Hamilton Dim Sum

The Jade Garden restaurant

A few months ago I was told buy Melanie that the Jade Garden was one of the best restaurants for dim sum in all of Hamilton. As I am a dim sum connoisseur I've been itching to try this place out for a few months. As it's located in Hamilton it really isn't located in the most convenient location for me to get to. However, after a bit of planning today would be the day to try it out.

Using facebook I created an event about two weeks in advance. It was only supposed to be a week in advance but it turns out that a bunch of us were sick so it got pushed a week later (or today). Originally I scheduled it for 11am but got a last minute email (today at 3am) that people couldn't wake up that early due to a busy night, last night. So I pushed it to 1pm.

Things got a little complicated. I wasn't sure I had contacted everyone so I made my way to Hamilton on the 9:30 GO bus to get there for 11am. The idea was that I would meet people at 11am. Eat. Then meet the other people at 1pm and eat again. I would have to pace myself but at least then this way everyone I invited could eat with someone. The whole reason of eating dim sum in numbers is that you get to try out more food.


11:00 no one is here.

Leah called just as I made it into the hamilton bus station saying they couldn't make it for 11:00am. I told her that was okay because the meal had been pushed to 1:00pm. I made my way north on James from the bus station to the restaurant. I tried to figure out what the address was to tell Leah and to see if they had vegetarian food.

By looking at the other buildings I was able to deduce that the address was around 115 (according to Google I would later find out it was 113), oh well close enough. It was abit cold to be standing outside so I decided to go in. I had to go in anyway to see if they had any vegetarian dim sum.

There were things on the menu that looked vegetarian but in a chinese restaurant sometimes there's only one way to find out and that is to order the stuff. I have found the Pork could be considered a vegetable as that or shrimp seem to be in everything. This is just a personal observation I have made.

The first few plates had arrived and during my recon my cell phone rang. It was Trevor. He asked if I was at the restaurant. I told him I was and before I could tell him that the time had been changed to 1pm he had hung up. I started flipping through the address book on my cell phone to call him back to tell him not to show up until 1pm when the door of the restaurant swung open with Trevor bounding in.

We ordered more food and not 10 minutes had passed before the rest of the gang showed up. What the..? They had changed their minds at the last minute and since I was at the restaurant any way they decided to join me.


The turn out.

We moved to a bigger table and ate until 1pm. Then like shift work Leah and Craig showed up just as the main group was leaving. Leah, Craig and I moved back to a smaller table and ordered more food. By around 3pm I felt pretty stuffed. I had been eating for four hours straight (although I was pacing myself).


Melanie, the person who gave Jade Garden the best dim sum rating in all of Hamilton

In the end I thought that the food was pretty good. Was it the best in Hamilton? I don't know since this is the only dim sum restaurant I've been to. Obviously more research is required. They do have exceptional congee (note to Hilary specifically).