ISO Downtown cheap-but-tasty dim sum restaurant with carts
I really love the whole cart experience at dim sum. I know that the food is often better at restaurants where you order off the menu (and we often go there! Faves include Rol San, Dynasty and Cha Liu,) but there's something really special about ordering off a cart. You never know what you're going to get. :)
Our previous regular place for carts was Yiu Wah, upstairs on Dundas between Spadina and Beverly. Now that they've closed, I have no idea where to go. The food was the upper side of mediocre, but I loved the environment, and it was really cheap. Dim sum for two was often $15.
Since then, we've tried Forestview and Bright Pearl. Forestview left me very disappointed.. Cheap, but I found the food more like the lower end of mediocre. Bright Pearl was tastier, but more expensive and with a limited selection. It felt kind of like "Dim Sum For Beginners."
There was a place we occasionally went to out on Gerrard - the name escapes me - that had carts and cheap, tasty food, but I've heard that they've closed as well. :( Does anyone know if this is true? (I know it doesn't help that I can't remember the name.)
I live near Queen and Spadina, so I'd love recommendations in Spadina chinatown if they exist. If not, I suppose we can travel.... ;)
Thanks!!!
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Rol San
323 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T2E9, CA
Cha Liu
2352 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4P2E6, CA
Bright Pearl
346 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T2G2, CA
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Herb
Mar 8, 2011 05:43 AM
In a similar vein, Forestview on the north side of Dundas across from Yiu Wah has carts (or it did a year ago when I last visited) as does New Treasure at Dundas & Elizabeth. And the Pearl down at Harbourfront has cart service tho it's not cheap by any means.
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Wah's Restaurant
23 Simcoe Plaza, Terrace Bay, ON P0T2W0, CANew Treasure Restaurant
150 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M5G1C6, CA›3 Replies -
Dr. John
Mar 7, 2011 02:38 PM
We've been going to Pearl Court for years. The dim sum is inexpensive (even cheaper in off hours) and reasonable (to my taste) for the price. Standards like har gow and siu mai are dependable. The rice noodles for the cheung fun are just the right thickness. The nor my guy is nicely perfumed from the lotus leaf and doesn't come with tons of pork fat like some versions. You can pass on some of the deep fried stuff, which can get a bit greasy. But the rest of it is unpretentious and satisfying.
-John
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re: petek
T Long
Mar 7, 2011 05:21 PM
Bright Pearl closed last September 2010, but I was surprised to hear that Rol San may have closed. So I just called their listed telephone number. They answered and said they are open until 2 AM. Perhaps news of their demise is premature!
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Rol San
323 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T2E9, CA
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T Long
Jan 21, 2011 06:50 PM
I thought Bright Pearl had closed a while ago...has it reopened??
Have you tried Sky Dragon, SW corner of Dundas/Spadina. I've never been, but understand it has carts dim sum...
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Sky Dragon Restaurant
280 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T3A5, CA›11 Replies-
re: T Long
Maybe Bright Pearl has also closed since we went... it was a little while ago. Bright Pearl is the one with the lions at the corner of Spadina and St. Andrew, right?
I haven't tried Sky Dragon. I always forget about them. Thanks so much for reminding me!
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Bright Pearl
346 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T2G2, CASt. Andrews Fish and Chips
1589 Ellesmere Rd, Toronto, ON M1P2Y3, CASky Dragon Restaurant
280 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T3A5, CA-
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re: looz
Chocaholic
Jan 22, 2011 09:13 PM
Wow, Bright Pearl closed!!!
I preferred Rol San but I can't believe it.... all the good places in Chinatown closing!!
Wahh don't even know where to get my roast duck!
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Rol San
323 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T2E9, CABright Pearl
346 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T2G2, CA-
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re: mingo.jones
Leslieville
Jan 24, 2011 07:49 AM
I was at Pearl Court in east Chinatown a few months ago for Dim Sum. It actually was much bettter than it had been for a while! Try it. I haven't been to the Grannd for a long time, but it always looked so dreary and not quite clean. I will definitely go back to Pearl Court.
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re: looz
So it took a while, but we finally made it to Sky Dragon. It was exactly what I was looking for! Classic dim sum (in the sense that it reminded me of the dim sum of my Toronto childhood.) Food was fresh, tasty, not too greasy. While I didn't see things like chicken feet or tripe come by, it didn't have the "dumbed down for western palates" feel that Bright Pearl had. It's not the most refined dim sum you can get, but it's perfect for a casual Sunday brunch with friends. We'll definitely be going back!
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Bright Pearl
346 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T2G2, CASky Dragon Restaurant
280 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T3A5, CA-
re: looz
After wandering around Chinatown shaking our heads at the diminished dim sum offings (Bright Pearl closed, Yeuh Wah likewise, Forestview conditional pass, and Rol San with good food but no carts—we wanted carts) we headed to Sky Dragon for the first time in 17 years. We had had a bad experience there all those years ago, but things change, right? Well, long story short, things haven't changed at all. The decor was shabby and messy with litter all over the floor and dirty dishes piling up everywhere. The service was indifferent, and the food ... Oh the food! Beyond the mere ordinariness if the menu, it was sub-par in execution topped off with the worst har gow I've ever had the displeasure to consume. There were four of them stuck together in the steamer, and they disintigrated on separation. The dough was tough yet weak, while the shrimp was tasteless. Nasty, nasty, nasty.
Recommendation: give it a try in 2028.
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Sky Dragon Chinese Restaurant
280 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T3A5, CA
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