Sun’s BBQ Review: Calgary Chinese BBQ Worth Eating In

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My mother, Boss Lady, wanted to check out a Chinese bakery. Last summer, I took her to Logos Bakery & Cake House at Central Landmark. This time, I suggested Maxima Bakery & Cake House, housed inside Lambda Oriental Foods Supermarket. I picked Maxima so she could have lunch at Sun’s BBQ, then shop at King’s Seafood for their frozen jumbo shrimp wonton. For this post, let’s listen to Shut Up.

When we arrived, our server pointed us to a booth by the window. Unfortunately, it was next to a table with one of the loudest talkers I’ve heard outside the Caesar’s Steakhouse lounge. Things improved a little once the restaurant filled up and the noise around us rose, but even then, their conversation carried over everything.

Pro tip: If you want service, just wave a server down. Staff are attentive, but they come over only when it’s obvious you need something. We ordered Steamed Pork Patty and Anchovies ($18.99), BBQ Duck and Roasted Pork Rice Combo ($18.99), and Steamed Tiger Prawns with Garlic ($20.99).

The BBQ combo came with hot herbal broth and blanched vegetables, which helped cut the heaviness of the meats. The duck was thinly sliced, but each slice stood tall. My favourite part was the crisp skin on top, then lean dark meat underneath. The meat tasted clean and rich, but not fatty.

I loved the roasted pork, a crispy pork belly. The skin was ultra-crunchy and shattered in my mouth. The fat underneath melted into the meat. Each bite was pure indulgence. Better than Kingwell’s, too, because the bottom isn’t oversalted.

Boss Lady wanted the tiger prawn dish. The tiger prawns came on a bed of rice noodles. The prawns were butterflied and a lot smaller than the menu picture promised. The noodles made up for it: fragrant, hot, and seasoned all the way through with garlic. I preferred them to the milder prawns. Boss Lady pointed out that BBQ meats and seafood are best steaming fresh. That’s why it’s better to eat in the restaurant than order takeout.

I’ve been following Get In Mah’s Belly for Chinese food recommendations. His friend Coco recommended the pork patty.

The steamed pork patty is not for the timid taster. It’s incredibly pungent from the anchovies. You smell them before you taste them, and they’re salty enough that you’ll want rice. The pork is spread flat on a plate and steamed, so it stays tender. Small shrimp add more briny salt, and water chestnut gives it crunch. I enjoyed it, but it’s not a dish for those who don’t venture past ginger beef and salt and pepper squid.

Boss Lady was happy with our meal. The food was fresh and tasty, while the service was efficient. She wants to come again to try some of the other seafood dishes. I want to take her to two more of Get In Mah Belly’s picks: Marko’s Kitchen and Central Grand Restaurant.

For more local favourites, check out Best Restaurants in Calgary (2026 Guide).

Chinese

Kingwell Roasted BBQ: Elite 30 Honouree Chinese BBQ in Calgary

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It’s that time of year again! At Thanksgiving, my in-laws always request my duck fried rice. It’s not a cheap side dish to make. With all the ingredients, one pan of duck fried rice costs me just under $70. I use half a duck and half a pound each of BBQ and crispy pork, plus mushrooms, eggs, green onions, and peas. A pan easily feeds 12 guests. Let’s listen to Pork and Beans for this post.

I usually buy my BBQ meats at Sun’s BBQ. However, I’ve been following Get in Mah’s Belly on Facebook, a page run by John Mah, who has deep knowledge of Cantonese cuisine in Calgary. My favourite posts from his page are reviews of Chinese restaurants and recipes. One thing is for sure, he knows his food.

I’d never heard of Kingwell Roasted BBQ before, but I soon learned it’s among the top 50 honourees in the running for the Elite 30 Canada Awards. The Elite 30 Canada Awards are an annual national guide that ranks Canada’s 30 most outstanding Chinese and Taiwanese restaurants.

The drive out to Kingwell is brutal. Chew Steel noted it was almost outside the city limits, just past Stoney Trail in Sage Hill. It took us thirty minutes to get there.

Whole Roasted Duck ($57)

The skin was a dark, glossy reddish-brown and shattered in the mouth, giving way to clean, rich duck meat. The duck was nearly double the size of Sun’s. The meat was much leaner too, without the flabby skin or deep layers of fat near the thigh pieces. Each piece was deftly chopped, especially the elegant angled cuts on the drumsticks. The roasting quality of the skin was top tier.

Chinese BBQ Pork / Honey BBQ Pork (1lb, $19)

This is the best BBQ pork I’ve tried in Calgary. The char siu was sliced into thick medallions with evenly blackened, caramelized edges and a pleasant chew. It wasn’t overcooked; the meat was ultra tender. I appreciated the pork’s smoky depth; it wasn’t just sweet like honey.

Crispy Pork Belly (1lb, $21)

Kingwell BBQ serves up a beautiful roasted pork. The dark, crunchy skin crackled, with a nice balance of meat and fat layers. I did find the bottom of the pork was overly salty.

Signature Four Meat Platter ($23)

I also took home their Signature Four Meat Platter: soy sauce chicken, BBQ pork, roasted pork, and half a salted egg, served with rice, and soup. The soy chicken looked good with its clean, white meat, but I found the texture a little dry and the flavour a bit plain. The salted egg tasted better than it looked. Though the yolk was powdery, it packed a ton of umami. The rice was a generous serving, enough for two people to share. The Chinese greens were overcooked, but that’s ok, I came for the meat.

Was it worth the half-hour drive to Sage Hill? Yes. The quality reminds me of my haunts when I lived in BC: HK BBQ Master and Parker Place BBQ in Richmond. Despite having to go the distance, Hitting the Sauce gives Kingwell Roasted BBQ two phat thumbs up.

Want more like this? Check out my running list of Calgary’s best restaurants, date nights, and cheap eats.

Chinese · Dim Sum

Golden Sands Calgary: A New Dim Sum Favourite

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Boss Lady’s birthday is coming up, so I took her for dim sum at what I consider the best spot in the city: Golden Sands. Let’s listen to Mama Said for this post.

I called the day before to make a reservation, and we arrived promptly at 11:00 a.m. We were shown to a small table by the window. Right away, I noticed how friendly the staff were, extending the same warm, polite hospitality to non-regulars like us.

We were asked what tea we wanted. My mother was silent for a couple of moments and then requested bo-lay, a tea, according to her, that pairs well with dim sum. Over in the corner, I saw a chef eating his lunch. I always find it reassuring to see staff eating at their own restaurant. After all, they know what goes on in the kitchen better than anyone.

I encouraged Boss Lady to order whatever she wanted, but she hesitated because I was picking up the tab and she didn’t want to order too much. I sighed, picked up the menu checklist and went through every item with her.

Together, we chose: Steamed Scallop & Shrimp with Black Truffle ($9.88), Prawn Dumplings ($8.25), Steamed Pork Shao Mai with Fish Roe ($8.25), Chicken Feet ($7.50), Salt & Chilli Pepper Squid Tentacle ($14.88), and Beef Flat Rice Noodles ($18.88). She declined my suggestion to add lobster or quail to our lunch.

The beef rice noodles arrived first. I could see the dark brown sear of the wok on the noodles and the charred, bright green onions. The beef itself was ultra velvety, with a tenderized softness. I was struck by how generous the mound of noodles and beef was, even larger than the one at Emerald Garden.

The meat in the shao mai was so juicy. As I bit into the dumpling, the meat fell apart into tender chunks. The texture here is springier and loosely packed. I found this surprising because at other restaurants, sui mai is more like a finely ground pork ball with a tougher, mealier grind.

Our server came by to check on us and spotted a strand of hair in my mother’s dish. She asked Boss Lady if it was hers. My mother pulled it out, laughed and confirmed it was hers, adding that she wouldn’t complain to the kitchen. They both had a good chuckle.

The har gow was the size of a baby’s fist. The translucent white wrapper was silky, slightly sweet and sticky. When I took a bite, the soft wrapper gave way to a jumble of whole, crunchy pink shrimp. I liked alternating between the Chinese mustard and spicy red sauce, dabbing each onto my dumplings for a blunt hit of heat, much like horseradish with prime rib.

The truffle, scallop, and shrimp dumpling was tricky to eat. The slippery pieces of seafood shifted around inside the wrapper like an overstuffed inari pocket before tumbling onto my plate. The dollop of black truffle was assertive and earthy. Despite the logistics of eating this dumpling, it’s worth ordering.

The fried squid is the best I’ve had for dim sum in Calgary, even edging out Ho Won. The white squid at Golden Sands tasted as if it had never been frozen, each piece toothsome and bouncy. The batter was thin and light, fragile like tempura and not at all oily, with just the right amount of salt. It also arrived piping hot from the fryer. The squid at Ho Won is more uniform, each piece tubular and noticeably chewier, with a gloriously thick, brittle batter. I like both versions, but the natural sweetness of the squid at Golden Sands inches it ahead.

My mother noted that the quality of the food reminded her of Vancouver and Richmond, but at a lower price. If a restaurant can impress Boss Lady, you know it’s a winner. I can’t wait to return and try more of the dinner menu. Hitting the Sauce gives Golden Sands two phat thumbs up.

Looking for more best eats in Calgary? View my 2026 Guide of Best Restaurants in Calgary.

Cheap Eats · Chinatown · Chinese · Dim Sum · Restaurants

U & Me Calgary Review: Cantonese Dim Sum in Chinatown

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Boss Lady and Ludwig invited me out for dim sum at U & Me, their go-to spot in Chinatown. Inviting someone there for the first time always leads to confusion.

“Want to go to U & Me?”

“You and me? What do you mean? Go where?”

“No, U & Me is the restaurant.”

“Oh.”

As I walked up the stairs, I noticed soothing spa music playing in the background. Let’s listen to some similar music for this post.

It had been years since my last visit to U & Me, and I was surprised to see the restaurant redecorated. Pink blossoms and lanterns hung from the ceiling.

Lo and behold, when I was shown to my table, I ran into my old colleague, Office Dad. It felt oddly appropriate introducing Office Dad to my actual dad, Ludwig. After a studied glance, Office Dad declared that I looked exactly like my mother, Boss Lady. My mother and I warily observed each other.

Boss Lady always orders too much. We picked six dishes: Meat & Peanut Dumpling ($6.55), Shrimp BBQ Pork Rice Roll ($6.95), Shrimp Leek Dumpling ($6.55), Chinese Donut Rice Roll ($7.55) Vegetarian Bean Curd Roll ($6.95), Gai lan / Chinese broccoli with garlic sauce ($10.95), and Beef Soy Sauce Flat Noodles / Chow Fun ($14.25). A nice perk, U & Me serves tea free of charge.

The first dish to arrive was the beef chow fun. Ludwig noted there was a generous amount of beef, and he was right. I was surprised by the number of large slices scattered across the noodles. The noodles were slick and glossy, generously coated in soy sauce. The beef was both chewy and tender. I would order this again.

As a vegetarian, Ludwig was assured by Boss Lady that she would only serve him the vegetables and noodles. At my mother’s encouragement, I spooned some into his bowl. He immediately scowled and accused me of slipping in an offensive piece of beef.

Unmoved by my cries of being falsely accused, he waited for a second opinion. My mother came to my defence and poked through the noodles in his bowl, confirming there was no meat. Ludwig nodded, satisfied by her verdict. I decided from then on that he could get his own damn noodles.

I liked the Chinese doughnut dish, particularly the contrast between the crunchy doughnut, the soft, chewy centre, and the silky rice noodle sheets. The real pop of flavour comes from the sauces, a peanut-based sauce and hoisin, which add sweet or nutty notes to every mouthful. This dish is a winner.

The gai lan arrived next, the leaves and stems cooked through, soft and saturated from the garlic sauce. I would have preferred the greens with more of a bite, like Central Grand’s version.

The white rice wrapper in the shrimp and pork rolls was wrinkly thin. I enjoyed the meaty cubes of char sui, though I found the shrimp extra salty. Surprisingly, the shrimp and pork roll tasted even better the next day.

The peanut and pork dumplings are usually one of my favourite dishes, but this time I found one part of the filling mushy. That said, the wrapper remained pleasantly firm, and the peanuts added a satisfying crunch.

The shrimp and chive dumplings contained crunchy shrimp with a satisfying snap. The chives added a pleasant herby savouriness to the filling, a nice change from the plain old shrimp haw gow.

I couldn’t help but marvel at my dad’s appetite. For such a skinny man, he can really pack the food away. When he reached for another Chinese doughnut, I lifted the plate toward him, as it was across the table.

Boss Lady complained that I was causing more trouble than I was helping, and to let him get it himself. I glanced over at Ludwig, expecting some reaction, but his expression never changed. Completely unfazed, he happily speared another piece of gai lan and carried on eating.

Ludwig’s favourite dish was the vegetarian bean curd. The exterior was crisp and crunchy, while the inside was packed with wood ear mushrooms and carrots, giving it plenty of texture. I enjoyed the process of dipping the bean curd into its accompanying soy sauce, the mustard, and the red sauce. I would order this dish again.

The service at U & Me was efficient. Our tea was regularly refilled, and extras like red and yellow mustard, takeout boxes (25 cents each), and a bag arrived promptly when asked. The food was hot, fresh, and well-priced. It’s easy to see why U & Me remains popular with my parents and the downtown office crowd.

Looking for more restaurants and longtime Calgary favourites? I keep a running list of spots worth revisiting.

Chinese · Restaurants · Seafood

Emerald Garden Calgary: Garlic Lobster and Cantonese Comfort Food

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I took my parents and in-laws to Emerald Garden for an early Mother’s Day dinner. I preordered the lobster a day ahead, knowing it’s my mother, Boss Lady, favourite dish. This was my third visit, and somehow the food keeps getting better. Let’s listen to Mom by Meghan Trainor.

Though we arrived right at 5:00 p.m., the parking lot was already packed. Inside, the room felt pleasantly old-school, the kind of Chinese restaurant that hasn’t changed much since it first opened, likely back in the 80s.

Our round table had a spinning lazy Susan in the centre. Throughout the evening, I noticed most of the dining room was filled with Asian families, usually a reliable sign that the food is good.

I ordered tea for my parents while Chew Steel and I drank a Heineken ($7.95). Bobbino ordered a gin martini ($7.95), and G-Mah a Coke Zero ($2.95). Glasses of ice water were already waiting at the table when we arrived. Our server brought out complimentary broth to start the meal.

I find the pacing at Chinese restaurants intense. The food comes out of the kitchen fast and rarely in measured courses. Usually, the meal starts with soup, a platter of cold cuts and jellyfish, maybe Peking duck. Then suddenly, the rest of the dishes hit the table all at once. Growing up, and even now, I always found myself slightly panicking. Especially when we had guests over, as my mother would order me to serve food onto their plates, all the while the lazy Susan spins nonstop in every direction. By the time I finished serving one person, another dish arrives.

The first dish after the soup was the Garlic Lobster ($79). The lobster meat was sweet and bouncy, coated in chili, salt, pepper, and crisp bits of fried garlic. I much prefer this style over the heavy cream sauce versions. The chef also did a good job chopping the lobster into manageable pieces, making it surprisingly easy to eat.

Initially, I was annoyed when Boss Lady insisted we order lobster instead of crab. She was right. Lobster is far easier to eat. The meat slips out cleanly, so you don’t have to fight for every bite. I’d absolutely order this again.

The Stir-fried Snow Peas with Minced Garlic ($24.95) were bright green and perfectly cooked, tender but still lightly crunchy. The minced garlic added just enough punch without overpowering the peas’ delicate flavour. My parents especially loved this dish, and it was the first time G-Mah and Bobbino had tried snow peas prepared this way.

The Salted Egg Yolk Soft Shell Crab ($28.95) had a rich, savoury coating that was almost dusty and dry on the palate, similar to Parmesan cheese. The batter itself tasted deeply seasoned and buttery from the salted egg yolk. It’s a solid dish, though quite heavy after a few pieces. Next time, I’d probably order another seafood dish that isn’t deep-fried. Bobbino was especially impressed with the quality of the seafood.

The House Special Fried Noodles ($18.95) came loaded with char siu, small shrimp, and vegetables over a nest of crispy fried noodles. Some noodles stayed crunchy, while others softened as they soaked up the savoury translucent sauce. My parents were initially surprised by how saucy the dish was, but ended up really liking it. A winner in my books.

The Braised E-Fu Noodles ($17.95) was ordered for Ludwig, since it was one of the vegetarian options on the menu. I liked the soft, springy egg noodles and the juicy slices of Chinese mushroom. Next time, I might just get him the vegetable fried noodles instead. Or better yet, maybe my mom can help translate so we can request tofu or something a little more customized from the kitchen.

The Ginger Fried Beef ($18.95) was ordered for Chew Steel and Bobbino, as I’ve never really been a ginger beef fan myself. Still, I tried a piece. The beef was crunchy and heavily coated in a sticky-sweet sauce. G-Mah noticed the dishes weren’t nearly as drenched in sauce as the versions served at the other Chinese restaurants she usually frequents. Boss Lady said she preferred ginger beef over sweet and sour pork.

The Salt and Pepper Eggplant ($20.95) featured thick slices of eggplant with a smooth, custardy interior beneath a light tempura-style batter. The coating tasted clean and crisp, like the oil was fresh. Simple but very well executed. This was Ludwig’s favourite dish. I would get this again.

Our server also brought out complimentary mango pudding for dessert, a light ending to the meal. My parents enjoyed the feast so much that I already promised to bring them back for Father’s Day. My recommendation is to dine in rather than order takeout, as the food really shines when it arrives fresh from the kitchen. Hitting the Sauce gives Emerald Garden two phat thumbs up.

Looking for more restaurants and longtime Calgary favourites? I keep a running list of spots worth revisiting.