Top Gun J & C Restaurant

I’m conflicted on assessing a rating for this place since the service here can be quite atrocious yet the food is so tasty and unique. But here’s the thing, I’m pretty sure they could care less what the critics say, since they have their own loyalty base built up by the old school local Chinese community, and not sure if they want word to get out with millenials snapping photos or non-​Cantonese speaking folks (including Asians) taking up tables normally filled by regulars, so consider yourself warned if you have no qualms about feeling completely unwelcome but have no allergies to all things delicious.
I shall summarize my multiple visits to Top Gun (the restaurant) with classic quotes commemorating the 30^th anniversary of Top Gun (the movie).
Stinger: And if you screw up just this much, you’ll be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong!
Maverick: Yes, sir!
–Vancouver (and perhaps Toronto) probably has the most authentic dim sum one can experience in North America, due to the exodus of several chefs following the handover of Hong Kong back to China in the 90s, and my very first experience here several years back blew my mind. Everything just tastes a little bit or a whole lot better than anything you’ll ever have in the US.
Slider: Goose, whose butt did you kiss to get in here anyway?
Goose: The list is long, but distinguished.
Slider: Yeah, well so is my Johnson.
–Be prepared for a wait since things get really busy and my guess is that the host gives preference to the regulars. They have a loyalty program where you pay an annual fee which entitles you to graduated discounts depending on how early you dine, so even at the opening bell, you’ll be waiting with the super regulars and why would they seat you before them?
Merlin: What are you doing? You’re slowing down, you’re slowing down!
Maverick: I’m bringing him in closer, Merlin.
Merlin: You’re gonna do what?
Once you have been seated, you have to literally flag down the servers to take your order (no push carts, everything is a la carte like ordering sushi) I don’t know what was more ridiculous, having to ask for soy sauce/​chili sauce to be brought to our table, or the apathetic shrug we received when placing the request.
Charlie: I’ll have what he’s having. Hemlock, is it?
Maverick: Ice water.
One of the highlights is having your own personalized pot of tea that you steep on a special burner placed at your table… you need to ask for this specifically or they will just give you the standard pot that will only be refilled on request.
Iceman: You can be my wingman any time.
Maverick: Bullshit! You can be mine.
–One of their signature items is the fried chicken wing stuffed with glutinous rice and flecks of chinese sausage. It has been known to sell out early since some folks recommend placing an advanced request with reservations, but this item is not only artfully constructed but the components are beautifully prepared to be an exquisite amalgamation of familiar flavors with textbook textures in terms of the crispy chicken skin, the toothsome rice grains, and the succulent proteins.
Iceman: You two really are cowboys.
Maverick: What’s your problem, Kazansky?
Iceman: You’re everyone’s problem. That’s because every time you go up in the air, you’re unsafe. I don’t like you because you’re dangerous.
Maverick: That’s right! Ice… man. I am dangerous.
— I was a modest fan of the STEAMED bbq pork buns, but the BAKED version has the same char siu pork filling but it is encased in a decadent brioche-​like bun with a buttery streusel-​like topping that marries salty and sweet in a way that blows any maple bacon donut out of the water. This is the kind of dangerous creation that really messes with your head… and your blood sugar.
Stinger: What you should have done was land your plane! You don’t own that plane! The taxpayers do! Son, your ego is writing checks your body can’t cash!
I will say this, the price point is a bit on the high side (some of the noodle dishes that don’t even have seafood are close to 20 Canadian dollars), but I also think these guys know they can get away with it because of their loyalty program which provides discounts to regulars and deters everyone else. If I lived in Vancouver, I would probably come at least once a month and bring visitors on my tab.
Iceman: The plaque for the alternates is down in the ladies room.
I haven’t fully explored the dim sum scene in Vancouver, but Top Gun still stands out as one of my favorites due to its original offerings and consistency. I have dined here as both a tourist and a guest of local friends, and almost always coming off a streak of mediocre dim sum in the states. Between the Iceman customer service and the Maverick chef preparing unique variations of dim sum, one thing is for sure, the food will be sure to «take your breath away.»
Other notables: baked papaya with almond milk, pork bone congee with asian vegetables, fried squid w/​togorashi mayo

We were invited by friends to visit this dim sum restaurant. It is kind of unique and different than others of how they serve the tea. Basically you can ask for personal tea pot in traditional way with additional charge. That is how people enjoy tea back in old time. I find it refresh and educational. Other than that it is just another dim sum restaurant. They do serve few unique dim sum that others don’t such as sticky rice stuffing chicken wings, golden fried calamari, crispy spring rolls and so for. It is worth to try if you to enjoy the traditional tea serving.

Pretty good. Not the best I’ve had. Their siu mai was not very good. The other dishes were ok. Har gow was good. The deep fried chicken wings stuffed with sticky rice was very good. Excellent service. I’d recommend getting a reservation.

The price here is very nice (I think there is some sort of discount on certain days?), and there is even a top gun gold card for even more benefits. The food is decent, and their specialty stuffed chicken wings tastes good as well. With that aside, there are a few reasons why I only give it two stars.
1. The wait time is ridiculous, even with reservations. I had to wait more than half an hour, despite the fact that I had reserved a table. (Maybe this only happens on Sunday’s?)
2. The main problem is the lady in the front desk. She is always rude and her tone is always harsh. She also lets her friends get a table first before others… If my family wasn’t set on eating here, I would’ve left multiple times. I hear some people inquiring about their table, and she just scoffed at them.
3. The third minor thing is just the parking. Parking is a bit of a hassle, but nothing major.
Overall, food is decent, but there are better choices in Richmond.

This place was good and packed. I usually go to Fisherman’s when I’m in town but i wanted to give this place a shot. It was pretty good foodwise but the service was slow. Overall it was decent but nothign mind blowing.

the dim sum here is decent. but there are plenty of better options in richmond.
however. if you are here. definitely get the stuffed chicken wings. in fact. get 2 orders so you don’t have to share. this is damn good.

Come here for their deep fried chicken wings stuffed with sticky glutinous rice!
Okay, I guess that dish sounds a bit too complex and strange in English, but trust me, it’s delicious. If you want multiple orders of this, you actually have to call in beforehand to reserve them because they sell out really quickly. We luckily came in for early dim sum and managed to snag the last three wings so I was really happy! The chicken wings are deep fried to perfection and are oh so crispy. The sticky rice inside is a nice chewy surprise after you’ve gotten through the crisp chicken skin and tender meat.
As mentioned 100x in the other reviews, their BBQ pork buns are very unique and delicious because they’re actually BBQ pork bun/​pineapple bun hybrids! It’s very interesting how the savoury and sweet flavours are mixed together but trust me, you’ll be addicted! My family really likes how the tea is served in individual portions so we can all try a wide variety of teas.
If you live in the Greater Vancouver Area, I would recommend investing in their VIP program (the Top Gun Gold Card I believe) where you can get large discounts on their dim sum early in the morning and moderate discounts on their lunch/​dinner menu. You can also collect points to redeem at their various restaurants for free food!

Came here on a trip, and choose this place. Compare to Seattle’s Dim Sum, this has a much more cleaner, less greasy, and less salty taste. Overall, it was very balance, but this led to a less than what we were use to. My Seattle friends were not so impress.
The stuff chicken wings were good, but nothing to rave about. I enjoyed the minced pork bun and Durian pastry.
The service was top notch, as they were all very accommodating to us non-​Chinese speaking folks.
Overall, I did enjoy my time here, and left feeling full but not greasy full like most places in Seattle.

Food — 5 stars
Atmosphere — 3 stars
Service — 0 – 3 stars
The dim sum here is very good. I agree with the reviews that rave about the stuffed chicken wings. As a Hong Kong born person who has had access to many great dim sum restaurants from Honolulu and the Seattle Top Gun, I have no complaints about the quality of food.
However, I do have a complaint about the rudeness of their manager. As the ordering card for dim sum is written all in Chinese, my American born wife and son had trouble deciphering how to order from the card. When they asked the manager, the manager said «Here, this line matches this line on the menu! You try!»
Now, I was raised in Honolulu since the age of 5 and have since pretty much lost most of ability to speak fluent Cantonese. Definitely can’t read Chinese at this point. Still, I was tempted to say some choice Cantonese words to this guy!
I felt bad for the waitresses as my tip here just went down significantly. The waitresses were very nice and I did speak with them in my limited Cantonese. Still, their manager just killed it for them. I normally tip 20% but you can imagine how I tipped here.
The atmosphere at the restaurant is very formal. I find the TVs in the restaurant quite tacky.
Overall, a potential anticipated great experience shot down by a rude snotty gesture.

Most of the reviews were for dim sum. Not sure if we ordered the wrong things but the quality was bad. We were there for dinner on Sunday and it was only 60% full. We had the Peking Duck and the skin was not fresh. It tasted like they just reheated it. It came with flat buns instead of pancakes?! The best dish of the night was the deep fried egg tofu with meat sauce. Servers were not attentive and we had to ask for a few times for bowls of rice. The washroom was disgusting! Slippery floors + smelly washroom. Don’t go unless you really have to.

An assortment of goodies await you at Top Gun J & C Restaurant!
I was fortunate enough to dine here twice (for dim sum) and both meals were vey enjoyable. The stuffed chicken wings that everyone is raving about are quite tasty but I more enjoyed the baked bbq pork buns.
As a cautionary tale, I must warn you that the parking situation is far from convienient. The restaurant has several reserved spots but they are scattered throughout a narrow lot. Basically you will end up driving around a few circles to look for empty spots with their name labelled on it.

tip: individual tea and creative dim sum and 40% off until 11:30am with top gun gold card.
Dried vegetable pork bone porridge had peanuts and bits of preserved veg which is a nice touch. Fried chicken with sticky rice inside is very creative and its glossy look gives it a nice touch, kidney chive rice sheet is very soft and the rice sheet is very thin. ma la go has a good presentation but not the traditional kind, still tastes great although it was a bit dry. chicken feet was great, skin falls of bone, peanuts at the bottom, crispy rice sheet (ja leung) is actually crispy and not soggy. almond milk in whole papaya is absolute perfect way to end the meal, not overly sweet and could scrape the meat off the papaya. so good!

CHINESE FOOD CRAWL IN RICHMOND, BC: Baked BBQ pork buns, roasted chicken wings stuffed with sticky rice
Stop #1 on my Chinese food crawl in Richmond. My lovely guide – a popular Vancouver food critic and blogger who shares my obsession with Chinese cuisine – promised me I would satisfy my craving for creative yet TRADITIONAL dim sum at this spot.
And lo and behold, I did. The baked char siu buns had a special twist: a delicate, crisp bun texture in contrast to the typical fluffy whiteness you normally see. The roasted chicken wings had everything I love about Chinese chicken wings (crispy skins, light soy flavor, moist meat) and were stuffed with everything I love about Chinese sticky rice – it was the stuffing of one within the other that made it unusual.
Bonus: Getting to have your own pot, burner and Chinese loose leaf tea of choice to go with your meal. If I hadn’t been here on a food crawl, I could have easily eaten a day’s worth of meals here.

It located in 2/​F Excel Centre. The mall parking is terrible which most of the parking stall reserved for shops. Better pay and park on McKim Way.
I haven’t return to Top Gun for dim sim or dinner for long time coz without their «gold card» which membership card everything are overpriced. If you willing to pay $ 20 for cold card, you would benefit 40% off for dim sim during 9am –11.30am, then 20% off for lunch during 11.30am — 3pm. Also, 20% off for dinner.
Gold card special in April — Choose one of three items in special price (Sui Mai — $ 1.68, Har Gow — $ 1.98, Shark’s fin dumpling in soup — $ 3.98).
I went there with my fellows for lunch. In general, dim sims were good and tasty, the service was excellect. Of coz, we paid all dims sims in full price but 10% off. We ordered 9 items and cost $ 71.65 (before discount and tax), average it out and cost $ 7.25 each dim sim!!! Expensive enough?
Deep fried Tofu — $ 7.95 Just a bit dry and average size.
Steamed beef rice roll — $ 5.95 Pretty standard
Deep fried shrimp balls — $ 5.95 So Call «Chef special» for 3 shrimp balls, oily and shrinked when it cold.
Steamed veggie dumplings — $ 5.25 Fantastic! I love it, so yummy.
Steamed rice in lotus wrap — $ 11.95 for tasteless rice rice, forget it.
Pan fried radish cake — $ 5.85 for pretty bland pan fried flour cake more than radish cake.
Har Gow — Regular size shrimp dumplings at $ 5.75, wipe off
Steamed short ribs — $ 4.95
Beef Brisket and tender w/​clear noodles — $ 11.95 it served in clay pot, very hot but super greasy.
I would say go for other dim sim place provided you have been all others.

Parking’s a pain in the ass here, but what else is new for a restaurant located in Richmond?
I found the food to be ranging from below average to good. The shrimp dumplings could have been bigger. The sweet and savoury bbq pork buns were out of this world though.
If you have the Top Gun VIP card, then eating here is worth it since you get a discount. Otherwise, it’s not bad, but plenty other dim sum restaurants out there.

The first time I ate here was some time in December 2011. The food was alright. It wasn’t particularly memorable considering this is a highly established chain. Over the weekend, my partner and I took my parents here. We decided on this restaurant because he holds a membership card which allows us to enjoy a meal at a whopping 40% off if we «check out» by 11:30am.
I made a reservation the night before for 10am on a Saturday morning. By the time we arrived, the parking lot was full. My partner and I had to park in the adjacent building’s parking lot. Parking situation here is not pleasant.
By the time we entered the restaurant, it was 10:15am but the venue was already 85% — 90% occupied. After we got seated, we went right to business. We ordered a plate of deed fried fish (served with light soy sauce and minced ginger) to start. That was REALLY good. The fish was crunchy on the outside and meaty on the inside. It was very nicely done. Not fishy at all. We then proceeded with the typical deep fried Chinese donuts wrapped in thin rice sheets, sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves, and deep fried taro slices.
The deep fried Chinese donut wrapped in thin rice sheet was fresh and hot. Two thumbs up. The sticky rice was good as well because the rice was not over-​steamed. Yuck to soggy rice. Deep fried taro was light and not greasy. It was a great dessert to end off the brunch.
The bill (after the discount) came to $ 24. We enjoyed the food and we liked the price. I’d come back again for some more dim sum delights.

I think this is one of my favorite dim sum restaurants in Richmond. It stands out from the rest of the usual dim sum restaurants.
They offer a $ 20 gold membership card good for one year. You get 40% off if you finish by 11:30am and 20% if not and an instant $ 10 coupon to start. This deal is obviously worth it if you become a regular.
The quality of their dim sums are really good. The portions are smaller then most other places. It’s very pricey as most plates are at least $ 5 each. Their one unique dish is the stuffed chicken wing with sticky rice. I don’t know how they make it but it sure taste great. Tip: you must order it when making reservations over the phone. If you don’t pre-​order, they usual tell you that it’s sold out. I also love their scallop rice rolls. The rice wraps are perfect in their texture and thickness. It’s one of the best rice roll I ever tasted. They also offer sushi but I never tried it, it’s a dim sum restaurant for peck sakes!
The service is really good here. There were a few times that we forgot the gold card and they were nice enough to give us the discount without the card. The waiters seem to be very friendly.
I suggest always make reservations and order the stuffed chicken wings at same time. Although, reservations didn’t seem to matter much last time as we still had to wait 20 mins over the reserved time. All parking near the restaurant is reserved, so best bet is to pay park on street or park free on top of plaza east of restaurant.

If you’re Chinese or somehow closely connected to someone who is, you’re eventually gonna end up experiencing the 3-​hr family banquet meals in a Chinese restaurant. Since these events are definitely heavy on the time commitment end, it’s particularly nice when the place serves up good food. Trust me…3 hours in a crowded, high-​decibel Asian restaurant coupled with just OK food is never a recipe for fun.
Thankfully, my uncle has really great taste and Top Gun was an excellent choice. The dinner was filled with endless dishes that were extremely kind on the old tastebuds. All in all, this is a great place for authentic Chinese cuisine. Though I’ve never tried it yet, my cousins also say that Top Gun serves up amazing Dim Sum.
Top Gun is worth checking out for sure… just don’t get caught in Ice Man’s jet wash (sorry I couldn’t resist).

One of the unique dim sum experiences you will have just based on the tea you drink. Each individual gets to order their own style of tea, unlike other places where they ask the whole table what tea you would like to drink. Each person gets an individual cup to cook their own tea leaves. And also, let’s say you do not use up all the tea leaves they give you, it is in a nice little container for you to take home.
I’ve been to this Top Gun, and the other location at Crystal Mall, the menu is the same, except for a few items, but I must say the food quality and service is pretty good. The selection of dim sum is not vast, like other places, but the regular items are all there!
If you also pay for the «membership card», you get a discount on your meal, early dim sum here, you get 40% off, that is between 9:00 to 11:00, and then you get 20% off if your not that keen on waking up early! It’s not cheap dim sum here, but it’s definately pretty good.

Amongst the many dim sum options available in Vancouver and Richmond, Top Gun J & C Restaurant (not to be confused with the other restaurants amongst the Top Gun chain) is a stand out and worth trying out.
Classic dishes like shrimp dumplings (har gao) and beef rice noodle roll (sorry, I’m not even going to attempt phoneticizing THIS one) are not taken for granted and phoned in like most places might do, but executed with a deft hand and fresh ingredients.
Other fare such as duck tongue and steamed tofu are handled with a nuanced touch so that the intrinsic flavours and textures are not lost in a sea of sauce or unnecessary garnishes. The perfectly crispy and seasoned fried fish was also a fantastic treat, made even more delicious when topped with the roasted garlic crumbs.
More playful, but equally delicious, dishes also made an appearance in the form of deep fried chicken wing stuffed with sticky rice, as well as a steamed papaya hollowed out and filled with hot almond milk. You would carve out a piece of the softened papaya from within, and eat it bathed in a spoonful of almond milk. Delicious.
Tea is also done old-​school: everyone gets their own variety of loose tea leaves, steep it in your own individual tea bowl, then into the tea cup when it’s ready.
Note also the special deals if you buy a Gold Card for $ 15 (but it’s a $ 20 annual fee):
— 40% off if you finish your dim sum and leave before 11:30 am
— 25% off for any dim sum after 11:30 am