Saskatoon’s Dim Sum Gods

Posted by: Food Lover | April 28, 2014

Saskatoon’s Dim Sum Gods

We have finally gotten around to posting about our favorite dim sum restaurant in Saskatoon, no wait, maybe our favorite dim sum restaurant in Canada. Yes, there, we said it. Yip Hong’s may very well be the best dim sum in the country. Now before a flood of derisive emails arrives, let’s be clear. The food here is excellent, but what makes it really special is the atmosphere. This place is simply THE go to Chinese restaurant in the city. There’s a reason that no matter what time you arrive for Sunday Dim Sum, you will assuredly stand in line for anywhere from 20 – 40 minutes, often times with mostly Chinese and other Asian families waiting for their traditional dim sum meal. Don’t let the long wait stop you, it’s well worth it. For us it’s always been a pleasurable torture watching the carts go buy, deciding what we’ll order and invariably, once we’re seated, trying not to just raid the first cart that comes by us until we can eat no more.

The long established Chinese community, as well as the influx of new immigrants, allows the food to be uncompromising in it’s authenticity. Be prepared for a taste of China’s culture as well, service can sometimes be curt and staff can be hard to understand, but that’s just part of the charm. It’s always lively on a Sunday, keeping the food pouring out of the kitchen, fresh and hot. And because of this, the staff just don’t have time for idle chit chat. They have to move quickly – and they do! You’ll find they clear and set tables like a well trained army, often before you’ve finished putting your jacket on or while you’re standing at the table waiting to be seated.

Some people are, apparently, put off by the high energy and no-nonsense approach. Perhaps our “favourite” Urbanspoon quote – and our vote for the most ridiculous – was the infamous “it’s too much like being in China” comment from a “don’t like” post now buried amongst a slew of positive reviews from those who love the dim sum here.

You’ll find the selection is varied and exciting; old classics, some real traditional delicacies and the occasional new dish keep you coming back for more. We think our photo essay will give you a good tour of some of our favorite offerings.

Shrimp Wraps: Firm and meaty shrimp, with green onion and a touch of carrot. We love it with a little chili sauce.

The delicious ground pork with shiitake and green onion, is surrounded in a taro root exterior, with a light crunchy skin.

This sticky rice was cooked in a lovely fatty broth, with delicious chunks of pork.

This pork wrapped in noodle is one of our favourite dishes, the silky outer texture perfectly compliments the meaty filly and delicious delicate sauce.

Though this is not a personal favourite, we notice oriental families love this dish. it’s quite fatty and there’s a lot of cartilage, but what meat that can be found is tender, juicy and flavour packed. We do love the broth that this dish comes with and pour it over our sticky rice.

Admittedly a classic at any dim sum restaurant, Yip Hong’s bbq pork buns are so good that we always fight this temptation in order to leave room for something new.