Chef 88 Elite has become well-known for having the best dim sum in Markham, which is actually quite a feat as Markham has a huge number of dim sum restaurants. (If you Google best dim sum in Markham, it is literally the first restaurant that comes up. It has won multiple awards and is consistently on Top 10 lists.) So when my mom and her friend Tony asked if I wanted to come along for lunch at Chef 88 Elite today, I immediately said yes.
Steamed snow pea leaf and king oyster mushroom dumplings
Steamed crystal shrimp dumplings (har gow)
Bean curd rolls with minced pork and veggies
Steamed shrimp and pork dumplings (siu mai)
Deep-fried almond-crusted shrimp ball dumplings
Baked egg custard tarts
Deep-fried glutinous rice pork dumplings (ham sui gok)
The main thing I noticed here is that the food takes significantly longer to arrive — at least 10 - 15 minutes versus the standard 3 - 4 minutes — so don't come here looking for a quick lunch. This is where you come for a leisurely dim sum session. But when the food finally does arrive and you take that first bite, you'll understand why it took so damn long. The dim sum here is so fresh and so plump that it seems like each one was made to order. If anything we had today was previously frozen, I would never have guessed it. Each dish tasted like they were all handmade in the kitchen. I've actually never had anything like it. The wrappers are thin and still sticky, almost gluey — something that would be impossible in a frozen dumpling. The fillings all have huge chunks of meat or seafood in them rather than really finely minced mixtures (usually with fillers) you'd find in cheap or frozen dim sum. The egg tarts are particularly notable here — I thought the ones at Destiny were good, but these are somehow even smoother and silkier.
The main thing I noticed here is that the food takes significantly longer to arrive — at least 10 - 15 minutes versus the standard 3 - 4 minutes — so don't come here looking for a quick lunch. This is where you come for a leisurely dim sum session. But when the food finally does arrive and you take that first bite, you'll understand why it took so damn long. The dim sum here is so fresh and so plump that it seems like each one was made to order. If anything we had today was previously frozen, I would never have guessed it. Each dish tasted like they were all handmade in the kitchen. I've actually never had anything like it. The wrappers are thin and still sticky, almost gluey — something that would be impossible in a frozen dumpling. The fillings all have huge chunks of meat or seafood in them rather than really finely minced mixtures (usually with fillers) you'd find in cheap or frozen dim sum. The egg tarts are particularly notable here — I thought the ones at Destiny were good, but these are somehow even smoother and silkier.
I am thoroughly impressed. Chef 88 Elite has better quality dim sum for cheaper than my previous go-to place, Casa Victoria. They also don't play BTS on their stereo system like Destiny does, but still, Chef 88 Elite is definitely my new favourite place for dim sum. Like, for real for real this time.
Chef 88 Elite Fine Dining 百樂軒海鮮酒家
Denison Centre
1661 Denison Street, Unit T1
Markham, ON L3R 6E4
(905) 604-8218
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