Strength: Located in Grand Villa Casino, lots of free parking.
Weakness: High cost but low quality food.
Grand Dynasty Seafood Restaurant is the only place to go to Cantonese dim sum near Canada Way and Willingdon in Burnaby. When I first started coming here, there is always line up. I would have to call ahead of time and come here at 9:30 to see only 1 to 2 tables available.
There used to be a Japanese restaurant next door. They share the same kitchen and washroom, so they were technically one restaurant with two fronts. Recently Grand Dynasty Seafood Restaurant has expanded into the Japanese Restaurant.
From this picture, we can see the big opening on the left. The two spaces are combined to accommodate more customer. Unfortunately, the food quality seems to have decreased ever since the merge. Grand Dynasty Seafood Restaurant is located within the same building as the Grand Villa Casino in Burnaby.
We came here at 9:30 and find more than half of the space empty. The service seems to be better because the staff is not as busy. However, we have ordered 5 items and there are 2 of the items they do not have. We had to choose other items.
If you pay before 10, you get 15% off your bill. The preset minimum tip percentage is 12%. Just something to consider.
Tableware With Beautiful Pattern
The tableware has beautiful traditional Chinese blue and white porcelain pattern. It is quite enjoyable using these. It feels like very good quality. Over the years, there are more chips happening on these plates. Napkins are wrinkled and hard. Seems like it’s been soaked in water before.
Two Pots For Water And Tea
Having 2 pots for tea and water is standard practice in Cantonese Seafood Restaurants. The water pot can be used to dilute over-saturated tea, or for someone who doesn’t want to drink tea. It can also be used to refill the teapot. This reduces the amount of staff time and gives a buffer between services. Nothing special here.
Shumai Has Boring Taste Profile
Shu Mai is the basic of basics in a Cantonese Dim Sum. You can often tell if a Dim Sum place is good by the Shu Mai and Shrimp Dumplin. The Shu Mai in Grand Dynasty has lots of shrimp. There are more shrimps than pork. However, the shrimp texture doesn’t feel natural. The taste does not have much variation. I can only taste the saltiness. This helps me set the expectation for other dishes served in this restaurant.
Sausage Buns
The sausage buns are really not special. It is a bit salty and oily. Be careful even when the outside has cooled, the interior can still be really hot because of the oil.
Steamed Ribs With Taro In Black Bean Sauce Uses Non Fresh Taro
Steamed pork short ribs are served with taro and black bean sauce. The short ribs are relatively meaty. But the taro is not fresh. I had one that is already gone bad, and sour.
Shrimp Spring Roll Was Not Crispy
The shrimp spring roll was my favorite dish in Grand Dynasty Seafood Restaurant. It used to be very crispy and flavourful from shrimp and garlic. This time, I was quite disappointed to find that the exterior is not crispy like it used to be. Flavour is still there, but the taste is not as profound.
Rice Roll With Shrimp Was Very Roughly Made
The Shrimp rice roll is presented with some veggies on top. It comes with sweet soy sauce on the side, which we can decide how much to add. The sweet soy sauce has been watered down. This is good coz most people just soak the rice roll in the sweet soy sauce.
I took one bite and feel it has a lot more rice roll than it should. I turned it around and saw a big lump of rice roll inside. This dish is not delicate at all.
Menu
604 Food Critic Assessment
Grand Dynasty Seafood Restaurant is considered a mid-level Dimsum place. The cost is $20 per person price point used to be really worth it when they spend the time to take care of their food quality. This is no longer the case. Dim Sum is considered Southern Chinese cuisine, and they should be delicate. Yes, there are cheap and large dim sum places in town, but you don’t get to charge a high price and give low quality food. There are even insects flying around my food when I was eating. Not worth it, not recommended.
How to get in touch
- Phone: (604) 432-6002
- Address: 4331 Dominion St, Burnaby
