Dinesty Dumpling House - Richmond

I visited this restaurant for a quick tea time and had a wonderful experience! We ordered the three-style soup dumplings and the egg with tofu and soy sauce. Both dishes met our expectations for authentic Asian cuisine, and we were very pleased! The staff is knowledgeable and attentive, making sure you'll have a great dining experience here!

The steamed dumplings (XLB) had a wonderfully thin skin and a decent broth, although they tasted quite similar and were both quite filling. The rolls were enjoyable—crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The jellyfish was refreshing paired with cucumber, though the portion was a bit small. The stir-fried seafood was also good, but what really stood out was the simmered chicken with basil in triple sauce. The chicken was perfectly cooked, and the sauce really enhanced the dish. Overall, it was a satisfying meal!

I was not impressed with my experience at this restaurant. The $20 dish of thick noodles barely had any chicken and lacked flavor. In my photo, the noodles appear as brown as a fallen leaf, so I expected more taste—but was disappointed. The green onion pancake didn't come with any dipping sauce, which is unusual since it typically comes with vinegar or hot sauce at other places. The shrimp was decent but pricey. My Lychee drink was $9, which felt excessive. Despite the long waitlist, I don't believe the restaurant lives up to the hype, the wait, or the prices. I won't be coming back and ended up giving my leftovers to a stranger.

Xiaolungbao size too small, not juicy enough? the appetizer chicken roll was ok, it would have been better if the leg part was used, which gives a more texture - the chest was just too muddy; the sweet and acidic fish- the taste was actually quite beautiful, but the fish was too small, no meat at all. Maybe they need to lower the price tag($24.50?. The worst was the red bean pancake. This dish should have been too crispy, but the way it was done was just a muddy dough, the person who cooked that only not a heart! The robot for beverage delivery to the tables is a mere gimmick. The ambience was good, quite spacious among the tables. They did not use a sanitizer to wipe tables between the customer visits (there were no bottles in the pantry).

I usually will hit up Dinesty when I visit Vancouver and had great experience at their other locations. Decided to try out this new location with my family and unfortunately did not have a good experience. The food was decent enough and the robot servers from the adjoining Yi Fang bubble tea shop was a great gimmick to get us to order some bubble tea so the robot would come to us. The biggest downfall was definitely the service. The wait staff were very standoffish and seemed to be annoyed at any request. The waitstaff had messed up on our bubble tea order and when we pointed it out they didn't seem to take it well and wanted to rush us with the bill. When we asked for any cup they could spare so we could split a drink, they brought a take out cup not telling us that there was extra charge for it until after the bill came out. We had a young baby and some elder family members with us and needed some extra things like napkins for spills and straws for our drinks, which when we asked, was met with silence from the servers, causing us to ask multiple times thinking maybe they didn't hear us. Turns out they heard us but were choosing not to respond and hastily threw them on the table when they eventually got around to it. Manager was not around when asked and also reading some of the other reviews there seems to be a staffing issue here. All in all, come if you just want a quick bite and keep to yourself, but if you have a big party or are coming with family, you're better off going to the other locations. Not sure what the situation is with the staff here to put them in such bad moods, but they seem to only want the quick in and out customers and don't have the time or patience for any customer service.