Ottawa Foodies

2

When I was a kid, going for dim sum in Chinatown in Montreal was always a treat and I still go whenever I head back for a visit. After living here for a few years and never having gone for dim sum I decided it was time to see what Ottawa had to offer.

My father (who was in for a visit) and I went on a Sunday and thankfully just beat the lineup. We sampled our usual dim sum favourites such as har gow (shrimp dumplings), sui mai (pork dumplings) and every other type of dumpling that had shrimp in it. We also ordered the baby squid, shrimp wrapped in rice noodles (I always order it and can never remember the name) and the taro cakes. Aside from the taro being a bit greasy, everything was excellent.

Having many times declared that the dim sum at my favourite place in Montreal (Kam Fung) is just a shade off the dim sum in Hong Kong, I can confidently say that Chu Shing is just a shade off of Montreal (I have to maintain my biases after all).

I have yet to sample the non-dim sum menu, but from seeing what some other tables were eating, if you want good Cantonese food, you have to know what to ask for because the menu I saw was full of the usual Canadian-Chinese standbys.

2

Schtickyrice: I have been several times to the Chu Shing without any problems with service. As Sunday mid-evening is prime time, I would not try to request a specific table, or one for a larger group than we would be; it'd taking away possible business from the restaurant, unless it's late and it's clear few more groups will arrive.

I also went last Sunday around 7:30pm with a group of five which became six, and we were sat at a round table by the Cambridge window, as it happens. As usual, our allergy ingredients questions were well-answered and our requests, written clearly in caps for added legibility, were properly executed.

The beef with green peppers, ginger and pineapple was particularly tasty - the ginger was pickled and very thinly sliced, not overpowering like ginger in standard sushi places, balancing the sweetness of the pineapple.

The spring roll is strictly vegetable-filled, no meat; the lack of any other types on the menu made us wonder if it was meat-only. The person who ate them said they were quite nice.

As usual, the baby bak choi and steamed broccoli half-plates were a hit, as were the deep-fried tofu.

The flavourful and not very spicy (but not quiet) General Tao's and a particular eggplant dish (normally with minced pork as we found out after inquiry, and with the "NO PORK" request properly done) extremely yummy, for those who like eggplant, rounded out our dishes.

Six of us (though one ate lighter than the others) had 1 appetizer, three full plates and three half-sized snack plates for a total, with tax and tip, of $10 each. We hadn't pigged out and had no leftovers.

It may not be superlative, but it has yet to fail to satisfy me for portions or flavour, though other places have generally tastier dishes but at much higher prices, making it a rare treat only. Chu Shing is good enough that it doesn't even feel like a compromise.

5

Used to go regularly for their late night snack menu but haven't been back for a while due to the bad service. Decided to give it another chance yesterday...When we showed up at 8pm, the waitress wouldn't give us the window seat because "she doesn't have time to clean the table". We insisted that we could wait, to no avail, and finally threatened to leave before she seated us. We were just about to order when a "manager" came by to ask us if there are five of us. I said no, she took away the extra setting, and proceeded to give the waitress shit for seating us at a large table. When the waitress mentioned that we would have left, the "manager" muttered angrily: then let them leave! We did.

1

I've gone several times despite their spotty record with the city of Ottawa restaurant inspections. I've gotten ill from eating at restaurants with perfect records, so I take the ratings with a grain of salt as to whether the food will kill me.

So far I've gone three times in the last couple of months and haven't died. And the service has been pretty good too.

So far :
Kinda bad :
Curried squid - didn't like the yellow curry sauce, which was kind of watery and meh.

Rather good :
General Tso's chicken - delicious!
Deep fried tentacle - delicious squid tentacle clusters, though a bit too salty. Pair it with something bland.
Beef with eggplant - delicious!
Baby bok choi - good for a vegetable!
Deep-fried tofu cubes - a bit blander than I expected, but you get a lot, it's good paired with something with a strong flavour.

1

We recently ordered takeout from here and on the whole it was excellent.

When I called to place the order, they told me 25 minutes but when I showed up, I ended up waiting another 15 minutes. Not the end of the world as they always seem to be very busy but my stomach was definitely growling.

We ordered:
- 1/2 crispy chicken (with 5 spice salt)
- satay beef
- beef with oyster sauce
- cantonese noodles
- crystal shrimp
- har gow
- fried wontons
- steamed rice

All the dishes were very hot and fresh and the server put in some chopsticks, forks, hot sauce and plates for us, which was nice.

The crispy chicken stood out as the best dish, it was DELICIOUS! All four of us agreed it would be a must-order for the future.

The satay beef did not really seem all that flavourful to me although the others enjoyed it. Beef with oyster sauce was very good. Next time I think I will try black bean sauce.

Crystal shrimp...I am not sure what crystal shrimp are supposed to taste like since I'd never had them before. I found the sauce to be bland - but the shrimp were large and very fresh.

The har gow (shrimp dumplings) were delicious, as usual. Fried wantons were also fine - they are deep fried, after all...

Chu Sing is definitely our favorite Chinese food in Ottawa to date. I would love to try their dim sum as I have only had dim sum in Toronto.

We finally tore ourselves away from Yangstze and gave Chu Shing a try for Dim Sum. Everything was very good, we definitely have no complaints, however, I think I still prefer Yangtze. I felt like the Dim Sum wasn't quite as fresh as it was at Yangstze. The BBQ pork buns in particular although tasty, just didn't measure up to the ones at Yangstze.

In response New User 2174's unjust comment from last fall, the service was excellent and there was absolutely nothing to complain about. The comment that the favour Asian customers is ridiculous to the point of even being racist in itself. Perhaps the customers who seemed to be getting better service simply ordered something that is quicker to prepare. Or more likely, maybe they were friendly and polite. I know from experience if I am busy and have several tables on the go, the polite tables is hands down going to get better service than the rude one.

bbq chicken with cilantro. healthy foodies make healthy choices: lean, crispy, bbq skin and cantonese taste. pair this dish with a big plate of mixed chinese greens and you feel good at the end of the meal. then go ahead make heads turn at the beach and strut your stuff. live long, prosper and age gracefully by being forever young!

sizzling black pepper steak - i prefer this dish here than that offered at royal treasure and yangtze. i find chu shing use more black pepper, garlic, onions, teriyaki/blackbean sauce for fuller and stronger flavor; perhaps marinated longer as well. comes sizzling on a griddle. pair this with a bit of rice and mixed chinese greens to soak up the flavors. quality flavor and protein nutrition for the price!

bailing shrooms & chinese greens - to your health and enjoy admiring yourself in the mirror.
you don't need to make friends with jenny craig.

I agree Dim sum at ChuShing is miles fresher than at Yangtze. I didn't like one thing I ate at Yangtze, our table was done in half the time as we stopped ordering. At ChuShing we order and eat until we can't eat anymore. It just taste fresher

I tend to skip back-and-forth between Yangstze and Chu Shing for dim sum every week.
I didn't have a clear favourite until yesterday. Chu Shing for the win. Every single dish was great.
The shrimp-pork and other dumpings were cooked to perfection, the pork buns were sweet and savoury and the squid in ginger was delightful. Oh, that sauce! Can we talk about the pork rice roll-ups? YUM.(I don't remember any of these dishes' real names, so sorry.)

The service was typical dim sum service. You don't go for chit chat and pleasantries.

went today with my Mister and my exGF
we had a had a great time

H being more use to Canadian Chinese was blown away by the fresh flavours of the Cantonese style dimsum and P relished the chrysanthemum tea

everything was tasty esp the grilled turnip cakes and brought back memories of San Francisco and my childhood

lol and I did not even need a drink
all too soon, we were the only ones left and the staff was alternating eating at another table

good to see they weren't eating anything other than what we had

I prefer dim sum here over Yangtze. They have a vast selection, and many dishes I have not seen anywhere else.

The shrimp har gao and siu mai was good, the other people liked it; as well as the pork dumplings. The pork bun was okay.

I particularly liked the curried squid, the tendons, the chicken feet, turnip cake and sponge cake. They fill your water and tea when they see it empty. The servers here don't speak much English, but at least they try. :)

If you don't see a dish on the cart but you are waiting for it, you can request it.

This is our favourite dim sum place (we've tried dim sum around Ottawa, and around the world including Hong Kong). Have been going here a couple of times a month for nine years. We even had our wedding breakfast here.

Wonderful har gow, excellent turnip cake, duck, something called shrimp balls, sticky rice in a bowl, many great dumplings. Nothing really bad. They make a lovely little sweet and sour dipping sauce for the shrimp rolls, wontons, and shrimp balls--it's thin and vinegary. I miss it everywhere else.

After 11am you can order from menu and get veggies. 10-11:30 mostly dumplings and simpler items on the carts, later on there's duck, pork, more small selections of delightful Chinese vegetables.

After 11 am weekends (depending on the weather) there tends to be a line.

The service is funny--chilly until they get to know you then it's like family. I love people watching there and we run into all kinds of cross section of people. Wonderful mixed crowd--family friendly, great for a date.

It's a bit scruffy and sticky but nothing worth being squeamish about.

Note, they do a less extensive dim sum during the week, great way to impress out of town visitors with a cosmopolitan treat.

Simply the best

This is the Bay scallops with Cashew Nuts. There were a good number of bay scallops. Taste was pretty good. Another recommended dish for you as well. I think the price tag is $8.50.

When you come to Chu Shing for dinner, their BBQ chicken is a MUST ORDER dish. This is their specialty and they do a very good job. No other Chinese restaurants in Ottawa can beat this in my opinion. Very crispy skin with juicy chicken meat (marinated)!

I think this dish is also Chu Shing's specialty. Shrimps were big and taste was yummy. We all gave a good rating to this dish.

I will order this dish again if I come here for dinner next time.

This is the stir-fried snow pea tips with garlic. The taste was not bad, but can't compare with the one I tried at New Sky in Toronto.

Their Crab Meat and Sea Foam Soup was the worst I have tried in Ottawa. Crab meat was not fresh and the soup taste was bland. I tasted that water was later added to the soup.

So, don't bother ordering this soup here.