With Koon Bo as the first choice for dinner, we ended up at Sun Sui Wah because the cook at Koon Bo left an hour and half before closing. Sun Sui Wah is a favourite for my family and family friends (more than Red Star) for dim sum as well as dinner. As for myself, I prefer dinner over dim sum because the service for dim sum is horrible at both locations, unless I am with my family or at least eight to ten people in a room. Furthermore, the restaurant was also my friend's choice for a wedding dinner which was quite nice.
ROASTED SQUAB ($12.80).
The squab has a nice crispy skin and the meat tastes very juicy, flavourful and tender. Sun Sui Wah's squab is my favourite and has been the best I ever had, including Kirin's. Furthermore, Sun Sui Wah is the first restaurant in Vancouver to serve squab and they are currently having a promotion, probably to lure back customers since squab is available at almost any Chinese restaurant. Also, I like the squab here because it is not just crispy and tender, but very flavourful as well.
PEKING DUCK THREE COURSE MEAL ($57.00).
FIRST COURSE, PEKING DUCK SKIN AND CREPE WITH HOISIN AND GREEN ONIONS.
The crepes are tasty despite the dry appearance and excess flour. In addition, this is the first time that the crepes have such an extra amount of flour. The crepes do not have the typical moist, elastic and slight chewiness, and are easy to eat with little chewing required. The peking duck skin has a nice roasted colour and tastes perfectly crispy as well as juicy. In addition, some slices of duck skin have fat underneath but the fat tastes extremely moist, tender and juicy, rather than chewy and fatty (like Red Star's).
The peking duck skin slices are carved very large so every bite of the crepe has a taste of skin. The green onions are not as brushed as they could have been but hey, that is not even worth mentioning. I also like that the hoisin sauce is housemade and does not taste like the generic ones, the texture is slightly thicker as well.
PEKING DUCK THREE COURSE MEAL ($57.00).
SECOND COURSE, PEKING DUCK BONE SOUP.
The soup has a clear rich flavourful duck broth with BBQ duck and mustard green vegetable taste, emphasis on BBQ duck. The peking duck bone soup tastes a lot more flavourful than Red Star's and is one of the better ones.
2 3/4LB CREAM AND BUTTER SAUCE CRAB ($14.80/lb).
Only at a Chinese restaurant will the waiter/waitress be standing right outside the washroom waiting to show you the live seafood LOL. The crab is lightly battered and tastes fresh as well as meaty. The sauce tastes buttery as well as creamy, has a nice thickened consistency and tastes properly made with a slight hint of a stronger butter taste.
PEKING DUCK, THREE COURSE MEAL ($57.00).
THIRD COURSE, PEKING DUCK LETTUCE WRAP.
In general duck is a moist meat, and the meat is stir fried with some kind of sauce so the dish tastes a bit more moist than what I am used to, I was not a fan. The dish also has watercress nuts and deep fried rice vermicelli which provides some texture. For the lettuce wrap, I prefer Red Star's a lot more because they had more watercress nuts and the dish was not mushy.
SAUTEED FRESH SCALLOP WITH SHREDDED CONPOY AND VEGETABLE ($19.80).
The large sized scallops taste moist, tender and has a light scallop taste. The broccoli has a nice softness with a slight crunch and tastes slightly oily but not overly. The dish also has a few straw mushrooms, garnished carrots and is topped with dried scallops.
POSITIVES
- Spacious and comfortable restaurant
- Dishes are above average
- Service is usually above average for dinner
NEGATIVES
- Never told us when last call was so we could not order dessert
- Dim sum service is not so great, dishes are sometimes inconsistent and the restaurant gets busy
LITTLE THINGS
- Dim sum post on Sun Sui Wah's Richmond location [here]
- Peking duck is cheaper by $3.00 and the skin as well as soup is tastier than Red Star's
- Parking lot has tight spots, I rather park on the street
Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
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