For the Love of...: ...Dim Sum at Ginger Beef Peking House (Macleod Trail, Calgary)

Overal Rating:  7/10
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Food:   7/10
Service:  8/10
Ambience:  6/10

Location:  10816 Macleod Trail South

 

So I would consider myself a bit of a dim sum aficionado, particularly since for the better part of my life, each Sunday was spent eating at the various dim sum estabilishments around Calgary. I can say that in my time I've had some pretty amazing dim sum here that rivals that of Vancouver and Toronto while also having some that has been pretty forgettable.


When we were invited to have lunch at Ginger Beef on Macleod Trail, two questions popped into my head. First...the Ginger Beef that my parents refused to take us to when we were kids? And second...they serve dim sum? Well the answer to both of those questions is "Yes". We began with our all time favorite dishes of steamed BBQ pork buns and Har Gow (shrimp dumplings). These two dishes serve as watermarks for any dim sum establishment.


I have to say that although initally skeptical, I was surprised to find that the steamed BBQ pork buns were up to snuff, the dough being light, delicate and not too sweet while the filling by contrast was rich, porky and devoid of grisle that you find in lesser tea houses. Almost as good were the har gow, the outer wrapping was thin and delicate but strong enough to hold up to the steaming process without bursting once handled by chopsticks. The shrimp filling was fresh and delicious.

Barley Congee with Fresh Lily Bulb ($6.25, it tastes much better than it sounds!)

We then moved on to several other classic dim sum standbys including sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf, fried dough stick wrapped in rice noodle and an assortment of congee's or rice porrage. As with the BBQ pork buns and Har Gow, these dishes also served to highlight the skills of a pretty solid dim sum chef in the kitchen.

Chinese Donut Rice Crepes ($4.75, served with peanut and hoisin sauce)

Of special note were the pan fried green onion cakes served with spicy chili dipping sauce that refrained from being too greasy, but still having a great balance between savory oniony-ness on the inside and a subtle crispyness on the outside.

Stuffed Green Onion Cakes ($4.50)

Pan fried pork & vegetable buns ($4.50)

Deep Fried Salad Rolls ($4.55)

Ginger Beef also offers a buffet lunch, we however will almost always go for dim sum for lunch.  All in all, although the menu wasn't quite as extensive nor the prices quite as rock bottom as other offerings in Calgary, I was still quite surprised and impressed by the quality of dim sum from an often overlooked establishment.

-D