Kirin - Vancouver

Delicious restaurant. The best Chinese I've had in a long time. The restaurant is very unique, set up in what looks to be an old hotel lobby. Aside from that, the prices were very steep: but the food was very good. I got the beef brisket with black bean sauce, which I would strongly recommend for anyone who wants a good hearty meal!

Came here with a tour and enjoyed the sampling of dim sum that we received.  It is a huge restaurant but it is also incredibly busy so make a reservation.  The history of this restaurant is also worth inquiring about.  While you won't get the old school push cart you will still get to enjoy a lot of authentic traditions.

Our guests stayed downtown, so we decided to try Kirin in downtown. We arrived early so there was plenty of space. Ordered the usual Chinese dim sum, but also tried a few that are slightly different. The onion pancake was ruled into something like a cream puff, but it was surprisingly good. It was flaky on the outside, and juicy and savory inside. The abalone and chicken buns were also pretty good.

Not surprisingly, after spending much time in Asia, coming back to Vancouver and eating dim sum really is what I call #firstworldproblem. It's not even that our dim sum sucks, but it's just it's TOO GOOD in Asia that our dim sum really does suck.  But here's my usual go to spot in Vancity for when I am craving Chinese steamed dumplings and this is as good as it gets.

In terms of food, everything is spot on. The squab is delicious, the Alaskan king crab is fresh, and the Dungeness crab is cooked to near perfection—it's truly impressive. Overall, I would rate the food here as very good—definitely above average in my opinion. As for the price, I've never personally paid, so I can't speak to that, but I would estimate that it costs around $30-40 per person, depending on your selections. If that's the price range, I believe it's well worth it. I would recommend this place for dinner, and next time I plan to try their dim sum as well.