Chef’s Choice Chinese Cuisine makes the case for the best dim sum in Vancouver

There are moments when you know a restaurant is simply sublime. In this case, it was the first bite of a white and black speckled sesame ball, a soft crunchy exterior giving way to a jet black sesame paste, still warm and dripping, that smelled and tasted of light peanut butter. I still think about that sesame ball months later. 

But I’m getting ahead of myself. 

I’ve always thought there are two types of people in Vancouver — those who prefer brunch, and those who prefer dim sum. Count me and my friends in the latter, as we stumbled into the much-acclaimed Dynasty Seafood House one weekend morning in late August desperate for a table. 

Arguably Vancouver’s best dim sum restaurant, you can always expect a minimum 30 minute wait when you show up. Unfortunately, that day’s one-hour wait held no appeal, so we left, forlornly searching for any other spot nearby.

We saddled up at Chef’s Choice Chinese Cuisine at 955 W Broadway, two blocks west of Dynasty. One couldn’t help but wonder if the spot was intentionally chosen for its proximity.

Disappointment at Dynasty instantly turned into delight. I write this without a hint of hyperbole that Chef’s Choice is one of the best dim sum experiences in the city. 

While there are no wheeled table carts, the servers were attentive, checking on us multiple times, clearing off plates and engaging us with a level of service that is sometimes missing in Vancouver. On that experience alone, the place is worth a visit.

Luckily, the food also lived up to expectations. Lived up? Exceeded is a better word.

Dim sum has some consistencies. Slightly cold items, overly salted, mediocre soy sauce. These aren’t complaints, but part of the overall experience that varies widely wherever you go.

Chef’s Choice represents a sweeping statement about Dim Sum, the chef standing in the middle of the restaurant arguing that we should demand better, that care, attention and quality should and must be part of the dim sum experience. Dim sum, I can imagine them saying, is an expression of Chinese food at its finest.  

In many cases, dim sum retaurants bring in pre-frozen items. They’re not always bad, but it’s noticeable. Not at Chef’s Choice. We were informed that each item is made fresh on location.

The shrimp rolls steamed, tasting sweet and fresh, the rice roll exquisitely textured. The elegantly prepared siu mai, marbled layers of pork and shrimp popping out the wrapper. Crispy spring rolls lovingly deep-fried. I could go on.

A sublime dining experience is when a disliked food is made wonderful. I remember in Sicily almost 10 years ago, as our tour guide forced me to try their olives. I went from disgust to love in three seconds.

Congee has never held much appeal for me, and I admit it was one poor experience that set me up for years of displeasure. But Chef’s Choice will make anyone a believer. Delicately smooth, a subtle rice flavour, crystal clear like a bowl full of melting ice, their congee offers a fine contrast to the rich flavours in the rest of the meal. 

I left feeling like I had a little secret. Why was no one talking about this place? But like all hidden gems in Vancouver, the secret is out of the bag. Chef’s Choice was recently recognized as a Selected Restaurant at this year’s Michelin Guide awards.

I cannot tell you if the lines are any better than Dynasty. But what I can confidently say is that for dim sum lovers, Chef’s Choice is up there with the best in the city.