Update: Northern Delicacy is now closed.
We’ve been to Northern Delicacy numerous times. It is located in Aberdeen Centre. Did you know that on some maps this area is called “Golden Village”?
It was a Monday. I thought the mall would be relatively quiet. Nope. I forgot that is was THANKSGIVING MONDAY. One thing I know is, weekends and holidays are a BIG NONO for Hazelbridge/No. 3/Alderbridge/Alexander Road.
I’ve always liked the decor here. As with most shops at Aberdeen, they really seem to have taken care in the interior design of the place. This is one of those restaurants where they have the shao lung bao maker enclosed in a glass cage for your viewing pleasure.
They also took care with their menu design. There are quite a lot of pictures so non-Chinese speaking/reading patrons can point and order relatively easily, as the pictures are mostly their more famous dishes.
We started with a cold dish called Nanjing Style Salt-cured Duck 南京鹽水鴨. It wasn’t as flavorful as I expected it to be. The breast parts could be saltier. The wing parts were good though. This cost $5.95.
Of course we had to have shao lung bao. Note that there are usually several different kinds of slb. I always just order the one on the menu that simply says Steamed Pork Dumplings. (Go here to see my personal tutorial on how to enjoy slb!)
At this restaurant one order only has 5, whereas most other places comes in 6 for the same price of $4.95. These had a lot of soup in them too. I found that there’s no fat bits in the soup here.
A specialty of this place is the Dan-Dan (some other places call Tan-Tan) Noodles in Black Sesame Soup 黑芝麻擔擔麵. The name is sort of misleading though as you can see, it isn’t actually black sesame soup, just on top.
It wasn’t as good as I remember it to be, but it was still not bad though. Still better than the Dan Dan Noodle at Shanghai House. This was more expensive compared to other restaurants-$6.50.
Another thing I noticed was, when they first opened, they used a fancy bowl for this. It was one of those that had holes near the rim to rest chopsticks on.
Lastly, there was Pan-fried Pork Buns 生煎包. Proper preparation renders a soft, fluffy top and a crispy bottom. It was not so here. However, the filling was very juicy, so overall this was still good. This cost $4.95 also.
Our total came to roughly $23.50 for two people, and we found that we over ordered. So pricing is not too-too bad.
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I have tried this place and I found their juicy buns to be awesome. It’s like little balls of meat swimming around inside a lake. It’s truly a wonder to behold as I’ve never seen juicy buns quite like these before.
Also, their dan dan noodle was quite tasty. I love the addition of black sesame as it adds a little something to a much loved dish, making it even more delish. It’s also not oily, which I have found in eating less expensive versions.
I would definitely eat here the next time I get a craving for shanghai dumplings or dan dan noodles when I’m in Richmond.
I am from Bellingham and would like to learn about real Chinese cuisine. The options that I have here are nothing like what you present. My biggest interest is noodles: how to order, what to look for, how to eat. Also, I am very intrigued by hot pots (which base do I order?) and dumplings. I am an adventurous eater, but I don’t think that duck tongue is on my wish list. Could you or any of your readers guide me through Richmond? I will be eating at Northern Delicacy today! Thank you!