"Perched high atop the Swatow building on lower St-Laurent, Imperial serves dim sum with a view right across to Montreal’s beautiful City Hall — that’s if you can take your eyes off the kindly ladies purveying the metal carts laden with Imperial’s signature square dim sum steamers. It’s worth the wait for Imperial’s deep-fried squid and the har gow steamed shrimp dumplings: the thin, translucent rice flour wrappings are always the measure of a well-made morsel. Imperial’s lotus leaf with sticky rice (lo mai gai), snug parcels with tiny bits of meat and vegetables nestled inside, are another item to seek out. A range of quality teas is also available here; ask for Tie Guan Yin black tea as a complement to the small plates." - Ivy Lerner-Frank