Canton Delights, Cupertino

Once upon a time, I worked in San Francisco. I took public transportation to and from work. Within a one-block radius of the office, I could get my morning coffee from Peet's or Starbucks or Tully's. The lunch possiblities seemed endless -- and this was even before the Ferry Plaza really became a culinary scene.

Now I work in the suburbs. And one of the things I hate the most about my job location is that you have to drive most days in order to get a decent lunch. So when a co-worker suggested we try this Cantonese dim sum place within walking distance, I was all for it.

During lunch, Canton Delights offers a choice of dim sum (which is wheeled to your table) or lunch entrees that you order from a menu. We went with the former, deciding that we should try a lot of them to really get a feel for whether this place would warrant repeat visits. Of the three of us, I was the only one who had no knowledge of the Chinese language; one dining companion spoke Mandarin, while another spoke both Mandarin and Cantonese. Basically, I just had to sit back and let them do all of the food-selecting.

Here's what we ended up ordering:

• Cha Siu Bau (steamed barbecue pork buns)
• Fung Jao (steamed chicken feet in spicy sauce)
• Naai Wong Bau (steamed egg custard creme buns)
• Ha Gau (steamed shrimp dumplings)
• Siu Mai (steamed minced pork dumplings)
• Siu Lun Bau (steamed Shanghai minced meat dumplings)
• Fun Gwoh (steamed veggie dumplings)
• Daan Tart (baked mini egg custards)
• Ha Cheun (rice-noodle rolls with shrimp)
• Loh Mai Gai (steamed rice with meat, wrapped in a lotus leaf)

If you're thinking that this was a lot of food for three people, you would be absolutely right. But most of the dishes, unfortunately, were just slightly above average. My favorite of the bunch was the steamed pork bun, which had a good ratio of bun to sweet pork filling. We initially ordered the baked mini egg custards as our dessert, but they weren't very satisfying; the crust was a bit gummy, and not flaky. The steamed egg custard creme buns were a better way to end the meal.

So, while there is definitely better dim sum to be had in the South Bay, we may still find ourselves back at Canton Delights some day... When we're craving dumplings and no one wants to drive to Joy Luck or HC Dumpling House.

Canton Delights
10125 Bandley Drive
Cupertino, CA
(408) 777-9888