Tasty Noodle - Yummy Dim Sum (Edmonton 30 in 30)

For many, dim sum was the quintessential Chinese brunch food, a time when families would come together to have a meal together consisting of steamed dumplings, fried items and noodle/rice based dishes. The truth is dim sum is based on a Cantonese style of living and its popularity is reflective of the large immigration of people from the Canton province surrounding the years when Hong Kong was to be returned from Great Britain to China. Hailing from Beijing, I did not grow up with dim sum and only grew to experience and appreciate it during my adolescence and young adulthood. There are a litany of dim sum restaurants in Edmonton and one seemingly stood out amongst the rest; one that seems to attract and keep the Chinese population coming; one that aims to serve authentic high quality dim sum: Tasty Noodle.

Tasty Noodle is located in the south of Edmonton on Calgary Trail by 30th Avenue. The restaurant stands attractively in the corner of a stripmall with large striking bold lettering that gestures would be diners forward. The interiors are similarly handsome with large wooden tables that glimmer with a sheen of modern elegance. The wait staff, attentive and plentiful, are quick to usher you to one's seat. I was impressed by the number of ethnic Chinese diners at the restaurant, especially for such an early time, and can see that its popularity in the community.

I love this idea. Typically dim sum restaurants operate in two main styles: the traditional push carts where waitresses zig zag their way between tables selling their delicious steamers of goodness OR the modern method of having a list of offered items and having customers order ala carte. Both have its benefits but the main detriment of the ala carte method is the lack of the visual stimulus of each item. Thus Iwas hooked when Tasty Noodle plopped down this large, colorful and vibrant menu showcasing each item clearly. It simply allows you to visually confirm what dish you want while also allows you to peruse through the others and ultimately ends up, like it did for me, customers ordering extra items to try.

My standard at any dim sum restaurant, the Minced Pork & Shrimp Dumpling (Shao Mai) was plump and flavourful. I appreciated the large serving size and the meaty bites of pork and shrimp in each dumpling. I wished for some textural contrast, like taro, to cut through the greasy and fatty protein but overall feel this is one of the better shao mai I have tasted.

This order was solely due to the colourful menu. Having not seen this before in a restaurant, I had to order the Shrimp with Noodle Wrap. The interior is shrimp paste that is covered on the exterior by chow mien noodles and steamed. I really liked the combination of springy shrimp paste and the soft noodle that has soaked up all the flavours from the shrimp.

Steamed Shrimp & Cilantro Dumpling was a bit of a disappointment. My expectation was that of a contrasting flavour profile, but unfortunately the shrimp overpowered the dish and the cilantro did nothing but add some color to the dish. While the shrimp was nice and springy it was simply no different than the typical shrimp dumplings one can find.

And right on cue the Imperial Shrimp Dumplings came next. Large voluptuous balls of tender skin with a juicy combination of chopped shrimp and shrimp paste, these were some of the better shrimp dumplings I have had. Again Tasty Noodle does an excellent job with the preparation of these dumplings as the skin was soft and tender but strong enough to keep all the contents inside.

I have found a certain sweet tooth towards Pan Fried Turnip Cake with Chinese Pork Sausage. Tasty Noodle does a fine job by delivering cakes with a nice crisp exterior and a soft delicate smooth interior. Only thing missing was the, seemingly standard, Hoison sauce.

Some of my Caucasians friends always seem to order Sticky Rice with Lotus Leaf and I seemingly picked up the habit of doing so. The large portion of glutinous rice is filled with flavourful chicken, roast pork and mushrooms in a soy based gravy. As with all Chinese dishes, the contrast of flavours here was paramount with soft sticky rice inter playing with the strong flavours in the filling.

Last dish of the day was Preserved Egg and Pork Congee. Perfect for any cold day, the bowl of congee had large piece of pork and preserved egg. Nothing extra-ordinary, this dish was exactly as one would expect it.

Overall I can understand why Tasty Noodle is a popular spot for authentic dim sum. Their flavours, techniques and menu choices are right on par with some of the best dim sum restaurants I have tried and while not cheap, the pricing is reflective of their quality. Whenever anyone is in the mood for great dim sum in Edmonton, Tasty Noodle has to be in the conversation.