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Harbour Spirit Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Chinese Dim Sum Dim Sum [Edit]
5580 3 RdRichmond, BC V6X 2C9
Neighbourhood: Golden Village
(604) 270-6677
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Formal (Jacket Required)
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Has TV:
- Yes
10 reviews for Harbour Spirit Restaurant
10 reviews in English
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Review from Kenneth E.
Vancouver, BC
3/18/2012 1 Check-in Here
Yes, maybe a tad generous or that I'd like to give them another chance, simply it's a nice decor resto in good location but the food and the customer service in general just wasn't there tonight. You know they're trying w/ undermanned staff, and the odd server/busser tried their best but you know how they want to cut back...
Crab actually was a good size, 2 lbs, w/ the ginger/onion sauce, a bit salty.
The cabbage was ok, but their presentation could've been better...just one big blob.
Better dish of the night was the beijing style pork chops, w/ mayonnaise as dipping sauce. Yes, that could be a concern to some, lol.
But like i said, i love the high ceilings, decor & table cloths, doesn't resemble anything like Sammy J's other than the washroom handles.
Even w/ the big parking lot, tonight was a premium, perhaps shares w/ Cactus club?
For other yelpers, I wouldn't recommend unless you like trying something new, like me being the first time, and this is what i get for being nosy! -
Review from Dan T.
12/6/2011
I heard the dim sum is supposed to be good, but we came for dinner.
Fail.
Under-seasoned and over laden with MSG would be the best way to describe their dinner offerings. We had their set menu which included lobster, fried rice, some rendition of spare ribs and fried fish, tofu and vegetables, but none of which I will spend much more time detailing because none of them were good enough to warrant another visit back amidst all the other missteps.
It's hard to imagine that the dim sum is all that good with what they offered us for dinner, but it looks like other reviewers have already confirmed that suspicion. I bet I could have gotten something more deliciously Asian at the Cactus Club right next door. -
Review from Cody S.
5/8/2011
I have never ever felt so terrible in a restaurant. This is the former location of Sammy J Peppers. Avoid this place at all costs.
First of all, the dim sum is terrible. We've been to dozens of restaurants for dim sum. Most in Richmond are really good. Until today, there hasn't been a single one that has made me so unhappy. This is easily the worst in all of Richmond.
I don't even know where to start. The ha gao had the same flavour as a can of chicken noodle soup. It was really soggy. I know, that is a bizarre surprise when you eat something and it reminds you of something else. The steamed beef tendon had absolutely no flavour to it whatsoever. This is always my favourite dish. The Chicken Bun was even worse....no flavour and really pasty.
It seems like the owners of this place have no idea about dim sum and probably get it from some factory somewhere else. Like many new restaurant start ups in Richmond with ignorant ownership, this place will be out of business pretty quickly. Richmond people don't give second chances when it comes to yum cha. The prices are pretty high...I don't get it.
The worst part is how tacky the restaurant is. What a disgrace. -
Review from Stephen Y.
Richmond, BC
6/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
I came here for dim sum with the parents a week ago and I don't think we'll be coming back. First, the tables are packed stupid close together and that already pisses me off...strike one. Food was not great but the prices were reasonable. Ordered 7 dishes to the tune of $32. The usual shrimp dumplings, beef rice rolls, pea shoots, BBQ pork buns were ordered, as well as bean curd rolls and some other stuff I didn't bother having. The best dish was the beef rice rolls, generous amounts of meat, but the shrimp dumplings didn't taste good at all.
I wouldn't recommend this place to my fellow yelpers. -
Review from J C.
Edmonton, AB
8/26/2011
Food was OK with the usual dishes as you order from the list.
Tables are packed tight and difficult to get the attention of staff.
The 20% discount would compensate for the inadequacies. -
Review from Danika L.
Vancouver, BC
6/29/2011
Saw the 20% off sign so stopped by with my mom for dimsum. First impressions were that this place is pretty swanky-ily decorated for a Chinese restaurant. Plush chairs and pretty dishes - I wonder how long it'll last! The place was packed, as it was a weekend afternoon. We were seated immediately, at an odd table squished into the corner. It was fine, since there was only the two of us. Tea came quickly, but food was slow. Don't expect Western-style service here (or at any Chinese restaurant for that matter). We ordered the sticky rice wrap, har gow, stuffed eggplant, egg tarts, and another dishes that I can't remember. Everything was average, except for the egg tarts, which were above average since they arrived piping hot with a nice flakey crust. Not as good as the HML Seafood Restaurant egg tarts, but better than the Fisherman's Terrace egg tarts. But I digress.
Anyhow, since the service was so slow, my mom went directly to the counter to pay since we didn't want to wait for our bill. It came to ~$20 for 5 dishes plus tea, including tip.
One last thing, my mom complained that the lady at the counter was insistent that she type in the tip amount, but my mom wanted to do it herself (and did). We both thought that interaction was odd.
Overall, I wouldn't come here again, because I can get similar food at similar prices elsewhere, where it's less crazy. -
Review from Beverly W.
Vancouver, BC
I have come here a few times and the food is decent. The 20% discount off the dim sum and no tea charge makes this place attractive. This restaurant used to be a Sammy J Peppers and there are still a few pepper logos around the restaurant. It is usually busy on the weekends so expect a bit of a wait. Service is not very good and we always have problems getting a person to bring us the bill. We end up going to pay up front to speed up the process.
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Review from Elvis H.
5/31/2011
First timer in Richmond and was looking for some decent Chinese foods. Came across this restaurant and saw a 20% discount sign. So, we decided to eat there and ordered a 5 pound lobster, some egg plants, and a vegi dish. Food quality was all right but we noticed that the lobster is missing some major tail portions. We questioned the server and their attitude was very unpleasant. Eventhough they advertised their lobster at $9 dollars a pound, a big portion of the lobster is missing and their customer service is so not worth it.
Avoid this restaurant and spent your money some where else if you are looking for a decent Chinese restaurant!!! -
Review from Doug F.
Richmond, BC
9/12/2011
This place is not destined to have a long or happy existence. One of the staff took our order, and it was obvious she had no wait experience at all. We then waited for more than 45 minutes for the first dish to arrive without explanation. The front of house is grossly understaffed and when we tortured it out of a passing waitress, we learned that there were only two cooks on staff for the evening service. When we finally got our food, the only explanation we got from our waitress was "There's nothing that could be done".... "Sorry would have been the more appropriate answer.
Having said that, the food was not completely bad... hit and miss, but perfectly acceptable had it been another time and place.
There are still fixtures left over from when it was Sammy J Peppers... the bathroom doors still have the pepper handles. The decor is a mix of converted western restaurant with a bit of the gaudy style that you find in cheap 'made in China' furniture stores.
The signs of bad management are all over the place. The wait staff is surly and have the air of resentful resignation. The front of house is run chaotically and you can't identify who is in charge or coordinating. Tables are served haphazardly and not by order in which each party arrives. And as per Chinese restaurant tradition, the bathrooms are poorly maintained, dark and dank. -
Review from Peter W.
Vancouver, BC
12/7/2011
wish i read others' comments before coming here. ordered the set menu for 4 - yuck and oily are the only words - quail meat was dry (look been sitting there a while before we ordered), crab was tasty with oil and service was bad and impolite ..... decor is bad too. yes those tables are packed and the chair was too heavy to move .... too expensive too ...... if there is anything lower than one star, this place has it.
