Review: Golden Central Chinese Cuisine (DIMSUM)
After hanging out with some buddies early this morning, I had a hankering for dimsum and my friend recommended a new place.
Golden Central Chinese Cuisine
5016 Centre Street NE
Calgary, AB
(403) 731-9199
This was a completely random trip so let's get started!
Ambiance/Atmosphere: 7/10
Near McKnight Blvd and Centre St., Golden Central is located is an odd spot near gas stations and a 7-Eleven. Their parking is adequate but for some reason, it was busy when we went today (noon-ish.)
It's a big place but you can totally notice that the place is brand-spankin' new; bright white walls, modern decor, and very utilitarian. It's not bad but I'm not used to it. Usually I get bombarded with Chinese decor of dragons and an overabundance of red and gold.
It's a chance of pace but some people may not like it. I think it could use a little bit more decor, maybe some framed pictures to liven things up but so long as it's clean, I'm okay with it. As expected, the restaurant is busy and loud which is good; I'd be worried if it was dead empty.
Food*: 8/10
* Hmkay, here's the tricky part. Now, I will be talking about the food with an emphasis on quantity over quality. The reason for this is, for me, all dimsum taste the same. Whether it may be a slum in the hood or some uber-fancy overpriced place *coughT-Potcough,* all dimsum tastes the same; awesome. Also, you're probably eating dimsum because it's cheap so in this instance, I will be defining 'food' as a ratio of quantity vs. price.
With that in mind...
The food at Golden Central is your generic dimsum eatery but one thing I noticed was the missing appearance of chicken feet. Where's the chicken feet? Maybe I missed it, whatever. We ordered the usual: dumplings, wonton, shaomai, crispy noodles with beef, steamed meatballs, etc. but there was one thing on the menu that my friend boasted as their 'specialty.'
It was #19.
It was this weird concoction of a steamed bun with an egg yolk filling... When I first tasted it, I immediately made a mess as yolk oozed out of the bun. It was an interesting taste of egg yolk and custard. Weird but it works. This should be a desert rather than a main course order but let's keep it coming.
The wontons were crispy and tasted better dipped in sweet-and-sour sauce. Very nice. To this day, I still don't know what you call this dish where there's a fried doughnut wrapped in rice flour(?) and then you dip it in this oyster/peanut sauce deal but I always ask my arteries for forgiveness whenever I have a bite.
The shaomai was probably the biggest set I've ever seen in Calgary; they were massive and similar to golf balls. So much food. So good.
Service: 7/10
The food came out quick and hot but I got sloppy service; when she served us one dish, the sauce spilled all over the table, getting our order menu wet. She then used my friend's napkin without ever replacing it. Tsk tsk.
Pricing: 9/10
C'mon, it's dimsum. You can't beat that. At ~$4/dish with the noodle dishes starting at ~$7, it may seem to be on the steep side but for the amount of food you get, you can't beat it. It cost $48 to feed four starving men and it was very satisfying.
Overall: 7.75/10
Seeing as how it's a new place, I say you enjoy this place while it's still clean! It's a great place with awesome, cheap food. Any broke-ass student can get on board with that!
For me, dimsum is 'U & Me' but Golden Central is a distant second.
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