Dim sum is a traditional Chinese dish that is often served as a breakfast or brunch item. It typically consists of small bite-sized pieces of food that are served in steamer baskets or on small plates. Common dim sum items include dumplings, buns, and spring rolls.
If you’re looking for some dim sum nearby, then My Wonderful Kitchen is a popular spot for dim sum in the Richmond Hill area. The restaurant offers a wide variety of dim sum items, as well as other Chinese dishes. The Dim Sum here is some of the best in the area and is definitely worth trying if you are in the mood for something different for breakfast or brunch.
Of course, it can’t compare to other top restaurants in Richmond Hill like The One Fusion Cuisine (聚龍軒) or Yu Seafood in Richmond Hill (漁膳房), but if you’re looking for a slightly more affordable and casual option, My Wonderful Kitchen is a great choice.
But just so you know… if you’re an early bird and can make it to Yu Seafood before 11 am, then I would highly recommend going there instead because pricing is almost the same as My Wonderful Kitchen’s morning special.
My Wonderful Kitchen (米芝蓮) Dim Sum Richmond Hill Review
The dim sum at My Wonderful Kitchen is quite good (depending on what you order) and there is a decent selection to choose from.
But don’t worry, we’re going to tell you all about the must-try items on the menu. We’ll also tell you what I thought was disgusting so that you can avoid those items.
First of all, let’s take a look at their menu.
My Wonderful Kitchen Dim Sum Menu
If you don’t know, they have a special in the morning where you can get any S/M/L for $4.88 before 11 am. After that, everything is regular price.
Here’s a list of 10 items that Rui and I ordered today. A family of five who was sitting across from us thought we were crazy for ordering this amount of food for breakfast. Once all the food came out at once, I guess we could see why…
1. Baked BBQ Bun Pastry
I try not to eat too much pork, but when it comes to any type of char siu bao (叉燒包) including this one, I can’t resist. The bun was nicely baked with a crispy outer layer (similar to a Hong Kong style “Mexico bun”) and a sweet, moist, and slightly charred BBQ pork filling.
I have to admit it was quite greasy and buttery at the bottom, but the taste was so heavenly that it was forgiving. Ok, now to think of it, they could have toned down on that butter and grease! Aside from that, it was filled with a good amount of BBQ pork!
This baked BBQ “Mexico” bun was bigger compared to Skyview’s, Yu Seafood’s, and The One Fuision Cuisine’s baked BBQ “bolo bao” (pineapple bun).
Now, if I had to choose one, I’d say Skyview Fusion’s char siu bolo bao is one of my favorites!
But I have to say My Wonderful Kitchen’s version is slightly different because it’s in the form of a Mexico bun, which is crispier than the pineapple bun.
2. Steamed Shrimp Dumpling (Har Gow)
The har gow (蝦餃) wasn’t anything special here.
It was basic, but what I can’t complain about is the generous portion of fresh plump shrimp that was wrapped inside the delicate rice flour skin. The shrimp wasn’t jumbo like other higher-quality restaurants though. These ones here were medium size but still acceptable.
On top of that, I like how it wasn’t too oily like the ones served at Rol San and most other Toronto Downtown dim sum restaurants.
Rui and I still prefer the har gow at these other top Scarborough and Markham dim sum restaurants.
3. Steamed Pork Dumpling (Siu Mai)
The siu mai (燒賣) here is very comparable to most Scarborough, Markham, North York, and other Richmond Hill dim sum restaurants.
But one of our favourites so far is the siu mai from The One Fuision Cuisine because they serve you not only the freshest but the biggest size too!
What we liked about My Wonderful Kitchen’s siu mai is that it isn’t as greasy as the ones downtown and they give you a good ratio of meat to shrimp.
The pork filling was quite bouncy, but could have used more seasoning in our opinion.
The shrimp was also fresh, plump, and had a good snap to it.
4. Steamed Spare Ribs with Taro
You can’t go to dim sum without ordering at least one dish of spare ribs, right?
My Wonderful Kitchen’s version of steamed spare ribs with taro was pretty good. The taro was nothing new or spectacular, but the spare ribs were tender with a decent amount of meat on them. We were so happy that it wasn’t filled with fatty meat! This actually had real meat!
The black bean sauce gave this dish a delightful savory taste and fragrance. It’s what makes most Chinese dishes taste so good!
5. Baked BBQ Pork Puff Pastry
When this dish came out, I instantly knew that I would not like it as much as the char siu shou (叉燒酥) from The One Fusion Cuisine.
Rui and I saw that the top part was slightly oilier and the pork filling wasn’t moist or fresh.
Not only that, but the bottom was a little soggy.
As mentioned earlier, I love different variations of char siu baos and shous, but this one was a no for me.
The char siu shou from The One Fusion Cuisine tasted 10 times better and I just loved the slight taste of ginger and honey sauce on top! That’s what made it more unique than the typical BBQ pork puff pastries.
6. Steamed Shrimp and Veggie Rice Roll
The steamed shrimp and veggie rice rolls (虾肠粉) were decent at My Wonderful Kitchen. It was very comparable to all the dim sum restaurants we’ve had.
The only one we didn’t like as much was the one from Skyview Fusion because they didn’t have a green leaf inside, which is only perfect for those of you who don’t like eating chang fen with vegetables.
Now, if you’re looking for the best chang fen in Toronto or GTA, then we recommend Yin Ji Chang Fen Rice Noodle Roll Restaurant (銀記腸粉). This place is the spot to hit up if you are looking for some delicious congee and rice noodle rolls for breakfast, brunch, or lunch!
7. Steamed Rice Roll with Fried Dough
This was a major miss here and I almost puked — like, literally. My face was like 😖 when I took the first bite.
I have to say this was THE WORST rice noodle roll with fried dough (炸兩) I’ve ever had in my life. Rui agrees.
We were really shocked because how can 炸兩 taste bad? It’s a staple in most Chinese dim sum and breakfast dishes served with congee.
But alas, it was dry, bland, and the fried dough wasn’t even good either. It was very stale and not at all crispy like how it’s supposed to be.
This is a no from us and we would never order it from here again. Yin Ji Chang Fen (銀記腸粉) makes it better hands down.
8. Egg Tart
I love egg tarts (dan tat, 蛋撻) and one of my favourite places to buy them from is Aromaz Cake and Pastry Bakery and Les Chateaux Bakery located in Unionville.
The egg tart at My Wonderful Kitchen was too buttery for my liking. The centre was also too watery and not as smooth or silky. I felt the grease in my stomach afterwards and it just didn’t sit well with me.
I much prefer the egg tarts from Aromaz because the dough is more flakey and not as greasy. The egg custard itself is also smooth and silky, which I personally like.
9. Steamed Salty Egg Yolk Cream Bun
Can I say the appearance makes me like this bun more than it actually tastes?
The steamed salty egg yolk cream bun also known as Liu Sha Bao (流沙包) from My Wonderful Kitchen looked “cute” with its googly eyes and it did not disappoint in terms of the filling. It was oozing with egg yolk custard, which is fun to watch.
However, I much prefer the classic egg custard buns (奶皇包). It’s a bummer that most dim sum restaurants don’t serve them anymore because they’re apparently “out of style” now. 流沙包 is pretty much the modern version of 奶皇包 nowadays.
Unless you go to a dim sum restaurant like Rol San, you’re not going to see those delicious 奶皇包 anywhere else. 🙁
The salty egg york cream bun at My Wonderful Kitchen is okay, but it doesn’t taste as good as the one from Yu Seafood, Skyview Fusion. Those restaurants have their own version which is in charcoal black and the center is always hot and steamy. Another place that serves beautiful 流沙包 is Crown Prince, but only when it’s hot.
When you open it, the filling is supposed to come oozing out like volcano lava and it’s so much more satisfying to watch and eat when it’s fresh out of the oven. The salty egg yolk custard bun here didn’t flow nicely the way other ones do!
10. Sticky Rice with Chicken in Lotus Leaf
The sticky rice with chicken in lotus leaf at My Wonderful Kitchen was pretty good! I loved how they give you three separate pieces in smaller portions compared to some restaurants that give you two in bigger portions.
This is a good way to control how much you want to eat because let’s be honest, sometimes the rice filling contains a lot of carbs, which is a waste to eat.
The sticky rice itself was fragrant and flavourful. It wasn’t oily, but it was slightly drier than usual. They could have made it a little bit moister! As you can see, this is how the inside looks:
Despite that, it was still satisfying! A must-order if you’re already here.
Food: 3.5/5
The One Fusion Cuisine (聚龍軒) and Yu Seafood (漁膳房) are probably two of the best dim sum places you’ll find in Richmond Hill.
However, My Wonderful Kitchen is a good choice too if you’re looking for a change in environment that’s closer to home in Richmond Hill.
To my surprise, it’s actually quite a popular dim sum spot as it tends to get busy even on weekday mornings. I think a lot of locals love this restaurant and I’m not sure what the hype is all about.
Perhaps I just don’t like this restaurant as much as other options because the food is a little greasier in comparison. However, it’s not as greasy as most downtown Toronto options.
Given a spectrum of greasiness and oiliness, I would say My Wonderful Kitchen dim sum falls in the middle. But it does lean more towards the oily side in my personal opinion. You should really take what I say with a grain of salt though because I don’t really enjoy greasy or oily foods.
If you’re a fast-food junkie and you love greasy and oily foods, then you may enjoy most of the dim sum items from My Wonderful Kitchen. Places like Yu Seafood, Skyview, The One Fusion Cuisine, and Crown Prince are “lighter” and “less heavy” in comparison.
With all the reasons above, I personally give My Wonderful Kitchen a 3 out of 5 stars. However, my husband, Rui said it’s okay and he can tolerate the greasiness, so he gives it a 3.7 out of 5.
So, let’s just say on average it’s 3.5 stars from us! 🙂
Service: 3.5/5
The hostess was polite and soft-spoken to her customers, which we appreciate. However, the servers were just your typical servers who do their job and they’re not particularly friendly or engaging.
They get their jobs done and that’s pretty much it. There’s no small talk or polite conversation, which is perfectly fine. But if you’re looking for a more personal touch, then this may not be the right place for you.
The service here is efficient though.
Ambiance: 3/5
The first thing I noticed about My Wonderful Kitchen was the low ceilings. They had beautiful lights and decor but the place didn’t feel spacious like other dim sum restaurants because the ceilings were quite low, which made dining a little uncomfortable.
I don’t think this is something that most people would notice, but it’s definitely something that I did.
Price: $$
The price is comparable to most dim sum places. Given other better-quality, dim sum places charge slightly higher, or in some cases almost the same price, we recommend going to those ones instead. For instance, Yu Seafood, Skyview Fusion, Crown Prince, and The One Fusion Cuisine are better choices.
Still, My Wonderful Kitchen is still a good choice if you’ve tried most dim sum places and you just want to try something new.
With the morning special deal, we paid $59 including tax but before tips. Including tips, we paid $69 for two people. That’s about $35 per person for breakfast, which I wouldn’t say is cheap. Mind you, we ordered 10 items for only two people, which is quite a bit of food. So, it does depend on how many items you buy. I have to admit you don’t have to order that much for two people. But it was our cheat day after a full week of clean eating so we gave ourselves permission to just enjoy and pig out on Chinese comfort food. 🙂
Overall: 3.5/5
If you’re looking for a good dim sum place in Richmond Hill, My Wonderful Kitchen is a decent choice. The food is greasier than some places but it’s not as bad as others. The service is efficient and the price is reasonable. However, the place can get quite crowded and the ceilings are quite low, which can make dining a little uncomfortable. Despite what I say, I have a feeling that I may be too harsh here since we see there are lineups even on the weekdays. Either way, go ahead and try this place out because it may end up being your personal favourite!
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