Fried Squid & Chicken Knees @ Sun Sui Wah 新瑞華海鮮酒家

It's been a while since I had dim sum.  My last time was at Shiang Garden, which was just over two months ago!  This time I went to Sun Sui Wah with my family.  I think Sun Sui Wah is pretty popular with both tourists and locals alike and has been praised by critics.  There was a short wait for a table, but they ended up opening a small room on the side so everyone waiting could have a table quicker.

First thing we ordered wsa their pan-fried taro cake (芋頭糕).  I really like taro, and I've tried the taro cake here before, but this time it was quite dry.  I don't blame SSW -- sometimes the taros aren't that great.  Compared to some places that use a lot of flour in their radish cakes and taro cakes, SSW uses a huge taro chunks, with very little flour.  If their taro isn't that nice, I think they should have used more of the flour mixture instead.  No one wanted to eat the last piece because it was so dry.

The shrimp dumpling (蝦餃) was pretty typical, nothing special to note.

The beef rice noodle (牛肉腸) was pretty good, though the inside parts had a bit of water chestnut and parsley, which really reminded me of the steamed beef balls often served in dim sum.

The salt and pepper chicken knee (椒鹽雞膝, $7) was overly fried and hence too dry.  "Chicken knee" is the actually the joint between the chicken drumstick and thigh -- sounds kind of weird, but I like it.  I don't actually eat the cartilage, though I know you can.  There is a bit of meat to it, so I basically eat only that and the deep fried exterior.  We actually had a few pieces left behind because it really wasn't that great.

This is another regular dish I order here, the deep fried squid.  This was fried quite well in comparison to the chicken knees, but there seemed to be less larger pieces than normal.  The squid itself was good because it fairly easy to chew and not tough.  It was lightly seasoned and I really like the sweet and sour sauce that it comes with.

This time, the taro cake and chicken knees were a bit of a disappointment, but I have had better experiences with those dishes in the past.  The dim sum here isn't entirely amazing, but some of the dishes here, such as the squid, make up for it. 

Sun Sui Wah 新瑞華海鮮酒家 (Richmond)
4920 No. 3 Rd
Richmond, BC
(604) 273-8208



View Larger Map