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Fortune House Seafood Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Seafood Restaurants Chinese Dim Sum Seafood, Dim Sum [Edit]
4700 KingswaySte 2199A
Burnaby, BC V5H 4M1
Neighbourhood: Metrotown
(604) 438-8686
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10 am - 4 pm
Mon-Sun 5:30 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
18 reviews for Fortune House Seafood Restaurant
18 reviews in English
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Review from Jessica Q.
Coquitlam, BC
12/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
I like the dim sum here, the prices are decent for good quality (not cheap for dim sum) and it is always packed!
I like that they take reservations so if you show up on time, you won't wait.
The service is fast for the first round of orders and after that they kinda forget about you so my recommendation is order everything in your first order.
Eveything is very tasty, I liked their deep fried tofu with salt as well as their pork buns and the seafood steamed buns. I also liked the black beans custard buns with sesame crust. Their mango pudding is awesome!
They bring you a list where you tick what you like which I think is a nicer system compared to other dim sum places.
I have to say the service is not the greatest though, I felt a lot of pressure to pay and leave when I was still finishing my meal. They should improve that since you dont go out just to eat and leave in 30 min, you kinda want to enjoy your meal and chat if you have company.
Another plus for this place is that they actually take credit card. (Most of dim sum places only take cash).
The location is good right inside the mall which means free easy parking and you could do something else right there. -
Review from David L.
11/4/2011
It's sort of weird that the best place for dim sum in Burnaby is located inside a mall. Yep, Burnaby isn't famous for Chinese food, but Fortune House serves some pretty decent dim sum bites. I feel like I'm eating dim sum in a Vancouver or Richmond restaurant. I love their har gow, but this place isn't as the same league as Kirin for sure. The interior is still very late 80's and early 90's in terms of styling.
I've eaten dinner at Fortune House a few times too. They serve nothing mind-blowing if you're Asian of Chinese descent, especially if you grew up in the Greater Vancouver area. This place seems to attract people who finished their shopping in Metrotown and want a decent meal of Chinese food at a real Chinese sit down restaurant. -
Review from Nikki N.
2/20/2012
I don't think I'll be making a return trip after my visit here. Lunch hours are listed as being 10-4pm but when my group arrived at about 2:45 we were told that lunch was ending and that we could stay until 4 but all the food needed to be ordered by 3, so we quickly ordered a bunch of things before being ushered to a table. There weren't any condiments on the table and when nothing was brought with our food we asked for the usual chili oil and soy sauce, but after 10 minutes ended up with two tiny saucers of soy and sriracha sauce for the whole table. The serving staff wasn't very friendly and one of them came up and made us pay in the middle of eating even though we were initially told we could stay till 4. The food was ok, but the way we were treated it seemed like we were a nuisance while they were getting ready for the dinner crowd.
Pretty much I felt like they need to adjust their hours and actually serve lunch until the posted time and not seat people if they are in the middle of getting ready for the dinner crowd and then treat those people like they're in the way. -
Review from Mary S.
Surrey, BC
7/15/2011
Fortune House Restaurant has been a staple at Metropolis at Metrotown shopping Center as long as I can remember. They did a remodeling about a year ago, but overall it's still the same consistently good dim-sum, which brings me to today's blog post: Dim Sum!
If you're trying Dim Sum for the very first time, this is an excellent place to go. A little pricey, but the food is good and you can't beat the location. Drawback: This place is packed all the time. Reservations are recommended.
So you're here, what do you do next? Let me tell you:
As soon as you are seated, your server will bring you an ordering form, mostly in Chinese/Cantonese - do not be alarmed, they will also give you an English menu. One thing that I'm disappointed on is that the English ordering form doesn't have all the dishes on it, so unless you speak the language, you're out of luck.
The great thing about Dim Sum is that it's meant to be shared - Each dish will set you back $5 to $10 (depends on what you order) and it comes with three or four pieces. The more people you have in your party, the better it is, as you can order more dishes. I would recommend four or two very, very hungry people.
Some of the dishes that we sampled are:
- Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gaus) - a must if you're trying Dim Sum for the very first time
- Baked BBQ Pork Pastries - They were delicious, one of my favorites, so sweet and flaky, not enough BBQ pork filling thought
- Deep Fried Shrimp Dumplings with Salad Sauce
- Steamed Pork, Shrimp, and Mushroom Dumplings (Shao Mai) - So good! Such an explosion of flavours!
- Steamed BBQ Pork Buns - Another must for the Dim Sum novice
- Pan Fried Bean Curd Rolls with Shrimp
- Deep fried Squid with Spicy Salt - This dish was very, very good, and I don't usually like squid!
- Steamed Shrimp and Pea Tip Dumplings - Great combination
- Sauteed Gai-Lan with Garlic - You must, must order this with your meals!
- Five Flavour Rainbow Pudding
- Chilled Mango Pudding - Aside from being a tasty dessert, the presentation of this dish its lovely.
On and end note, the restaurant is busy all the time, so if you're looking for a nice quite place to catch up with a friend, this isn't it. It gets pretty loud. Also the service is quick and impersonal. BUT it's fast. -
Review from Amy T.
6/12/2011
I've been to Fortune House for dim sum many times in the past and always found the food of great quality. They have all the dim sum regular dishes and all other dishes that aren't staples. I love variety! The prices are reasonable and parking is always abundant since it is the mall. The only thing to keep in mind is that this restaurant is always busy. I guess that's what happens when this is the only Chinese restaurant at Metrotown with convenient parking.
I was here for a wedding last night and again, the food was delicious and the service was excellent. One of the waiters seemed like a trainee and kept messing up with drinks, but he was trying and I like his effort. All the staff was friendly and had smiles on their faces. -
Review from Yo-Hwan L.
Burnaby, BC
10/2/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Service wasn't great(but what do you expect from a mid-range Chinese place), food was so-so, but hey it's in Metrotown, which is a good location. They do take reservations, which is a plus as well.
The typical dim sum staples were OK - the Pai-gwut(spare ribs) were below-par. But overall though, faced between interminably waiting in line at Dai Tung, or coming here...tough call but you'll still get seated faster at Fortune House.
Thinking about booking your wedding here? Might want to give it some thought though...it's just average and service is more on the below-average side. -
Review from Fritz S.
7/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
The first thing u see as soon as you walk in is a picture of George Bush Sr. posing with the chef. mabey that's why i only gave it 4 stars... I keed I keed!
An "Off-the-hook" place for some good ol dim sum in your tum tum! ;) Its not the type where people wheel a small cart full of bamboo steamed goodness, and yelling at the top of their lungs! "HAR GOW!!! SHUMAI" no! its more like they give you a peice of paper like they do in the all you can eat Japanese restos and u just order your favorite items. A Lot better that way if you ask me :)
We pretty much ordered the usual.. well the stuff i know how to say in english i mean.
The Typical shumai, har gow, both very tasty and well seasoned even if it was steamed.
Chicken Feet.. you know i don't know why a lot of people hate on these things. I mean sure they look hideous but once you get past that, its honestly not that bad!. people should just suck it up and try something new! (you know who you are!!!)
Deep fried spicy salt tofu- not bad considering i don't eat it.. great flavor non-the-less
Steamed spare ribs in black bean sauce- pretty much the same everywhere else i go. mmm mmm good
Seamed Rice Rolls (Muchrooms and Sriimp)- two of my favorites yall have to try this shit! off the chain!
Egg Tart!- Small Flakey sexy goodness! great way to end my meal..
I ordered a lot more stuff but i can't pronounce them :( sorry ..
Great place! Always busy! A bit pricy but well worth it!! -
Review from Stephen Y.
Richmond, BC
12/10/2010 ROTD 7/25/2011
It's Thursday.
Time? 11:45 AM
Place? Fortune House.
It's the bi-weekly gorge fest with my co-workers at this dim sum joint in Metrotown. A table of 10 means you can literally order almost everything and be able to finish them. Variety IS the spice of life!
Portions are huge at this place and when you've got 10 hungry geeks talking about the latest gadget or video game, that's one way to make us happy. Ordering done via pencil and paper here, which is fine since most of my co-workers don't speak Cantonese.
My recommendations are the following:
Steamed scallop & shrimp dumplings
Sticky Rice with Pork
Pan Fried bean curd rolls with Shrimp (love the intial crunchy texture that comes before the soft meat of the shrimp)!
Pan-fried white radish cakes
Deep fried taro root, shrimp and pork dumplings (all-time favs to order at a dim sum joint)
Baked BBQ Buns (Steamed and the little pastries!)
and to finish, get the chilled mango dessert and black sesame flour rolls as dessert.
EAT! EAT! EAT! is the chant at this table when we're here.
GO! GO! GO! is what I'm screaming at you right now...and take meeeee!Listed in: Dim Sum - Noisy deliciousness!
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Review from Lauren N.
4/25/2011
No matter when we stop by for dim sum, this place is ALWAYS packed. Weekends are always busy, and weekday afternoons around lunch hours are pretty bad as well. Thank goodness it's right in Metrotown where you can window-shop while you wait!
But I have to say, the often 45 min - 1 hour wait is worth it. Their sticky rice and chicken feet are some of the best I have ever had. The shrimp and pork dumplings are also quite tasty, although I prefer my shrimp dumplings a little simpler than how they make them here. No chives, no other stuff in it at all -- just gimme the shrimp meat, please.
Service is fast for how busy they are, which is impressive. Don't expect top-of-the-line service however, because of the fact they're so busy. You get there and put your name on the waiting list, once you're called, get in and eat, then get out. It's efficient, if anything!
Also a great venue for wedding receptions, with their big chandeliers and the golden dragons along the walls. We were considering Fortune House as one of the potential restaurants for our own reception, but the size of our wedding would have been too small and hence awkward for the dimensions of this restaurant. -
Review from food-voice l.
Vancouver, BC
1/2/2011
Is this Restaurant change Cooks and Management?
I usually cater this restaurant at least twice a month, its convenience after shopping and have dinner here, but the food and service seems to change. Looks like they have new manager and the food don't taste as good as a month ago. Anybody know the difference? Or it's just my imagination?
I was rated this restaurant with 5 stars before. they used to have good food and service but not anymore.??????????? -
Review from Adelina W.
Richmond, BC
2/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
I don't understand why, week after week, there is such a massive line at this restaurant. Maybe its just its location? I've been here once many moons ago and did not enjoy it. When a friend invited me here, I decided sure, why not, maybe they've changed.
Did they? Nope. With so many choices for dim sum in and around Vancouver, this place just doesn't cut it. The menu is confusing - they were trying to be helpful by giving us an English ordering sheet along with a menu with photos and numbers. The only problem is that the numbers on the menu did not match the numbers on the ordering sheet. I'm not sure if there was even a Chinese ordering sheet - we probably would have had more successes with that. We just guessing as to what we were ordering.
Their dumplings are massive. Ha gao the size of my fist! Every dumpling we ordered had way too much shrimp in it. By the end, no one wanted to touch them cause it was shrimp overload.
A lot of their dishes that came out, looked and tasted funny. Their egg tarts? Tasted off. We couldn't figure it out. Their chili salted calamari? Too much batter. Nothing like what other restaurants serve.
Ugh, I gave you a chance a redemption and it just wasn't up to par. It will be even more moons before I even contemplate returning. -
Review from Maria W.
Vancouver, BC
4/15/2011
Maybe we always order the wrong dim sum items...went back again today and still was disappointed by the dim sum quality and variety.
Sorry I can only give it 2 stars. I may rate service a bit higher at 3. FYI, I am Chinese and know how to set the tea pot correctly for the waiter to see but I still had to ASK for tea with a smile. I gave it 3 because when I asked for tea, it was already at the same time as paying for the bill and the waiter still came back with a full pot of tea instead of half a pot.
Overall this place just can't make my list for places to go for dim sum. The only reason I would go is its location in Metrotown and there are only like 2 dim sum restaurant choices in Burnaby. Mind you, please note this place was busy around noon to 1pm and there was a line-up for tables. Again, their selling point is convenient location.
Decor is modern and clean. If you do bring out-of-town guests and folks that are not familiar with the authentic dim sum quality, they may still enjoy this place. My palate is too developed for dim sum and there are so many better quality dim sum restaurants in town. Lucky us as Vancouverites :) -
Review from Henry B.
Vancouver, BC
5/11/2011 3 Check-ins Here
This place is always busy for dim sum especially on weekends. Expect to wait up to an hour on Saturdays and Sundays. It's the only place for dim sum in Metrotown and it's very convenient for shoppers.
I've been here for dim sum twice and I thought the food was just ok. Their har gow's were too big and in this case, bigger isn't always better. I like my dim sum in more appropriate sizes so I have room to taste a variety. I went there for dinner recently and it was a bad experience. My wife and I had a long day shopping and we went there for dinner 45 minutes before closing. There were still two tables with customers. They were the usual big Chinese family gatherings. The waiter had us seated and quickly gave us the menu and asked us to order even though we didn't have a chance to review the menu. So, we order a couple of dishes on the fly and still wondering if we needed a third. The waiter said there's only two of you, we won't be able to finish a third. It was obvious that they were hurrying us because it was near closing time. The food arrived fast and the deep fried garlic pork chops were not fully cooked. The batter was still little chewy. We ended up finishing our meals and left the fricking place under 20 minutes. When we left, the two other parties were still there chatting.
I don't recommend this restaurant because of their bad service, also their food quality is average and expensive. There are many more places to eat Cantonese food with better value and quality then this joint. I won't come back here unless I'm really having a craving for dim sum and shopping in Metrotown. -
Review from Fiona H.
Vancouver, BC
8/3/2010 2 photos
Shrimp dumplings almost the size of my fist? YES PLEASE!!!
Seriously I have never seen Har Gow that big in my life and it was delicious! They jam pack it with lots of stuffing and trust me, there was lots of shrimp in each dumpling.
The first time I was here my aunt and uncle took me and I swear, throughout the whole meal, as each steamer basket was placed before me, my eyes grew big with surprise. The BBQ pork buns are HUGE and crammed with meat and the egg tarts...mmmmm, the egg tarts. I'm drooling just thinking about it!
It gets super busy on the weekends so call ahead with a reservation. Even then you may have to wait a bit when you get there. I've been back four more times with friends but I haven't been back since they've renovated. I wish it was closer to me!
Oh, and this is not one of the dim sum places that pushes the carts around. You have to order off a menu card and check off what you want.
Love, love, love this place for dim sum. I should get a group of friends to go with me and check out their dinner menu one night. -
Review from Diana C.
Burnaby, BC
2/5/2011
If you don't mind waiting for a table, this place has cheap decent food, and it's clean, compared to some dim sum places i've been to. I guess it's busy on the weekends, arrived sunday morning around 11am for a table for three. was told approximately half hour waiting time. got seated an hour later. they offered one complimentary dessert item for the long wait. Like all other dim sum places i have been to, it took some effort to understand and ask for anything from the waiter especially when you only know few chinese words like 'tea', 'fish congee - small size', 'i'd like one please'. My dim sum cravings were satisfied after putting the shrimp dumplings varieties, doughnut wrapped in rice roll, mushroom wrapped in rice rolls in my belly. i love fish congee - but will have to have you next time.
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Review from Guillermo W.
Vancouver, BC
12/19/2011
Although the dim sum at this restaurant are quite good, there are a lot of other restaurants that have comparable dim sum for a much lower price. The prices are a bit high considering they don't have any early bird specials but the plus is that they are located inside a mall. The waits are also ridiculiously long weekdays and weekends even after making reservations. i would not be willing to wait at least one hour without reservation for pricey dim sum and a little bit above avergae dim sum.
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Review from Jamie Y.
Vancouver, BC
7/7/2011
NOT RECOMMENDED! The worst most awful service! In particular one server (a male), didn't have name tag, had the worse attitude throughout our dim sum lunch today. We asked for ice in a glass for our beverage and he was extremely rude and came back with a gigantic pail of ice with a "here, satisfied?". By the end of our meal, we were so disgusted with his attitude that we left less than a 10% tip. The waiter was outraged and said, "THIS IS LESS THAN 10%!" and we responded with "Yes, because your service was very poor and especially your rude attitude, you're lucky we are even tipping, so take it or leave it", he responded by saying "take your tip, i don't want it!", so we saved ourselves the tip. Strong recommendations to AVOID this restaurant.
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Review from Winifred T.
11/30/2010
We had a fantastic meal here with great friends who recommended us the restaurant. It is her family's favorite restaurant in the vicinity and I can easily see why. All the dishes that we had were really delicious particularly the geoduck sashimi (so good!), roasted squab and ostrich. Great stuff! Make reservation to avoid disappointment.
