The Steamed Spareribs Pumpkin in Blackbean sauce was the best of the lot. Very little depth of flavour, but it still tasted as expected with plenty of sharp bones to pick meat off of.
Beef Tendon Tripes in Chu Hou Paste was good for texture. I got the gumminess of the tendon I wanted, and the tripe was still tender enough to chew through within a couple of bites.
The Curry Cuttle Fish was a mix of parts. The curry itself was bland and on the salty side. Incredibly disappointing for $9.
The Sauteed Prawns with Broccoli was pretty standard. Crispy enough florets of broccoli coated in a clear gravy. I especially liked the thunderbolt shaped carrot slices.
The stewed vegetables had a similar taste as the above. The leafy greens soaked up plenty of the sauce like a rag. This too had thunderbolt shaped carrots, alongside fried garlic, and shallots.
In closing, we ate our fill, it was more affordable than our original option, but we basically got what we paid for. Disappointing, I now want to have more dim sum to make the “right” and have the flavours I originally craved culled. I will not be retuning.
Shanghai Lu Restaurant
705 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1J5
(604) 873-9147
dongbao.ca
