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Kirin Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Seafood Restaurants Chinese Dim Sum Seafood, Dim Sum [Edit]
350 Gifford StreetNew Westminster, BC V3M 1K1
(604) 528-8833
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 10:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- 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
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
18 reviews for Kirin Restaurant
18 reviews in English
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Review from Jennifer W.
12/29/2011 16 photos
I'm VERY impressed by the banquet dinner at Kirin Seafood Restaurant! My cousin had his wedding reception here back in August. Chinese food in the British Columbia area puts the Chinese food in Los Angeles to shame. Each course was delicious!
My only gripe would be that they were slow to bring out each course, to the point that dinner took over 2 hours. If you had children at your table, they had pre-plated your entire table's family style course so that you wouldn't be inconvenienced! Meaning your greedy relatives can't snag an extra crab so you're tough out of luck by the time the dish gets to you ;)
Here are some dishes on our banquet menu
-jelly fish and select meat served cold http://www.yelp.com/bi...
-crab claw wrapped with minced prawn
-scallop, chicken and assorted veggies http://www.yelp.com/bi...
shark fin with crab meat and fish maw soup http://www.yelp.com/bi...
-live lobster in light ginger and green onion sauce http://www.yelp.com/bi...
-sliced albacore with mushroom in oyster sauce http://www.yelp.com/bi...
-crispy skin chicken (?) http://www.yelp.com/bi...
-steamed live fish http://www.yelp.com/bi...
-Fukien fried rice http://www.yelp.com/bi...
-e-fu noodle with scallion http://www.yelp.com/bi...
-two kinds of dim sum dessert! almond cookies http://www.yelp.com/bi... and taro pudding with coconut flakes http://www.yelp.com/bi...
-red bean sweetened soup (not pictured)
If there's daylight out when you are at Kirin, check out their garden, it's a worthy photo spot! http://www.yelp.com/bi... Parking can get a little crazy because of all the restaurants and the casino in the same lot, but it's not impossible.
Put this restaurant on your must try list if you are in the BC area! =DListed in: Good for Groups, Vancouver, BC - must try!
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Review from Herman E.
Updated - 1/29/2012
What a disappointment this go 'round!
I've had dim sum that was off, but this was really off today. The pork and prawn dumplings were both off, and this is the standard stuff for dim sum. Chow mein was bland. WTF??? Where was the MSG???
They didn't even get THAT right today. Sheeeeeeeeesh!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/20/2011
Reviews of Chinese restaurants are a bit funny for me because I tend to find that they are all very… Read more »
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Review from Tara C.
New Westminster, BC
9/5/2011
I've been eating dim sum since I was in the womb. Literally. My mom craved sesame seed balls and as it stands, they are still my favourite part of any dim sum experience. Quick review of Mirin because this is another restaurant that has been reviewed to death. Found this place thanks to Sherman.
Coles Notes:
1. The ginger/soy/whatevertheheckthatamazingsauceis that they put on the table for you is officially named Crack Sauce. It's amazing, on everything. Seriously, that egg your eating right now? Grab some Crack Sauce. If they bottled this stuff, I'd buy it and justify whatever price they decided to charge.
2. Most of the dim sum was actually kinda mediocre. The squid with peppery salt and the Crack Sauce was a stand out.
3. Had the spare ribs with wolfberry and while the flavour was great, we basically got a bowl of fatty connective tissue. Not what I would describe
as appetizing, but to each his own, I guess?
4. Got their version of the sesame seed ball filled with almond cream. DH who isn't a super fan of the red bean deliciousness that is normally present LOVED the almond cream. I thought it was tasty, a little sweet, and it left me craving the standard version.
5. Pretty expensive, all things considered. -
Review from Fritz S.
5/24/2011
Great Service- Check
LIve Crab/ Lobster/ Shrimp/Geoduck Tanks- Check
Great Food- Check
Sexy Bathroom- aww yeah! check!
Clean prep kitchen- Check!
Free Parking- Check!
Price- DEEEEAAAMM!!! your gonna have to pay by check... get it?!?
Overall- pretty snazzy!
This was my first time at Kirin, and i have to say that it was not bad at all! The service was excellent, meaning they stay right by your table and check if your water or tea needs refiling (a must) or if they need to clear the dirty plates. Being a 9 course meal, the servers have gotta be on the ball like that.
1st course- An appy platter consisting of smoked salmon, bbq pork, jelly fish, and tofu wrapped around shitake mushrooms! All very tasty!
2nd course- Peking Duck skin wraps- for the people that had this KNOWS this is one sexy dish!
3rd course- Wonton soup- we only got one wonton ball each after the server divided the soup, its all good!
4th course- Crab in some tasty mushroom white sauce!- this was hella messy but fun and delicious!
5th course- crispy chicken with prawn chips!- pretty much the same as any other Chinese restaurant!
6th course- spicy peppery beef with veggies!- a very different taste from what im accustomed to but surprisingly good!
7th course- Fish with snow peas- im sorry but i totally forgot the actual name of this dish! i was already in a food coma..
8th course- House Special Fried RIce- SERIOUSLY!!! WHY DOES THE RICE ALWAYS HAVE TO COME LAST!!!!!!
9th course- dessert- coconut soup with tapioca balls!- so freakin good!
Overall this place is the truth! a little pricy but u get great service and quality food, with a smile and i would pay extra for that any day. Besides, you could always try to win your money back at the casino! haha ;).. k im done! -
Review from Christine R.
New Westminster, BC
2/12/2011
I don't know if I'll ever really be a dim sum person, but the beautiful, modern, spacious Kirin Restaurant was a good restaurant to try it. They accommodate big groups handily, which was one key to enjoying the experience, sitting at a table with about 10 others while basket after basket, plate after plate of delicacies arrive to be shared.
My friend did the ordering for all of us, so I couldn't tell you much about what I ate, although the sticky rice and meatballs and potstickers were among the highlights. I had a near miss with a basket of chicken feet, and the deep-fried squid was decent, but has nothing on a good Greek calamari. I tried to be adventurous, but mostly it was a lot of unfamiliar food to be eating so early in the day - I grew up on Sunday breakfasts of bacon, omelettes and hash browns. I also don't like eating food when it's hidden inside other food.
My favourite part was watching all the happy families at their version of Sunday brunch. And I liked that we were not at all rushed: able to sit and visit and drink tea for as long as we liked.
Reservations were definitely a must, especially with a large group at the peak Sunday hour. Dim sum is definitely a lot more fun in numbers. -
Review from Anna L.
Richmond, BC
12/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Really good food and service. It's a really nice looking restaurant and I was pleasantly surprised to see groups of Caucasians seated by themselves. My friend mentioned that the restaurant is very friendly and make it easy for everyone to order.
I still wish they had carts or those little paper order sheets but I was still able to find everything I like (their chicken feet and egg tarts are DELICIOUS).
Plus we were lucky and had a woman clearing for us who was smart and polite. And bonus: nice bathrooms! In a Chinese restaurant! Try it just for their Dyson hand dryer. And for the honey fried dessert. So good.
And for a table of 3, it was pretty affordable, especially since we had to be all but rolled out afterwards. Absolutely try. -
Review from Allen W.
4/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
We visited this Kirin location for my father in law's birthday a couple weeks ago. Location is next door to Starlight Casino so bring extra money if you're feeling lucky ;-) As an added bonus, parking is free and bountiful.
I liked the modern decor of the restaurant and found the food up to par with other Kirin locations. Service was average but nothing spectacular, we still had to wave people down.
The funniest thing though had to be the garnish on two of our dishes. While it's common to see puffy, crunchy prawn chips around the edges of some dishes, this Kirin location added a whole new layer of fusion flavour by using Pringles potato chips.
I'm not kidding. I was like, "am I totally hallucinating?" ... nope, no hallucinations. They scattered Pringles around two of the dishes we ordered. In their defense, they did use regular flavour and not ketchup or ranch. I'm not a purist, but it just didn't seem like an adequate substitution.
Overall, it was ok. -
Review from Joyce P.
Vancouver, BC
11/24/2010
I LOVE Kirins. I usuallly love their food, presentation and for a Chinese restaurant, this New Westminster location is beautiful.
I've constantly raved about this location, stating it was the best Chinese food in the city.
Then I went a couple weeks ago for a charity dinner and did it suck.
I was really looking forward to having a banquet style dinner and I don't know if it was because there was a lot of tables or it was just a random off night, but the food just wasn't spectacular.
A few things I didn't like: dishes didn't come out piping hot, my deep fried milk barely had any milk inside, my crab leg was the size of my pinky!
A few things that were good: the deep fried salad roll was quite delish although some complained of the lack of filling, the salt baked chicken was quite juicy, and the dessert, taro with tapioca soup was very rich and creamy.
Anyways, I do intend of coming back here eventually, I do believe they are quite capable of 5 star Chinese cuisine and hopefully redeem themselves after my last dinner. -
Review from Claudia L.
Burnaby, BC
1/21/2009
A beautifully modern atmosphere with high ceilings, large dining area and just the right amount of Chinese inspiration. I've never seen a Chinese restaurant in the Lower Mainland with such a gorgeous and spacious lounge - no more freezing your ass (half-outside) off while waiting, wahoo!
Food: Kirin was very accommodating as I was eating vegetarian the day I visited them for dim sum. The food isn't mind blowing but decent enough to bring me back just for the atmosphere and quick seating.
During peak times (Sat & Sun 1100-1300), I suggest making reservations for any groups larger than 4. Don't worry though, you won't wait long and even if you do, go play in their outdoor garden (or Starlite, the spanking new casino next door if your hands are itchy as we Cantonese say).
Nutz: The only complaint I have is that the chairs were driving me nuts! They are ridiculously heavy and difficult to shift (how is a girl supposed to pour tea?). Felt like my butt was glued to a chunk of the Great Wall.Listed in: Do Da Dim Sum La
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Review from Diane L.
7/27/2009
I've been to the Kirin in Vancouver before and wasn't that impressed before. We visited the fairly new Kirin in New Westminster this past weekend and perhaps it was my lack of access to good dim sum in over a year that made the dim sum taste delicious!
The interior was amazing and beautiful. We had 8 of us so we were able to order a huge variety of food. The ha gow and shui mai were solid. The shrimp they used were HUGE and delicious. Kirin also has a huge number of innovative dishes which made it fun to try and eat. Most everything was delicious. We ordered a pan fried noodle on top of the dim sum and the noodles were perfectly fried and the sauce was perfect. Yum. Makes me want more Kirin. -
Review from Simon K.
The prettiest looking Kirin among their restaurants in the Lower Mainland, this one is located right at Starlight Casino, attached on the side. If you are not familiar with the area, take your 'updated' GPS, or get the directions from mapquest or google maps. It is not the easiest to get to, but once your there, there is a ton of parking due to being part of the casino.
The decor and looks of the place are beautiful for a Chinese seafood restaurant, but with all Kirin's they definately have this part knocked down, as all of them look pretty good. I've been here for both dim sum, and dinner, and the food quality is up to par with all the higher priced Chinese restaurants.
For dim sum, they have all the standard dishes like the 'har gow', 'sui mai', rice rolls, etc., and the presentation of the dishes makes the food look delicious. The dinners are nice here too, as the plates are well garnished.
Prepare to spend an extra dollar here, as you are paying for the food, the ambiance, and the service. Either that, or hit it big at the casino next door, and spend your winnings here. -
Review from Richard R.
New Westminster, BC
1/24/2011
Went there for dim sum once. Pretty good quality and service was pretty good. Reservations are recommended because it gets pretty busy.
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Review from David L.
11/16/2009 5 photos
If you have visitors from out of town or someone special, this is the place to take them for dim sum. Everytime I eat here for dim sum, I leave satisfied! My favourite dish is their deep fried minced fish bean curd roll and peatip in steamed rice roll with the XO sauce - highly recommended!!!
High quality service, great atmosphere, roomy, and high quality dim sum dishes makes it an enjoyable experience. -
Review from Katie F.
3/6/2010
4.5 stars.
Totally agree with Luisa S. that this place is an ordeal to find... I guess you can tell I'm not a gambler!
I don't what it is with me, but I don't think I've ever been to New West without getting lost! So I come armed with a printout from Google maps AND my GPS and I STILL have to call for personalized directions. I got lost on the way home too which is a new low for me, but I digress...
Free Starlight Casino parking and a stunning atmosphere once you're there. This is the most modern Kirin I've been to, great decor and bathrooms, a lovely bar area, tons of tables and options for private dining. Hardly sounds like a Chinese restaurant!
Food and service were very good. I was with a group for dinner and shared a set menu - their website seems to be missing a few of the options we had so definitely ask in person.
Very nice multi-course Chinese dinner: chinese cold appys to start (not one of my faves, but I generally don't care for this), shark fin soup (yum), lobster (so-so), fried rice (good), noodles (this was an unusual noodle dish that was really just noodles... looked super strange but tasted good), abalone and chinese mushrooms with veggies (excellent!), the BBQ duck with the puffy shrimp chips (excellent!) and another fish dish (very tasty but be warned... the head comes to you at the table separately!)
Dessert was a selection of almond cookies, mango pudding squares and a cold soup. These were all great.
Great dinner and since I love Kirin dim sum elsewhere, I'd definitely be interested in trying out this location now that I think I could get here again! -
Review from Luisa S.
Vancouver, BC
9/8/2008 1 photo
Golly, this place was an ordeal to find and the trip here did not come without its share of screaming (mainly on my part) and eye-rolling (my boyfriend). After having the restaurant venue changed on me three times and led astray by my mum, it was uncle who finally directed us here. Thankfully, too, since the food was lovely.
Though advertised as a seafood restaurant, they also had a decent selection of vege-only food. The tofu dish was great--although they relied too heavily on salt as their primary form of seasoning--as was the Chinese broccoli. The rest of my family seemed perfectly sated by the seafood fare.
The staff here was very accommodating and friendly. This restaurant deserves its success as the whole experience was thoroughly enjoyable. Well, maybe not the journey. Sometimes it truly is about the destination. -
Review from Soyamilk K.
West Vancouver, BC
3/30/2011
The place looks great! The food is not. We had set dinner and everything was a bit disappointing. Service is poor. My fork was crusty, they don't change the plate regularly like other restaurants do.
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Review from Ron L.
New Westminster, BC
8/20/2011
I read about this restaurant in the newspaper and it was highly recommended. I checked out the menu on the Internet and discovered they served shark fin in a number of dishes. Therefore this establishment is a no go zone no matter what the quality of their food happens to be. I had to give it 1 star in order to post my comment.
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Review from Kevin M.
Delta, BC
6/24/2009
Excellent place for business lunch! nice deco and friendly staff. Highly recommend!
