Tourism Richmond is adding two new restaurant’s to the city’s Dumpling Trail, a collection of 20 restaurants curated by the tourism organization to help people decide where to eat.
The newcomers are Bánh Mì Très Bon, at 1840-4720 McClelland Road, and Beijiang Restaurant, at 8111 Leslie Road.
Bánh Mì Très Bon serves up Vietnamese-style Bánh bột lọc, which are tapioca-skinned dumplings that must be eaten fresh with sweet chili fish sauce.
“They’re a really old-fashioned appetizer in Vietnam. We make it here in-house daily,” said owner Lan Do. The little dumplings are typically filled with shrimp and pork.
She said restaurant has just celebrated its two-year anniversary of being open for business. She worked in the corporate world for about 25 years before deciding to open it, wanting to offer back-to-roots Vietnamese food to the next generation.
“I found Vietnamese cuisine took a different twist … a lot of fusion got involved. I found the true taste kind of got lost,” she said.
“I’m basically bringing Vietnam to Richmond.”
Besides dumplings, Do says she’s proud of the seven varieties of Bánh Mì sandwiches they offer, all on their made-in-house bread. She also recommends the Vietnamese beef noodle soup. The broth is made by simmering bones for 15 hours.
The other new Dumpling Trail spot, Beijiang Restaurant, has been open since 2009. It specializes in lamb water-boiled dumplings that can be found in many places in Asia. They’re made fresh and stuffed with everything from chicken to beef, leeks, lamb and chives.
The Richmond News reached out to Beijiang, but was told no one was available for an interview before press time.
Tourism Richmond created the Dumpling Trail back in August 2016 to help people choose where to eat in a city with more than 800 restaurants.
“We saw how overwhelming it was for a diner to choose," said Tourism Richmond CEO Nancy Small. "The 20 restaurants on the trail have been hand-selected by the team and they make up a good representation of Richmond’s Asian culinary scene."
She also has some tips for diners to make the most of their Dumpling Trail journey:
- Travel in a group for maximum stomach space—you don’t want to fill up on your first stop
- Plan according to your budget, since the Dumpling Trail features high-end restaurants as well as food court stalls
- Bring cash, since some spots are cash-only
Here’s a full list of restaurants on Richmond’s Dumpling Trail:
The Jade Seafood Restaurant
Golden Sichuan Restaurant
Red Lantern
Szechuan House
Cheng Du Xiao Chi
Morals Village Hot Pot
Shiang Garden Seafood Restaurant
Beijiang Restaurant
Bánh Mì Très Bon
R&H Chinese Food
SuHang Restaurant
Dinesty Dumpling House
Empire Seafood Restaurant
Pepper Lunch
4 Stones Vegetarian Cuisine
Parklane Chinese Restaurant
Samsoonie Noodle & Rice
Tsim Chai Noodle Restaurant
Xi’An Cuisine
Silkway Halal Cuisine
