Lee Yuen Seafood Restaurant - Guilford

Our love for and quest for great dim sum, usually takes us to Richmond. A one hour haul from Aldergrove but worth it to a foodie. However, I have read some good things about Lee Yuen and actually, some friends took me there, a long time ago,  for Salt Fish and Chicken Fried Rice (among other things) which was frankly amazing. So why not try their dim sum? I thought that we were in for a wait arriving at 11:00 am on a Sunday, but Lee Yuen has a fairly large dining room (and fear not, there is parking behind the restaurant) and we were seated right away.

Deep Fried Bean Curd Wraps with Shrimp

Arriving first was Deep Fried Bean Curd Wraps with Shrimp and we were off to an excellent start. Served with a black vinegar dipping sauce, these were very hot out of the fryer and so crispy with a succulent shrimp and spinach filling. Marie wasn't too keen on the spinach but I thought the vinegar was a perfect foil  for the greens.

Chicken Feet with Special Sauce

Next came some wonderful Chicken Feet with Special Sauce. We consider ourselves nearly bona fide experts on chicken feet now and these are some of the best we have had. Meaty and tender and the sauce is a wonderful tomato based concoction with peanuts and jalapenos.

Sui Mai

These were some large meaty Sui Mai. To be honest, I don't usually order Sui Mai. My brain was saying Har Gow even as I checked the box but I am not sorry that it happened as these made us happy. They were a nice mix of the shrimp and pork, moist and tasty.

Rice Roll with Beef and Cilantro

We usually order a rice roll and these were Rice Roll with Beef and Cilantro. The sauce was a little sweet and very nice while the beef was ground (I was picturing Taiwanese beef roll style) with the cilantro providing a perfect note. 

Deep Fried Dumplings with Pork and Shrimp

Finally came Deep Fried Pork and Shrimp Dumplings and these were also excellent. My partner loved the rice flour shell which was just a little sweet with again the nice shrimp and pork mixture inside! So we basically had 5 hits on our hands. It cannot be attributed to my ordering skills as little was what I thought I was ordering. If it is then true that there is very good dim sum outside of Richmond, then we can all take courage and continue the quest. Lee Yuen is a wonderful place to start. Nice people and efficient service! Comfortable digs. I can heartily recommend that you give this place a try!