rol san

where do you go when you have a craving for fried stuff, steamed stuff, spicy stuff and sweet stuff? it's your stomach telling you it's dim sum time. i grew up in windsor and have been eating the best dim sum at may wah inn. in toronto, i find Rol San somewhat competes with may wah inn. if you are ever in windsor, please have dim sum here, it's amazing. back at toronto, rol san is my favourite place for all day dim sum love. the exterior is typical chinese restaurant but the mid-section between the two dining rooms (where the washrooms are located) is decorated in totally different style (or is it just me?). somehow doesn't quite say chinese.

all time favourite for many dim sum lovers are pork siu mai and har gow. siu mai is topped with real fish roe (no shrimp though, some dim sum restaurants have shrimp on top), meaty but not too chewy. in my opinion, i like the pork siu mai better than the beef. har gow is filled with sweet shrimps which makes amazing combo with the hot sauce.

sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf is stuffed with juicy pork, chicken, mushrooms and that one piece of chinese sausage (which none of us likes). the rice is seasoned and steamed just the right amount for mouth watering pleasure.

the bbq pork bun is a little spicy but the soft bun counter balances the spiciness. the bun just melts in your mouth. the spring rolls are very crispy, not too greasy.

everything was good but the beef congee was salty. also, we decided to try something new and got this giant yellow dumpling in a soup. it had pork, crab meat, some veges, peas and ginger. it wasn't my choice of food but fellow purples seem to like the ambiguous harmony of sweet, salty and meaty flavour.

the wait staff were very attentive and the foods were served quickly. but depending on the time of the day, the service can be slow as rol san tend to be packed with hungry dim sum fans with a huge line up. it's a great place for some not-so-expensive (i won't say cheap because it is not really that cheap) dim sum.

the thing with dim sum is some dishes come in three pieces some come in fours. it is always a challenge who gets that last piece of har gow. apparently the deep fried squid in spicy salt is to die for at rol san. now i know what i am going to order next time.


Rol San
323 Spadina Avenue
416.977.1128

posted by rin