📍Southern Delicacy – 6055 West Blvd, Vancouver, BC V6M 3X2
🌍Country: China  
🔥Must-try dish: Siu Mai with black truffle on top
🪑Seating: Indoor seating only
👍The high: The answer to this has to be the black truffle paste on top of the Siu Mai dumplings. 
👎The low: The cucumber salad is overloaded with chilies, which might be too intense for some.

When it comes to Dim Sum, nowhere in Canada does it better than Vancouver. It’s almost impossible not to stumble across a Dim Sum restaurant in the city, and more likely than not, you’ll like what you eat. They do it well, and they’re proud of it. Every spot has their own speciality or characteristic that makes it unique – whether it’s the dismissive service, the trolleys that show up at each table, or the best Har Gow around, something will set each one apart. 

On a quick trip to Vancouver with one meal reserved to eat around the world, it was a no-brainer to go out for Dim Sum, and Southern Delicacy in the west end of the city ticked all the boxes. It’s more elevated than some of its counterparts with white table cloths and polite service. Although there are all the classics when it comes to a Dim Sum menu, there are a few things with a twist that make this place special from others, especially if you love Siu Mai as much as I do. 

With a heat-wave in full swing, the Pai Huang Gua was a must. This cold cucumber salad is first and foremost a cool treat on a steamy day, but it’s also a terrific palate cleanser between dumplings and buns. The chopped pieces of cucumber are soaked in a flavourful sauce made of soya sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and chilies, all flavours that tickle every part of the tastebuds. 

As for the dumplings on offer, there’s no shortage of fillings to pick from. But it’s not a real Dim Sum experience without the soup dumplings, also known as Xiao Long Bao, which refers to the stemmed basket that they’re traditionally cooked in. Everyone manages to get through eating these juicy delights, but few people truly understand the art of it. One wrong bite, and you could be a soupy mess. 

Har Gow is a Dim Sum staple you shouldn’t miss, often the prettiest on the table with its delicate, translucent wrapper that gently hugs the shrimp inside. If a dumpling could be called light, this would be it. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s Sui Mai: dense, golden, and packed with seasoned pork and shrimp. These are a personal favourite, and what made them stand out here was the luxurious dollop of black truffle paste on top. A true meeting of great minds. Honestly, another trip out west might be worth it just to chase that flavour.

And then there’s the Char Siu Bao, better known as pork buns, where the chef nailed the all-important filling-to-dough ratio.This is a delicious alternative to a dumpling-only diet, which may not even be a bad thing…

The rest of the menu looked great but the above dishes are what we came for, and we were impressed with all of it at the end of the meal. Instead of going back to old favourites, Southern Delicacy became a new friend. 

There are interesting iced teas, and mocktail-esque drinks on the menu to help cool you down in the summer. A particularly big shout out goes to the lemon and honey iced tea, which was fresh and zesty alongside the food. 

Now, it’s time to get back to Toronto. 

Eat with you soon!