Disappointing Dim Sum at China City Restaurant

Part of the job of a food blogger is to sift through the mediocre restaurants to find the hidden gems. Unfortunately there are occasions when a mediocre spot is truly mediocre and deserving of any and all criticisms they may receive. Such is the case with China City Restaurant, an disappointingly below average dim sum spot in Winnipeg.

China City is located towards the St. James area of Portage Avenue. The owners, realizing the amount of car and foot traffic in the area, smartly created a large and attractive sign beckoning would be diners forward. Alarm bells should already be ringing when I see the wealth of "options" including lunch buffets, dim sum and VLTs ... clearly a sign of an establishment lacking confidence in any specific area. The interiors are dated but clean and comfortable while the service staff attentive, albeit I was the lone diner this particular weekend day (second alarm bell).

Coming here for Dim Sum during the afternoon affords me the opportunity to participate in "happy hour" where all items are discounted down to $3/item. To its credit, China City does a nice job with its menu showcasing each item in a colourful array that acts to not only introduce novel diners to dim sum items but also whet ones appetite (ala Pavlov) for the upcoming meal. If dim sum is not in the cards today there is a modest ala carte dining menu that one can order featuring the usual suspects one can will find in a Westernized Chinese establishment.

These Pan Fried Shrimp Cake were an utter disaster with nary a shrimp flavour to be found. Rather you are stuck with a doughy greasy cake that is completely devoid of anything edible.

These Steamed Shrimp Dumplings were nicely presented and of a average quality. The large dumplings were steamed well and housed a nice smattering of chopped shrimp meat. The exterior skin, however, was too dense and doughy and altogether weighed the entire dish down.

Shark Fin Dumplings are aptly named for the fancy array adorning the top of the dumpling. Unfortunately what should have been tender egg wrapper with smooth rich meat turned out to be tough and chewy interiors housed in a thick and tough egg wrapper. Disappointing indeed.

There is nothing special about these Deluxe Pork Dumplings which are reminiscent of the frozen variety found at many local supermarkets. Tough, fatty and greasy meat makes this dish entirely devoid of flavour or finesse.

Sticky Rice is always a favourite of mine when ordering from Dim Sum restaurants and these were, thankfully, better than the other offerings. Two large portions of sticky rice adorn the interiors of this dish.

When unwrapped one finds tender juicy sticky rice housing a small handful of ground pork. Seasoned well; the dish is accentuated nicely by the aroma of all the ingredients wafting forward as you open each sticky rice package.

Wanting something more substantial I ordered the Curry Fried Vermicelli. Reminiscent of the version one can find at food courts, the Vermicelli at least had a nice fried aroma and was chalk full of tender vegetables. Using the curry sauce adds even more aroma to the dish, but I found it definitively one sided and lacking any further development of flavour or depth.

There are much better dim sum spots in Winnipeg than China City. While I commend the owners for portraying their restaurant nicely and creating a functional and attractive menu; the food is ultimately lacking, at worst inedible, at best average. You can find better at a food court.