Bon Flavor (Dim Sum): Vaughan, Ontario

Name: Bon Flavor
Address: 100 Steeles Ave West Unit 18 & 19, Vaughan, ON, L4J 7Y1, Canada
Website: Website
Phone: (905) 731-3288
Wifi: Yes
Tender: Debit, Credit, Cash
Neighbourhood: Vaughan, Ontario
Type: Dim Sum

Bon Flavor is a Chinese restaurant located a 30 minute drive North of the downtown core at the intersection of Yonge & Steeles. Serving dim sum daily from 9am-3pm and dinner in the evenings the space is modern and bright – a stark contrast to most traditional Chinese restaurants, especially those located outside the city core. The space seats around 70-100 people and has a private room with seating for 12 that can be reserved for special events.

We start off with a bowl of congee, $4.99 CDN + tax. Topped with chopped scallions and seasoned lightly the mid-sized serving is enough to split in to smaller portions for around 6 people. The texture is just right too for congee, not overly watery and just the right thickness.

Another dish we try is the Five Spice Squid Tentacles, $9.35 CDN + HST. The squid is cooked well and is flavorful, but is what I would expect to receive at any typical dim sum service. There’s nothing about it that particularly stands out and is a little pricy compared to most restaurants that offer dim sum.

Like most Chinese restaurants that offer dim sum Bon flavor has a set pricing for it’s dim sum dishes, which are basically the Asian equivalent of tapas, where multiple small plates are shared amongst a group. The larger the group the better as it means more dishes can be ordered with a nice variety.

Pricing for the dim sum dishes are as follows:

• Small $3.75 CDN + tax
• Medium $4.75 CDN + tax
• Large $5 CDN + tax
• Extra Large $6 CDN + tax
• Special Items $8 CDN + tax

However, the size of each dish is pre-determined on the menu and indicated in brackets next to each listing, so don’t be confused into thinking that you can choose what size portion you wish to order. Each dish typically contains around 3-4 items or a serving that is about 1/3 of a plate size, which is pretty standard at all dim sum services.

On the day that we go we order the following:

• House Har Gow (XL)
• Pork & Crab Shumai (L)
• Taro & Pare Ribs in Black Bean Sauce (M)
• Steamed Glutinous Rice Mixed with Chicken in Lotus Leaves (L)
• BBQ Pork Buns (S)
• Golden Lava Bun (L)

The food is well prepared and I would say the quality of it is slightly higher than your average dim sum spread. Again though, it’s also slightly pricier with the cost of the dishes being around $0.50-$0.75 more than most places that serve dim sum.

Finally, we try Bon Flavor’s most notable item – the Bon Flavor Bream Custard Bun. As a special item this dish costs $8 CDN + HST for 3 small buns, which contain sweet egg custard encased in a warm white fluffy steamed bao. Of course, what sets it apart from your typical egg custard bun is that they’ve taken the time to add decorations to make it look like an adorable pig. Two black sesame seeds act as eyes and pieces of steamed bao are dyed in a pale pink and shaped into ears and a snout. The pig-shaped buns are good, but taste exactly the same as their plain egg custard buns which can be ordered for $3 less. If you’re not set on cuteness factor it’s best to just order the regular custard buns for lower cost but same taste.

Overall I enjoyed my experience at Bon Flavor. Service was a little slow, but standard of what I would expect at dim sum. While the food was slightly higher in quality it was also a little pricier than most dim sum places. They do offer a 10% discount though on the menu pricing Monday-Friday from 9am-1pm. The space is clean and bright so if you’re looking to dine for dim sum in modern décor than Bon Flavor is the place for you.

 

Disclaimer: This post was not sponsored, nor was anything gifted to me. All opinions expressed are my own. All menu offerings and prices are accurate as of time of posting. Please refer to restaurant/shop for most up to date information.

*All images are copyrighted Allons.Y Styling & Photography. Please do not use or re-post without written consent and provide credit where applicable