Upscale dim sum with some modern twists
Competition is fierce between dim sum restaurants in Richmond Hill and Markham. Diners there are unforgiving so if a restaurant survives a few years with long queues, it’s probably a good sign. Yang’s Fine Chinese Cuisine been around for more than a decade and is still popular for its dim sum. It would be even more popular if it was located in a more accessible location like other restaurants along Highway 7.
The food
Yang’s dim sum menu has all the classics and some modern inventions to keep things interesting. For this visit, I went with the modern stuff because I can get regular dim sum elsewhere.
I love truffles, so the scallop dumpling with black truffle (黑松露帶子鳳眼餃) was a no-brainer.
It was an indulgent bite. The amount of truffle was just enough to assert itself without overpowering the delicate taste of scallop. The dumpling also had plump shrimp in it, which blended well with the other two ingredients. The skin was thick enough to hold everything together but was still soft and stretchy. 8.5/10.
Baked BBQ pork polo buns (菠蘿叉燒包) can be found at some, but not all, dim sum restaurants. They’re buns topped with a craquelin (cookie-like dough), stuffed with sweet, red barbecue pork. Hands down, Yang’s made the best ones I’ve ever tasted. It’s on par with the famous buns from Michelin-starred Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong, but a different style.
Both the craquelin and bun were incredibly pillowy. The difference was that the craquelin crumbled more easily. The BBQ pork was moist and had the perfect balance of sweet and savoury. The gravy was the right consistency. It was the literal and figurative glue for the pastry. 9/10.
Rice rolls (腸粉; cheung fun) are a staple dim sum item. It’s become fashionable for high-end restaurants to make them from red rice instead of regular white rice flour. They taste the same as white ones. The difference is in texture: red ones are slightly less stretchy and a bit more grainy. Yang’s version is the cheung fun with bean curd sheet and seafood (腐皮海鮮紅米腸粉). They certainly looked eye-catching.
The highlight was the layered filling. Starting with the core: a seafood paste with generous pieces of shrimp, scallops, and more. Next, the paste was wrapped in a fried tofu skin, which gave textural interest. The accompanying sweet soy sauce heightened the taste marginally. Its main contribution was to give some hydration to the dish. A minor complaint was that the fried tofu was greasy. 8.5/10.
The last item was the only traditional dim sum dish I ordered: pan-seared daikon cakes (香煎蘿蔔糕). This is usually a throwaway item for most dim sum restaurants. It’s cheap, easy to finish, and it’s on the menu because it’s traditional.
Yang’s Fine Chinese Cuisine didn’t rest on its laurels. Their daikon cake had real chunks of daikon mixed in with silky smooth daikon paste. Great textural composition. They also added bits of potent preserved Chinese sausage, which gave a pop of flavour. The exterior was crisp. 8/10.
The place
For an upscale Chinese restaurant, Yang’s Fine Chinese Cuisine isn’t ostentatious in ambience. The overall feel is restrained.
Like a typical fancy Chinese restaurant, it can accommodate large groups. Also, like other upscale restaurants in the area, they aren’t known just for dim sum. They offer seafood dishes for dinner, fresh out of their tanks on-location. You can’t miss them when you enter the restaurant.
Verdict
Outstanding dim sum restaurant with some modern twists. 8.5/10.
Practical information
- Name
- Yang’s Fine Imperial Cuisine
- Rating
- 8.5/10
- Recommended dishes
- Scallop dumpling with black truffle
Baked BBQ pork polo buns
Red rice cheung fun with bean curd sheet and seafood - Prices (including tax and discount for takeout and cash payment)
- Scallop dumpling with black truffle: $8.00
Baked BBQ pork polo buns: $6.00
Red rice cheung fun with bean curd sheet and seafood: $6.00
Pan-seared daikon cake with Chinese sausage: $5.00 - Address
- 9665 Bayview Ave, Unit 30, Richmond Hills
- Hours
- Daily 1000h – 1500h, 1600h – 2100h
- Date of visit
- August 2021