Crown Prince Fine Dining & Banquet – Restaurant Review

H and I have dined at Crown Prince on numerous occasions, but this was the first time I took pictures.  Their dim sum special runs 7 days a week; all small, medium and large items are the same price; $2.80 (before 11:00 a.m.).

The decor is not what you’d expect at a Chinese restaurant.  My first impression was very much “Gone with the Wind meets Napoleon.”  I found the gold columns, large glass chandeliers, purple velvet covered seats and curtains to be unique and opulent.  I loved the teapot, reminiscent of afternoon tea.  Their place settings were also impressive.  The wait staff were dressed in black, and black and white with ruffles (for the women), quite in the French maid style.

The service was attentive (unless it’s busy) and dishes were cleared quickly.  I would advise arriving very early on weekends to avoid the line ups.

The dim sum menu is itemized in both Chinese and English on an order form.  There are no carts.

Place Setting

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow)

Steamed Shrimp & Vegetable Roll

Steamed Chicken Feet with Abalone Sauce

Steamed Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Egg Yolk & Conpoy

Steamed Beef Tripe with Ginger & Onion

Pan Fried Pork & Vegetable Dumplings

Deep Fried Taro Dumplings

Deep Fried Sticky Dumplings with Meat

Beef Tendon with Chu Hou Sauce

Soft Cake with Toasted Coconut & Sesame Seeds

Most of our visits have been consistent in terms of quality and taste.  Today, there were a few dishes that were off.

• Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow) – generous portion of plump shrimps with no detected fillers, very delicate skin
• Steamed Shrimp & Vegetable Roll – the shrimps were a bit rubbery this time.  I would suggest trying the BBQ Rice Roll
• Steamed Chicken Feet with Abalone Sauce – tender with the right balance of flavors
• Steamed Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Egg Yolk & Conpoy – The egg yolk overshadowed the dried scallops; otherwise an enjoyable dish
• Steamed Beef Tripe with Ginger & Onion – tender tripe, flavorful
• Pan Fried Pork & Vegetable Dumplings – the skin was quite disappointing, tough and chewy
• Deep Fried Taro Dumplings – delicious
• Deep Fried Sticky Dumplings with Meat – nice combination of sweet and salty
• Beef Tendon with Chu Hou Sauce – the tendons were not as tender as previous visits; quite disappointing
• Soft Cake with Toasted Coconut & Sesame Seeds – the description for this dessert is very vague and misleading.  It is similar to mochi cakes and was very good

Overall, we had an enjoyable dim sum and will re-visit at a later date.

Note:

• I wasn’t able to capture any pictures of the decor as the restaurant was full.  For privacy issues, I don’t include people in any of my shots unless they have their backs turned, or are far away
• Located at 3600 Victoria Park Avenue.  No website available

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