Fred Lee’s Western Lake Dim Sum Feast

As the Year of the Rooster enters its third week of existence, we have dim sum on the brain.

Recently, man-about-town extraordinaire Fred Lee invited us to his family’s favourite dim sum restaurant for a Chinese New Year tasting party. The scene of the feast was Western Lake Restaurant at Victoria and 33rd in Vancouver. Already highly regarded among the city’s Chinese community (there’s whispers of it being THE best dim sum in the city), this experience was an eye- and palate-opening spin of the Lazy Susan through 18 savoury and sweet lunchtime bites. While we had the luxury of waltzing right in to Fred’s waiting arms (and table), highlights like the handmade steamed scallops with prawn dumplings, pea tips with garlic sauce, and fried yam balls topped with golden syrup had people queueing out the door for a festive Sunday seating.

Open seven days a week, with dim sum available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, we think it’s time for you to get sum. —Kelsey Klassen

Western Lake Restaurant, 4989 Victoria Dr., Vancouver, 604-321-6862, westernlake.ca

Photos by Western Lake