William L.
Yelp
Dim Sum review only
I know I'm running the risk of a lot of Rotterdam's peeps disagreeing with me. But I'm gonna write it anyway. :)
My biggest pet peeves when it comes to eating Chinese Food are the use of MSG, excessive use of oil, and bad presentation. Tai Wu in general is a good restaurant from what I heard. Many of my Dutch friends seem to speak highly of this restaurant, mostly for their regular dishes.
I decided to try it out one day for their Dim Sum. I've been on a Dim Sum streak lately. I've tried out a few other restaurants, including Paramount, de Lange Muur among others. I have to say I much prefer Paramount over Tai Wu.
Here are my reasons why I didn't like Tai Wu that much:
- Char Shiu Bao/ BBQ pork buns that they serve do not taste authentic in my opinion. Generally Char Shiu Bao filling is a lot more refined, the pieces of pork should be too chunky. The Tai Wu's version taste a lot more like Surinamese BBQ pork than Cantonese style that I've been craving for while. Paramount buns are much better even though I don't think theirs are not excellent either.
- I was so excited and hungry when I first arrived in Tai Wu. I then found myself feeling quite sick 15 minutes into eating their food. It was mostly because their dishes were really greasy. One of the most greasy Dim Sum's I've had. I think the taste is quite good, but with the amount of oil they use, I got quite sick over their food quickly. I didn't even feel like taking the left-over home.
- I generally judge the Dim Sum restaurants by how they cook their radish cakes. Radish cakes are really easy to cook. They just have to pan fry/grill these cakes. It sounds simple, but you'll be surprised how many restaurants who claim to be authentic have failed to serve a decent radish cakes. Tai Wu's radish is soaked in grease and it seems a bit undercooked. The moment I try to grab it with my chopsticks, the cakes crumbles and mushed.
- Even the steamed dishes feels a tad too greasy. I'm not sure how they managed to do that.
It sounds like I complete hate this place. I really don't. I think the decor seems authentic. Although the miniature pagoda seems a bit much. I believe the Chinese finds a roof under a roof is a bad Feng Shui.
The service was friendly. It was a bit slow considering the restaurant was packed. Lange Muur was a lot quicker in my experience. Overall, they have a great selection of dishes and the service was really friendly. Sadly, I don't think I will go back because the food was just a bit too salty and way too greasy for me.
pros:
big selection of Dim Sum,
friendly service,
plenty of tables to bring big groups
cons:
too greasy,
too salty,
worst radish cakes I've had
BBQ pork buns taste more like Surinamese bbq pork
Final Statement: I've tasted better. For my own personal taste, I prefer Paramount. The dim sum taste more fresh and not greasy. If you go for the decor, then Lange Muur is still a much better Dim Sum restaurant, in my opinion.