Dim Sum Spot: Sun Hing Restaurant

Fried glutinous rice wrapped in egg skins that aren't found in many restaurants

There's a dim sum place called Sun Hing Restaurant in Kennedy Town that opens at 3am -- yes three in the morning -- until 4pm everyday.

A tiny, chaotic place filled with regulars and first timers

Some friends have been there and even gweilo chefs know to go there to eat after they've finished late at night and are feeling hungry.

My relatives suggested we go there this morning as today is Ching Ming and it is on the way to where our ancestors' graves are in Pokfulam.

We got there just before 9am and inside it's very small and very chaotic. People are roaming around with their dim sum cards, staff are carrying out trays of freshly steamed dishes, with lots of shouting for people to get out of the way.

Luck would have it we managed to snag a table for four of us sitting on red plastic stools -- with an extra middle-aged guy calmly taking his time, sitting there playing with his smartphone. He could tell we were newbies and suggested which dim sum for us to get -- but really he meant just get whatever comes by.

Steamed pork topped with quail eggs

Some of the dishes we had include tripe in curry sauce, salted egg yolk steamed buns, braised chicken feet, steamed turnip cake, steamed rice rolls with minced meat, dace fish balls, and siu mai. The kitchen had no time to make har gao, even though everyone was clamouring for it.

However we did have some dim sum that you don't see much these days, like steamed pork topped with quail egg, fried glutinous rice wrapped in an egg yolk skin, pork liver with pork balls, and giant tofu topped with fish paste.

Together with some more steamed buns and Malay steamed sponge cake, the total came to HK$440 which was very reasonable. No wonder people flock here and are willing to wait.

Nevertheless I have to say afterwards I felt very thirsty and wonder if the dim sum had a good dose of MSG in it...!

Sun Hing Restaurant opens at 3am until 4pm everyday

Sun Hing Restaurant
Shop C, G/F, 8 Smithfield Road
Kennedy Town
2816 0616

MSG-Loaded Shanghainese

These delicate xiaolongbao are loaded with a really hot soup inside

Yesterday we had a late lunch at Long's Noodle House, a small Shanghainese eatery on Main Street in Vancouver.

When we arrived, we not only got street parking nearby, but also scored an empty table -- soon after a line started forming outside. The owners are a husband and wife team: he mans the kitchen, while his Mrs is the commander-in-chief of the dining area and proficient in both Chinese and English.

This place is well-known for its authentic Shanghainese dishes

We quickly made our order -- drunken chicken, xiaolongbao, zhajiang dan dan noodles, guotie or fried dumplings, and a thin savoury pancake wrapped with beef and fresh coriander.

The xiaolongbao were fantastic. We watched the woman making them right by the cashier. Not only were the wrappers thin, but also held a lot of soup too. We also liked the guotie with its meaty filling and crunchy doughy exterior.

Drunken chicken is another favourite, as the small, thinly sliced poached chicken is thoroughly marinated in Chinese wine, and the meat is hardly fatty.

We liked the noodles too, very hearty and slightly spicy with a minced pork sauce. The noodles were a challenge to wrestle with chopsticks, but we managed in the end.

The husband and wife who own the eatery work long hours

Then we ordered another round of xiaolongbao, along with pea shoots stir-fried with garlic that were delicious and fresh, as well as stir-fried river shrimps. However these were more baby shrimps than the Shanghainese ones; nevertheless they were cooked just right, not quite opaque and were quite crunchy.

Later that evening our dinner consisted of dishes we ordered take out from Long's Noodle House. The braised lion head featured salted egg yolk in the middle, while the short rib was delicious, oh and another round of drunken chicken.

However, in the middle of the night my brother suffered a terrible headache from the MSG in the food; perhaps I managed to dodge that bullet because I drank a lot of water just before going to bed.

The zhajiang dan dan noodles, though laden with MSG

So -- the lesson is eat at Long's Noodle House with caution and perhaps order a Coca-Cola to go with your meal...

Long's Noodle House
4853 Main Street
Vancouver
(604) 879 7879