Yu Garden - Richmond Hill

From the realm of Instagram posts, there were images of a large dim sum dish with a straw protruding from it. Intrigued, I decided to find out where this dish was from. I discovered that 'Yu Garden' was the restaurant behind these unique dishes, and to my surprise, it was not too far from my workplace. Thinking that I had already tried all the good restaurants in the area, I was proven wrong. 'Yu Garden' turned out to be the first.

The soup was piping hot to drink through the straw, so I had to let it cool for a few minutes. Once it was at a bearable temperature, I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh Nanxiang crab roe soup. After finishing the soup, only the dumpling skin and its contents remained. I only found a shrimp and some bits of meat inside, but the real highlight was the unique experience of sipping the soup through the straw. Despite the lack of substantial filling, I still savored the experience and was grateful to have tried it.

Hailing from Shanghai, Yu Garden is the first North American location of Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant, a renowned eatery in the old Chinese district of Shanghai. The restaurant in Richmond Hill is the first of 15 planned locations to open in the next few years. During my visit to Shanghai this year, I made a stop at the original restaurant, which was established in 1900, to try their famous giant soup dumpling. Despite the crowds of tourists, long queues, and rain, the food experience was unforgettable. When I heard that Yu Garden was opening, I was excited to have the opportunity to enjoy more delicious xiao long bao in a more comfortable setting and closer to home.

The signature Nanxiang steamed buns were the tops which were really delicious. The smoked fish not crisp, but tender which had a very good aftertaste. Other food was considered authentic and decent. The services may not among the best, but not that bad at all.

Great service..I enjoyed the few specialties such as the gigantic soup filled dumpling. It was pretty good but I still prefer Ala Kitchen. Their glutinous rice dim sum was also tasty.It was a good experience but I will not go out of the way to go back.