Lunar New Year just wrapped up this past week, and with that spirit in mind your intrepid food sleuths undertook to scout a Toronto downtown dim sum hotspot. Cha Lau is an authentic and budget-friendly option for dumplings, steamed dishes and other “small plate” Chinese goodies.
Cuisine: Dim Sum
Food: (shared) Beef and Chinese mushroom dumplings, Chinese olive and pork dumplings, ultimate shrimp rolls, shrimp and mango rolls, beef spare ribs, sesame balls, duck pastry, egg tart. Also, beef brisket noodle soup (Dan) and chicken noodle dumpling soup (Luke)
LLBO Licensed? Yup. However, Dan had filmed “Drunk Cases” the night before and was in no condition to imbibe anything other than tea or water.
The Pick:
Dan: Ok Luke, I consider myself a food adventurer. But seriously, I’m not a “dim sum person”. I know people love this stuff, but honestly I just don’t understand the appeal. Whatever though, it’s your pick this week, and I resign myself to being gingerly guided through what is almost guaranteed to be a grim misadventure. Also, please do be gentle. I had a bit of an over-commitment while filming for Mock Trial last night and will not be removing my sunglasses or attending class today.
Luke: It was clear to me from the outset — when you walked in with pallor the colour of steamed rice — that this week’s column was going to be a misadventure. I really like dim sum, but I know that it’s not for everyone. In many ways, dim sum flips western food conventions; the palate doesn’t always know what to expect from bite-to-bite. Part of the adventure, for me at least, is trying entirely novel taste and texture combinations.
At the restaurant:
Luke: Ready for a variety of squishy and sticky delights my friend? You look like hell!
Dan: Just order whatever man. I am literally sweating out whiskey right now.
Luke: Ok, Ok. Let’s slow down a bit. First off, I like the ordering system here. While you take deep breaths and re-evaluate your life-choices, I’ll enjoy reviewing the extensive menu, which is loosely divided by appetizers, soups, dumplings, fried items and desserts, with items ordered by checking boxes on a ticket.
The Food:
Dan: A swarm of servers have dropped off a bunch of small plates. What are these things? I immediately regret having you “guide” this experience. I recognize steamed dumplings, and this soup looks palatable but what is this shiny tubule-like item? I went for it with good-faith gusto and the result is honestly torture. This “mouthfeel” is so bad right now. Why is it hot and slimy? Slime is not a desirable food experience.
Luke: Yeah, you were struggling. Highlights for me included the Chinese olive and pork dumplings, which were tender and creatively-spiced, and the shrimp and mango roll, which was a refreshing take on the usual deep fried take-out version. The soup was fine but definitely not remarkable. As for the unknown, unnamed and unordered slimy dish, it was horrifying! I can’t decide if they mixed us up with another table or just saw your face and wanted to mess with you. After some cursory web research, I believe it may have been cheung fung. This dish confirmed the worst preconceptions (and your worst nightmares) about this type of cuisine. In general, though, I thought most of the dumplings and the tender riblets were great. The preparation was somewhat hurried and the dumpling casings were a little too sticky, but in this price range, Cha Lau is very good.
Dan: Apparently cheung fung is a tube made out of rice, intended to look/feel like pig intestine. It’s the perfect hangover cure, Osgoode. Serious. The ribs were legitimately only bone and fat, but somehow delicious. My soup was ok, though the broth was a bit weak. I was pretty much doomed to never taste my beef dumpling since it stuck to the dish it arrived on, then stuck to my chopsticks, then stuck again to my plate, ripping and spilling everywhere. Dessert was redeeming though. The egg tarts were interesting, and the duck pastry was nicely flaky – though meat desserts are not really in my wheelhouse. The sesame balls were really cool, though I’m glad you warned me they were full of black sesame paste, or after everything else I may have fainted.
Luke: I too thought the meal finished well. The line between dim sum main course and dessert is, without a doubt, somewhat blurred to a beginner. Still, the sesame balls were like spicy timbits and the duck pastry was crumbly and rich. I would come here just for tea (which is complimentary) and desserts!
Amenities and service:
Dan: Cha Lau is nice inside; the gray tile and black leather booths reminded me of a high-end sushi spot. Service was generally prompt and courteous. However, I was blown away that not one of the 3 people we asked could (would?) correctly identify that mystery food item. I swear you ordered it to see if you could literally make me die inside. We’re going to have to do some trust falls before your next pick, Luke.
Luke: The atmosphere was relaxed yet tasteful. I thought the food service was paced well and the servers were professional. Given the strip of Yonge Street on which Cha Lau is located, which is known for “adult” entertainment and “hemp” clubs, I was also pleased the bathroom was modern and the restaurant was completely free of bleach and dishwasher odors. If you like dim sum, this place is definitely worth a trip!
Score:
Dan: Food: 1, Service: 3, Atmosphere: 3
Luke: Food: 3.5, Service: 4, Atmosphere: 4
Overall: 3 sossbosses out of 5! #noteverybosslikesthesamesoss