City View Restaurant

Came around a little after noon on a Saturday. While the restaurant was packed, our table of two got a seat immediately. Their dim sum menu had fried taro, scallop shi mai, green onion pancake, roasted duck, and more unique finds. Their green tea yogurt dessert was also really tasty. Great stop for dim sum! The restaurant is right next to a park outside, in case of a long wait, there’s much to do in the area. From the pictures, it looks like the interior went through a remodel - as the inside has a more modern, grey look.

We concluded our walking tour of Chinatown with some dimsum on a Sunday afternoon. They said it would be 15 minutes to seat us but it took less than 5 minutes. The place was completely packed and very busy but the staff was able to service us relatively quickly. We ordered the rice noodle roll, chicken bao, chicken siu mai, vegetarian dumplings. The noodle roll was my favorite among these because it was very flavorful and delicious. The bao was disappointing due to a lack of flavor. The other two dishes were good too. We got jasmine tea as well which came in a big pot which we couldn’t finish. Will visit again to try other menu items!

This restaurant has been remodeled in the past year. In the other photos of the restaurant, you can see it's a large open room with bright lighting. Now it's a darker, more enclosed experience with closer booths. While I enjoyed the former open concept that made you feel like you were in a restaurant, this current layout is better for conversation and dates. You are fully immersed in your dining companion(s) and the food, and it's definitely quieter. The service was quite good. Friendly and attentive. We came by at 9:45 Saturday morning thinking it was open earlier, but had to return at 10:30. The dim sum came out almost immediately, and was quite good. I could taste the individual flavors of each ingredient, and it seemed very fresh. We also ordered the crispy pan fried noodles with beef. It was okay. Not bad, just okay. Lots of bean sprouts. The noodles could have been crispier, and the whole dish seemed to be bland. I added the red chili sauce they had at the table, which I never add to noodles, and it really livened up the dish. City View was more expensive certainly than divey dim sum places, but it's appropriate given the location on Portsmouth Square, and I just realized this is what constitutes a fine dining experience for Chinese restaurants, not including actual high end Chinese places. I would go again if I wanted a civilized dining experience.

Upon our arrival at around 11 am, we were informed by the attentive waiter that there would be a brief 30-minute wait, and we were promptly added to the waitlist. Our meal included delightful offerings such as shrimp dumplings, Shanghai siu lung bao, pork siu mai, crab claws, shrimp rice noodle roll, chicken feet, and the standout, sesame balls with red beans. Efficient service delivered most dishes within 10 minutes, enhancing our overall satisfaction. The must-try highlights are the flavorful crab claws and the harmonious sesame balls. The fried crab claws were a revelation, encased in a crispy crust with succulent shrimp and crab within. The dessert finale, sesame balls with red beans, amazed us. Reserved till last, they remained warm with a delightful texture. The red bean filling's sweetness balanced perfectly, while the chewy sesame ball defied expectations, testament to the kitchen's mastery.

Great dim sum place if you’re looking for a good dine in option; the food comes quickly and the price is ok. Recommend: Peking duck bun, sticky rice , Xiaolongbao and sesame balls with red bean (definitely the sesame balls as they were super fresh and probably the best I’ve ever had) Pass: shrimp dumplings (wrappers were too thick and thus gummy), shumai and potstickers (just average, wouldn’t get for the price)