Weekly Lunch Pick
Dynasty Chinese Cuisine
The two-bite delicacies at this Chinese resto in Yorkville offer some surprising revelations. First, turnip can be delicious. Second, dSecond, indulging in dim sum need not be solely a weekend pursuit. By Catherine Hayday
Dynasty’s oven-baked turnip pastries are a great option
for dim sum-loving vegetarians
Image credit: Catherine Hayday
The place: Dynasty Chinese Cuisine is hidden on the south side of Bloor at Avenue Road, on the edge of Yorkville. Look up, way up, and there it is on the second floor of 131 Bloor Street West. There’s a full à la carte menu, but DCC is best known for lunchtime dim sum.
The crowd: Wraparound windows make for excellent street-gazing, but the people-watching inside is even better: platinum card shoppers, exhausted from hunting reduced D&G at Holts, dine at white-linened tables. But the clientele is not strictly the puppies-in-purses set: high-quality ingredients and expert preparation make Dynasty a favourite indulgence of aficionados of two-bite delicacies.
The deal: A comprehensive tick box menu lists all the dim sum options (no need to crane your neck to see what’s on the cart). Just indicate how many of each dish you desire (is there such a thing as too many pork buns?), and watch as piping hot steamers arrive in rapid succession. Inevitably, room on the table will run out—but that just means it’s time to consolidate the siu mai with the har gow and start stacking. It’s a little pricier and less atmospheric than Chinatown, but we get what we pay for: prepared-to-order dishes are consistent from visit to visit.
The dish: Steamed rice crêpe with fried dough stick, and oven-baked turnip pastry are surprise favourites. (Turnip finally earns the adjective “delicious.”) Dynasty is much friendlier to vegetarians than most other dim sum places, with many inventive and satisfying meat- and seafood-free options. For example, crispy tofu crêpes filled with bean curd and pan-fried vegetables will win over even staunch flesh eaters.
The time: 78 minutes. Service is efficient, but another round of dumplings and a flaky egg tart finisher invite lingering.
The cost: $95.45 for three very hungry people ($31.82 each), including tax and tip.
Dynasty Chinese Cuisine, 131 Bloor St. W. (at Avenue Rd.), 416-923-3323, dynasty.sites.toronto.com.
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Yes..and this is the place that messed up my wedding.
I placed a deposit a year in advance and they decided to cancel my booking February 18th for my wedding on May 30th. All the invites has been sent and they feel they have zero responsiblities whatsoever..
They actually tried to BS me saying oh well are you sure you want that date? We have someone else interested...when in fact they had planned renovations without telling us.
Their response? Sorry it is just out of our control. GREAT!
May 5, 2009 | by soju007