It's not very often that a small business makes a comeback after being closed for a few years, but…read moreformer downtown Halifax resident Kee Heong has brought its dim sum delights to a much different part of the city - Lower Sackville.
My wife and I came by for a late-ish lunch on the the weekend, and we were happy to see the restaurant nearly full! It's not a big space, with only marginally more seating than their old location, but it was good to see it being embraced by a diverse clientele.
The menu has a few dozen different options, which gave a good amount of variety without being overwhelming. Steamed BBQ pork buns are a dim sum must, as are pan fried pork and chive dumplings, and then we mixed things up a with a few new-to-us dishes. We settle on the steamed ginger dumplings, pan fried taro cakes and the more mysterious sounding "duck egg inside pork balls". It probably isn't the best way to pitch the dish in an appetizing way, but I like all those things, so it was worth a shot!
It seems that green tea comes by default here, or our server has really good hearing as we debated getting some or not, so if it's not your thing, you might want to nip that in the bud.
It wasn't long before our assortment of plates and steamer baskets were before us.
The pan fried dumplings were a sight to behold with beautifully browned bottoms, and they did not disappoint! The crispy side of the wrapper contrasted nicely with tender and juicy interior, dotted with bits of vegetal chives. The dumplings were on the large side for pot stickers, and the grain of the filling was a bit more rustic than Chinese dumplings often are, including the others that we ordered, which we appreciated.
Kee Heong's cha siu bao struck all of the right notes with pleasantly doughy and lightly sweet exteriors, and the sweet and savoury interior. There was just the right amount of sauce and filling to get a taste with each bite.
The taro cakes were a new one for me, and they would be best described as being similar to a latke or hash brown, as it's another patty of shredded root vegetable. The exterior was good and crisp, although I found the interior to be a bit dry, and it was with these that the lack of sauces at the tables stood out. No soy, black vinegar or chili crisp in sight!
The ginger dumplings had the perfect amount of ginger, such that they were quite gingery, but not enough to give you a burning sensation. It was a nice contrast amongst a series of very savoury dishes.
Last but not least were the "duck egg inside pork balls". I vaguely knew what to expect, but not 100%, so this dish had an element of mystery to it! The vibe from the menu is very "Chinese Scotch egg", and the composition was in line with that as well, as steamed rice took the place of bread crumbs ensconcing a ball of minced pork. It seemed like it was just the egg yolk inside, but I really enjoyed the mix of egg, meat and rice, the latter of which had a subtle flavour of toasting, similar to the rice in a rice cooker that was on the edges of the pot.
Kee Heong is firing on all cylinders since their return, and I hope Lower Sackville appreciates what they've got in this dim sum dispensary.
