Ding Tai Fung (Shanghai Dim Sum)

We've scarfed back a lot of dumplings in our days - enough to create a few dumplings in the butt and butt-adjacent areas - but nothing quite like this. This isn't your run-of-the-cart downtown dim sum, which hails from Hong Kong. Shanghai dim sum is more bountiful, more brothy and more beautiful.

Let's start with bountiful. The dumplings come mostly in sets of 6, instead of 4, and they make your average dim sum dumpling look rather midgety.

Brothy. Many of the dumplings have a bit of delicate-tasting broth swishing around with the meat inside their casing. Best to place them in spoon and puncture them to drain the meatball hot tub before biting. Their tiny side plates of accompanying ginger were a nice zingy match to the heartiness of the broth.

Beautiful. These babies look great too. The sui mai - the first shrimp and meat dumpling listed on the menu - were a swirl of light wrapper capped with a whole shrimp. Plus, you can watch through the glass partition to the kitchen as the chefs expertly dispatch the dumplings.

The service is a la carte, so everything was incredibly fresh. But there were a few drawbacks. It meant that the meal was rather drawn out, making it hard to figure out how much was left to come and how much more to order. And the staff gave our turnip cakes to another table by mistake.

The menu is also something of challenge to decipher, for those who don't like serendipity with their dumplings. There are short English descriptions for the dozen or so dim sum offerings, but they are a bit vague. For example, there are two "shrimp and meat dumplings" listed. Also be warned that there are no har gow steamed shrimp dumplings on the menu. The vegetable dumplings and green onion pancakes were delectable highlights.

$60 with tax and tip for six (although we could have eaten more, time permitting)

Ding Tai Fung (Shanghai Dim Sum)
First Markham Place
3235 Hwy 7 East, Unit #18B (at Woodbine)
Markham, Ontario
L3R 3P3
905-943-9880