My parents, sister, and aunt had already tried Lobster Port’s dim sum menu about 2 months ago, and they all raved about how delicious the food was.
Since they loved it so much, we decided to come here for dinner to celebrate Chinese New Year. I have to admit their dinner was pretty good and I wrote a separate review on Lobster Port One’s dinner menu. But for now, let’s focus on their dim sum.
Spoiler alert, dinner may be good but I’m not so sure about their dim sum menu. We were definitely expecting a lot from this meal since my family told me how amazing dim sum was.
Since my dad told me it was literally THE BEST dim sum place he’s had (even compared to these top ones in Scarborough, Markham, and Richmond Hill), we decided to come to Lobster Port for dim sum on a Sunday with my cousins. It’s been a while since we’ve met up.
We arrived at the restaurant around 11 AM and things were off to a bad start (kind of).
The dim sum reservation was already booked but this place was flooded with people already – and I seriously mean FLOODED with A LOT of people. Due to the crowded room, we couldn’t get a hold of the hostess to let them know about our reservations, so we didn’t actually sit down until 20 minutes later.
It was a bummer because I was hoping to be seated in their main restaurant with the bright lights and beautiful decor. Instead, we ended up being seated in a back room. It’s a separate unit where they seat people when their main room is full. Even that unit was packed too. Not to mention, extremely loud (in an unpleasant way).
Ok, that’s fine. We’ll be forgiving. Since their dinner was good and my parents loved their dim sum, we thought it would be great to try it out ourselves. Here’s our honest review of Lobster Port’s dim sum menu.
1. Har Gow
Who goes to dim sum without ordering har gow?
No one.
Well, unfortunately, our har gow never came out. And no matter how many times we told them, we still didn’t get it.
After waiting for about 30 minutes, we still didn’t receive our order.
With all the hassle and wait time, we just told them to cancel the order.
The sad part?
They charged us for this item on the bill, and we had to ask them to reverse it, which took another 15 minutes.
Yes, this is how busy the place was and they didn’t hire enough people to keep the process running smoothly.
For the first time ever, we didn’t get our har gow fix.
2. Deep Fried Squid Tentacles
I didn’t actually try this dish since I’ve been selective with what’s indulging in and what’s not. Fried food isn’t my favorite, so I’ll pass here.
However, my husband and cousins tried and they said it was decent. Nice and chewy with a very subtle crunch.
There wasn’t anything special to rave about, it was just ok.
3. Durian Pastry
Durian is one of my favorite exotic fruits. Actually, I’d have to say that it’s probably the only exotic fruit I love to eat.
It’s why I recommend durian tarts at Les Chateaux Bakery in Markham – you’ll get fresh ones served to you as long as you go there before noon.
We’re all durian fans except for one cousin, so we only ordered one plate of durian pastry.
Of all the dim sum dishes here, this was my personal favorite.
Lobster Port’s durian pastry was flakey on the outside and very creamy on the inside. It was smooth and pleasant to eat.
One thing that bothered me was how buttery the pastry was, but I think most people will think this is the perfect combination of sweet, buttery, and creamy.
Another thing that bothered me is that we had this dish too early.
Seriously, of all the things on the dim sum menu, you serve us a dessert item first?
4. Tripe
I generally love tripe!
You can enjoy them in pho noodle soup or on their own.
This time, I wasn’t feeling for it, so I skipped it. Plus, we didn’t order a second one, so I thought there wouldn’t be enough to serve.
According to my cousins, it was good as usual, but the portion size was way too small. Not sure if it’s because we got spoiled at Crown Prince Fine Dining & Banquet.
Compared to Crown Price’s dim sum menu, the tripe at Lobster Port is obviously a lot smaller. I would say by 2 to 3 times.
Either way, the tripe at both dim sum spots are similar, so if you want better bang for your buck, try Crown Prince – not that any of them are considered “cheap”. But you do get more tripes elsewhere.
5. Baked BBQ Pork Bun with Abalone Sauce
After trying so many best dim sum places in Greater Toronto, especially in Scarborough, North York, Markham, and Richmond Hill, we realized that the baked BBQ pork bun has become most of these restaurants’ staples.
Are they just copying each other?
I was really looking forward to this type of bakery because it’s become one of my favorite orders at dim sum – next to har gow.
Not to mention, Lobster Port restaurant tends to hype it up to the Asian audience with its marketing ploy, “abalone sauce”.
To be honest, I didn’t even know this came with so-called “abalone” sauce until I had to look back at the photo of the menu we took.
Without any bias, I immediately thought this bun was very buttery and oily compared to the other ones I had.
To name a few off the top of my head, I enjoyed the ones at Skyview Fusion, The One Fusion, and Yu Seafood much, MUCH better – and they weren’t marketed as “with abalone sauce”.
They were all buttery to some extent, but Lobster Port’s version was tongue-coatingly greasy. And before I forget to mention, their BBQ pork seemed pretty low quality filled with fatty meat.
Not sure if my taste buds changed, but I wasn’t too impressed with this one.
Can I say what a waste of unnecessary calories?
6. Steamed Shrimp Rice Rolls
In addition to har gow, no one can afford to not order a dish of steamed shrimp rice rolls.
If the durian pastry wasn’t one of my favorite treats, I’d say this was probably the next best dish I had at Lobster Port.
It was just as good as the other dim sum restaurants with a good amount of shrimp paired with a green leaf vegetable.
Top it with your traditional sweet and savory soy sauce – and voila!
I couldn’t find many flaws with this dish especially when it came to the texture – very soft, not too sticky or too soft.
The only thing I wasn’t too satisfied with was the shrimp size. Some of them were small and not as plump like the ones from the other spots. But it was still above average and very enjoyable.
If you want to experience the absolute best rice rolls in Toronto, don’t depend on any dim sum restaurants. Instead, go to Good Taste Casserole Rice or Yin Ji Chang Fen. Not the best in the world, but you’ll find one of the best in town.
7. Pan Fried Turnip Cake
Another classic dish I love!
Nothing tasted bad about the dish, it was just as expected.
The turnip cake was slightly crunchy (I say very slightly) on the outside and deliciously moist on the inside – it was cooked just right.
Knowing how critical I am, it would be surprising to hear that I didn’t find anything wrong with this dish.
Well, the only thing I didn’t like – and that’s just my personal preference – is the Chinese sausage bits inside. Yes, I have to admit they taste good, but I’ve cut that stuff out of my life. So today, I’d much prefer it without those heavily processed meats. Just not worth indulging in IMO.
8. Pan Fried Chives with Shrimp and Pork Dumplings
Don’t expect these dumplings to hit it out of the park, they’re just average compared to the best dumplings in Toronto.
The skin was a bit thick and overly glutinous – it’s as if they overstretched it while making them.
The stuffing, however, was pretty good with shrimp and pork being its main ingredients.
Like most dumpling places out there, Lobster Port also uses Chinese chives to add a bit of texture to the mix.
It was alright, but for me, it just wasn’t that special.
I would personally go with another item if I were ever to return here again – simply because there are so many other dishes they specialize in like their signature lobster noodle, which we forgot to order upon arrival — oops! Better luck next time.
9. Steamed Glutinous Rice Wrap with Pork and Dry Scallop
All I have to say is that’s a load of rice!
Just like any traditional glutinous rice wrap, they served it with pork and scallop.
The filling was spot on – succulent, flavorful, and not overly salty despite the duck egg yolk in the middle.
I think we meant to order the sticky rice, so this order was by accident. However, nobody at the table had anything negative to say. So, I guess everyone thought it was decent?
I know I didn’t have any problems with it. Though it’s not something I would order here because you can eat this dish just about anywhere else for fraction of the price.
10. Egg Tart
Again, nothing special about these egg tarts, but they were still an enjoyable treat.
I do think this place has literally one of the best egg tarts in Toronto though. If you’re an egg tart or milk tart fan, I highly recommend checking out that place!
11. Steamed Chicken Feet
I used to love these as a kid.
I probably still do, but I haven’t had them in a long time. And I refuse to eat them now. Maybe I’ll have them once every couple of years? Or even once every 3 to 4 years? Lol.
However, my husband and cousin devoured them. They said it was alright – not too salty, nor overly soft or sticky.
They were good – not amazing, but still satisfyingly tasty. The sauce was flavorful and the texture of the skin was just perfect – not too soft or hard.
What can you say? They’re just your typical steamed chicken feet. If you like eating fatty chicken skin, you’ll probably like this dish. Otherwise, it’s not something I would actively seek out when dining at Lobster Port.
12. Siu Mai
We ordered two orders of siu mai, which is pork mixed with mushroom.
Usually, this should be one of the first orders that come to your table whenever you go out for dim sum. However, they messed up and forgot. Just like how they forgot our har gow and charged us on the bill.
Because this came to our table last – and let’s not forget how terrible the service was – we didn’t enjoy the siu mai as much. You can say our overall experience left a bad taste in our mouths.
To be unbiased, the siu mai tastes just like any other siu mais from other places. It wasn’t amazingly mindblowing but wasn’t bad either.
You will get decent siu mai at Lobster Port, so you if you ever decide to stop by, don’t forget to order a round or two. Let’s just hope you don’t have to chase after your order.
Food: 3/5
I think I’m already being really generous here.
I couldn’t give them under a 3 because their food isn’t terrible, but they didn’t meet my expectations. Especially when my parents, sister, and aunt told me how amazing this place is for dim sum.
My cousins thought the food was pretty bad, but perhaps they were influenced by the bad service too.
My husband thinks the food was meh.
Service: 1/5
I don’t think I’ve experienced any place with worse service.
With the exception of The One Fusion at Richmond Hill – apparently, my aunt got yelled at by a hostess just for asking politely how long the wait is.
Anyways, the service at Lobster Port was EXTREMELY slow and the staff was so distant.
We came here for Chinese New Year dinner, and the service was slow during the evening, but at least the servers were nicer.
The dim sum servers were more aggressive with an “IDGAF” attitude.
They didn’t want to answer questions or even acknowledge that we existed! We had to constantly remind them to bring us our food, drinks, and check.
It made me feel like they weren’t taking care of their customers at all – and it’s a problem when they are understaffed.
Ambiance: 2.8/5
The main dining area is beautiful, grand, and big! But they threw us into a side room for dim sum and it felt like a forgotten corner.
The decor was outdated like an empty hall with no life. I have to say it was a bit unnerving.
We feel like they should have at least made an effort to make sure the place looks clean – especially when you have so many people coming in for dim sum!
Not to mention, they were holding a private event for another group and all they offered was a room divider to separate everyone else. If you ask me, it was a bit odd and tacky.
Price: $$
The price is similar to most other dim sum places – around $7 per item. So, the more you order, the higher your bill. Our total bill for 5 people was $120 after tax and 20% tips.
We only gave them 20% tips, because our bill was right on $100 with tax, and we didn’t want to bother to wait for change since we knew how slow the service was. None of us had a $5 or $10, and we didn’t want to waste any more time.
Overall Rating of Lobster Port’s Dim Sum: 2.5/5
If it weren’t for the terrible service, we would have given them a rating of 3/5 for their dim sum menu because their food wasn’t bad.
Unfortunately, the service kills the experience. Also, dining in the other room ruins everything too. We’d much rather go to a more modern place with better decor and faster service.
I recommend eating here for dinner for special occasions (as we mentioned in this review here about Lobster Port One’s eight-course dinner), but if you’re looking for dim sum I suggest you try another restaurant.
We would not recommend this place if you are looking for quality dim sum, as it’s far from the best in town. But if you’ve already been to all the dim sum places in Greater Toronto and you want a change in environment, then you may want to give this place a try. Perhaps your experience will be different from ours. That’s just my two cents on Lobster Port!
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