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In Chinese culture, dim sum is a time to drink tea (yum cha) and indulge in a variety of foods usually shared with a large group of close friends and …
Sowma Dasgupta
Golden Court Abalone Restaurant
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I am very very sad to say that this place has been consistently going downhill over the past three years. This used to be one of my top three favourit…
Cooking With Alison
Golden Court Abalone Restaurant
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Horrible place. Dont go here. Service sucks. Food sucks. The place is small and stinky. Not to mention over priced. The staff is rude and abnoxious…
Rocafella1
Golden Court Abalone Restaurant
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Golden Court Abalone Restaurant is open for Casual Dining. Golden Court Abalone Restaurant serves Dim Sum, Cantonese, Chinese and Asian dishes. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
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7 Reviews on “Golden Court Abalone Restaurant”
In Chinese culture, dim sum is a time to drink tea (yum cha) and indulge in a variety of foods usually shared with a large group of close friends and family in an afternoon setting. Personally, I love this concept where food is mixed with social mingling and family time while promoting shared values. It is one of the reasons I go to dim sum every 2 weeks or so. It makes me feel more connected to the ones I share my meal with.My first stint with the practice of dim sum started at Golden Court Abalone Restaurant in Richmond Hill.I have always been fascinated with Asian foods and their myriad of flavours. The variety of foods they have is staggering and they are all equally exciting. After a quick stop at the nearby ATM I headed to try my first dim sum restaurant in the GTA. Like most other dim sum places this place did not accept anything but cash but that is a minor hiccup in the quest for food.As we entered the establishment I was amazed by the sheer size of their operation and the opulence of the decor. It is like this place walked right our of a busy street in Mainland China at the peak of a national celebration. You will notice the liberal use of red and gold in their color scheme which looks grand.We were seated down on a round table which is perfect when you are about to share a multitude of foods while engaging in conversation. The staff is prompt and methodical in the operational aspect – setting tables, cleaning up etc. However, they somewhat lack in communication skills and if you are not accompanied by a host who speaks the language, you might miss out on some great stuff that seasoned dim sum lovers know of. For example, the spicy mustard is an addition that you can request for free with your regular dishes but needs to be specifically requested and I for one was unable to ask for it in English. However, one of the guests in our party knew exactly what to ask for and we got the spicy mustard combo dip. People who love a little bit of heat should definitely try this dip.The standard practice is to drink tea while you are served with various food preparations on the table which people share. The tea itself was not too great to speak of but it worked more like a palate cleanser for me and warmed me after having walked in on a cold winter afternoon. The food that followed (mostly recommended by our local host) was a journey in itself.We started with some Zhaliang which is a rice noodle roll wrapped around crisp fried dough and doused in hoisin sauce. While I loved their rendition, it was not the best version of this Cantonese dim sum dish. The key lies in balancing the softness of the rice roll with the crispiness of the fried dough without making it too mushy or sticky. Next we had some tripe which was seasoned and steamed, and frankly one of the best things I tried there. Tripe is made from the stomach lining of cows and is largely tasteless but has a fantastic texture. We also tried some curried baby squid which was a little chewier than I expected but the curry was very flavorful. Then we sampled some Lo Mai Gai which by far was the most interactive dish we tried. It is a sticky rice preparation with minced meat and spices wrapped and steamed in a lotus leaf. The way it is eaten is by opening the leaf package and then mixing up the contents inside and sharing it. It had subtle but varied flavors which I liked. We also tried the har gow which is a simple dumpling and a standard in dim sum. Additionally we sampled some cha siu bao, taro dumplings and egg tarts all of which were very appetizing and boasted of interesting textures which I loved. The cha siu bau is a lightly steamed bun with a sweet bbq pork flling. The bun came apart easily while revealing the steaming hot pork inside and I instantly started to salivate. The taro dumplings which surprisingly had nothing to do with fortune telling did not disappoint in taste. They paired amazingly with the spicy mustard dip and had a nice tempura like crispiness encasing a soft taro mixture within. The egg tarts were like a dessert and had a creamy custard like texture filled inside of a buttery flaky tart.For my first dim sum , it wdefinitely got me excited to try out more of the dishes they have. However, there were some areas that the restaurant could improve upon and make it a more authentic experience while catering to different types of customers with varying levels of familiarity with this cuisine.
I am very very sad to say that this place has been consistently going downhill over the past three years. This used to be one of my top three favourite higher end chinese restaurants in the city for dinner. I’ve never had their dim sum. But the last two times that I’ve been here over the past year have been progressively getting worse. We suspect the head chefs left. They used to make the best deep fried fish dishes. Not anymore. Also their bun like wraps (fusion) are literally gross in texture and flavour. Also, I’ve never had a worse crab claw. I will say that their duck is still pretty good and the garlicky bean noodles that came with the lobster were excellent. The wait staff tries too hard and crosses personal boundaries and social norms. I don’t plan to return. cookingwithalison.com
Horrible place. Dont go here. Service sucks. Food sucks. The place is small and stinky. Not to mention over priced. The staff is rude and abnoxious
WORSE PLACE EVER. My family threw a party here for my grandma’s birthday and the service was just god awful. The waitresses were rude, obnoxious, unfriendly, and unprofessional. When they serve you food you would have to eat fast because they would take the food away without asking you if you’re done eating or not. They didn’t cut the birthday cake for us, we had to serve ourselves drinks, they throw things on the tables, and push you aside. This was the most frustrating service i’ve ever experienced. I can get better service at jane and finch. For a restaurant that claims they’re high class it has awful service and the food wasnt even that great. I truly advise anyone considering this restaurant to think TWICE before coming here and throwing a party for your guest will have a very difficult time dealing with the staff. Not even being in here for 2 minutes did I already get in a fight with a staff member who yelled at me and walked away because i was simply asking her a question. By far the WORSE restaurant I have ever been to. Will never come back here ever again. Oh and at the end of the night they took our drinks, pop, beer, etc. and put it behind the bar so that we wouldnt be able to take it back. If you’re having a wedding or a formal event i advise you to look else where. HATE this place and all the guest at the party did too!
Good food but no service. For a 5-person course plus an extra dish, it took the staff 2.5 hours to finish serving our dishes to our two tables. They only gave us half the dessert we were supposed to get!
Chiu chow dumpling done right. This place had one of the best chiuchow dumpling. thin rice wrap and the dumplings were done with the right amount of peanuts
Gone downhill. Used to be one of my fave dim sum places but the food quality has gone down. They’ve changed some of the menu items for the worse…won’t be going back for awhile.