Scarborough, in my books, is home to some great dim sum
restaurants. As Toronto’s China Town expanded North in the 90’s, diners no
longer had to travel to Spadina and Broadview to get their brunch fix. One of
the earlier restaurants being established was Dragon Dynasty. Indeed, it seems
like all my Chinese friends who grew up in Scarborough have visited the place
before, if it isn’t already their family’s go-to dim sum place.
Their siu mai ($3.90)
is decent following the traditional strictly pork-based recipe. Updated
formulas tend to mix in chunks of shrimp and sometimes rehydrated black
mushrooms adding to the flavour and the texture. Hence, you may find the siu mai at Dragon Dynasty denser and
meatier compared to other restaurants.
The spare-rib rice noodle roll ($4.90) is two dishes in one.
On top, pieces of salty black bean spare-ribs that’s no different from the
regular dish. Underneath are pieces of plain steamed rice noodle rolls, which
soak up the spare ribs juices as it cooks and tends to be softer but also
silkier.
I still prefer the traditional rice noodle rolls filled with
BBQ pork ($3.90) or wrapped around a crispy dough fritter ($3.90). There is a generous amount of chopped BBQ
pork in the first and the cilantro (?) mixed into it adds a fresh element to
the dish. The dough fritter could be fried longer to help resist getting soggy
in the soy sauce, but benefits from the ample amount of dried shrimp on top
that adds a nice seafood essence to the roll.
Their braised beef tendon ($3.90) impresses and is stewed so
long that it becomes a soft sticky mess I covet. The sauce is garlicky with a
light spice to it, which could be from satay?
If you’re dining with a larger group, the seafood dumpling
($5.90) and beef balls ($5.90) are great dishes to try. Both are simply boiled
arriving with a sweet green onion infused soy sauce for dipping. The dense beef
balls are springy in texture and comes with some refreshing watercress. The
shrimp dumplings brimming with shrimp is just cooked through so it retains
their crunch and sweetness.
Dragon Dynasty’s dim sum rice dishes is pricier than
competitors at $7.95. But, they are the only establishment, that I’ve
experienced, that cooks it in a hot clay pot so that it develops a lovely
brittle golden crust on the bottom (generally this method is only found at
congee places). The dish is smaller than what is found at congee restaurants,
but could easily be shared amongst a table of five.
In lieu of paying for tea there is a “sauce charge” of $0.60
per person, an added cost that is common in all dim sum restaurants. Compared
to other made-to-order places, prices are relatively inexpensive as most dishes
being classified as a “small” (there’s usually a handful of these elsewhere). I
would suggest arriving before 11am as Dragon Dynasty is popular and it does
take some time to get all the dishes (especially if you’re ordering the rice).
After more than 20-years, the restaurant’s décor is becoming
dated. But, really does this matter? For me, it’s the food that matters most
and at Dragon Dynasty their dim sum still continues to satisfy.
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 2301 Brimley Road
Address: 2301 Brimley Road
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
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