Although I've been to Cindys Palace as part of our Chinese Bites dinners, I wanted to return and sample their dim sum. Late last year, that's exactly what we did.
First off, we started off with the tried and true, the Har Gow. When we were here for the Chinese Bites dinner, they actually treated us to some dim sum, some pork Sui Mai, and I distinctly remember them being gigantic. And sure enough, these didn't disappoint. The skin was nice and translucent, and sure, there was lots of shrimp, but unfortunately, the flavour was a little bland. I would have preferred the shrimp to be sweeter, but slathered some chilli sauce on it and all was fine.
Now I know many of you aren't a fan of innards and organs, but I do love my Beef Tripe. Did you know that there are several types of tripe? Many of us know the two common ones, a Honeycomb one (from the second stomach), and the Leaf/Bible tripe (from the third stomach) you see above. Did you know there is also a smooth tripe from the first stomach? The Bible tripe is the one you normally get a Vietnamese pho places. If you think this looks plain, you'd be correct. The green onion and ginger flavours are mild, but I have to admit, the tripe was super tender, surprisingly so. I think I'd order it again to give them another chance.
What really set off the craving for dim sum today was a craving for rice noodle rolls. So we decided to get a Hot Pot of Mushroom Rice Noodle Rolls. The rolls were not cooked in the hot pot but they were steamed perfectly. Each little roll held its own and wasn't mushy at all. And as you can see, there was a variety of mushrooms and plenty of it. This is really good comfort food for a cold fall day. It's not as much as a bowl of ramen but it does hit the spot.
Normally, we always get sticky rice as part of dim sum, usually during lunch at Kirin on Alberni, but this location had something different, a Stuffed Sticky Rice Bun. As soon as it arrived, we realized it's not really a bun, it's more like a dumpling. I found this dry, probably because it was reheated and not actually steamed. It was a big ball of dried sticky rice and definitely disappointing.
How to save the day? I was delighted to discover that they have Stir Fried Sea Snails. Once the ends are slightly shaved off, use a toothpick to pull the meat out slowly. Once removed, take off the flap (it looks like a fish scale) at the end and you're good to go! This plate was just under $10 but the scarcity of it makes it worth the price, since I so rarely have it.
Take Note:
Good dishes for dimsum (shrimp cakes and spring rolls).
For dinner, try the Stir Fried Chicken with Steamed Rice in Leaves.
Their Special Fried Rice tastes a lot like Phnom Penh's!