Jade is great for dinner (try the salt-baked chicken), but it’s better known as one of the finest dim sum destinations in Richmond. Get classic har gow (steamed shrimp dumplings) done right, with crunchy snap to the shrimp. Additional favorites include the pickled ginger with century egg and prawn roll, as well as the unique steamed mushroom dumplings, which feature a trio of mushrooms with a strong scent of truffle.

Food courts throughout Richmond offer plenty of fine places to eat. Yaohan Centre was one of Richmond’s first malls, and it’s home to Ajea Noodle, serving up a variety of Chongqing-style noodles. Diners enjoy suan la fen (sour and spicy potato starch noodles) with intestines as well as zajiang mian (mixed sauce noodles), dry or soupy, with addition of pickled long beans possible. Also popular is Szechwan (Clay) Potted Rice, fire-cooked to be crispy.

Popular with the teen crowd but a refreshing revelation for all ages, Bubble Queen serves a wide variety of candy-infused (think Ferrero Rocher and Maltesers) bubble teas, soft serve ice cream, and bubble waffles. The best bet, in season, is a mango slush that’s brimming with fresh mango slices on top and tapioca balls at the bottom. You’ll need a spoon to scoop it all out.

Shoppers here take home house-made soy milk and soy pudding in containers ranging from one to four liters, but diners can also sit at the counter and enjoy a small tofu pudding, hot or cold, sweet or savory, with a variety of toppings. Basil seeds, for example, add interesting texture and flavor; other choice toppings include grass jelly, peanuts, and red beans. “Soft,” “smooth,” and “silky” are the operative words here — as is “excellent.”

The “Explosion Pulp Chicken” sign might sound the most intriguing (it’s like chicken cordon bleu), but it’s the various noodle dishes from Guangxi province that really hook diners here. The Guilin noodles are slightly sauced and pack a punch with three types of meat, while the Nanning noodles come in a sour soup with lettuce, ginger, garlic, and black bean sauce. Perhaps most compelling of all are the Liuzhou noodles, swimming in a slightly earthy and bitter soup with deep-fried tofu skin, day lilies, shredded black fungus, sour bamboo shoots, quail eggs, lettuce, sour beans, and fried peanuts.

HK BBQ Master is masterful indeed in its preparation of barbecued meats; sample all that’s offered. The barbecue duck is delicious and tends to sell out early. The barbecue pork is seductively sweet, while the soy sauce chicken is incredibly moist. The roast pork is the most irresistible, boasting three delicious layers: the meat close to the bone, a layer of succulent fat, and a crazily crisp and crackly fried skin.

This northern Chinese restaurant specializes in all things lamb, including lamb dumplings, skewers, chops, stir-fries, and pot-stewed lamb head. But the best part might be the availability of breakfast (starting at 8 a.m.), in which diners can get the namesake lamb soup, with or without noodles, and with a choice of lamb meat including pluck — an array of organ meats. The soup pairs well with any of the six types of shaobing (layered flatbreads, some stuffed and some not) on offer.

This Chinese champion at Lansdowne Centre serves high quality xiao long bao, sheng jian bao, beef rolls, and many more freshly made delights. There might be better places for each of these individual items, but you’d be hard-pressed to find any other restaurant in Richmond offering this quality, consistency, and value across the board — in a mall food court, of all places.

It’s hard to see from the outside, but Silkway Halal Cuisine offers a nice setting for some delicious Chinese food with northern and Muslim influences. Lamb is a specialty here, featured in cumin lamb, lamb dumplings, and sliced lamb with pickled cabbage in hot pot. Look also for boiled fish as well as braised chicken with wide noodles.

Lesser known than many of Richmond’s other dim sum destinations, Golden Paramount offers some superb items, chief among them the fabulously delicate crab dumplings (listed on the menu as “steamed dumplings with crab meat and meat”). The pork siu mai topped with fish roe is another great choice, as is the stir-fried sticky rice, loaded with smokiness.

Tucked away in an industrial park, Mama’s Dumpling & Coffee is a destination for good xiao long bao and great sheng jian bao. Hint: Go between lunch and dinner to get those sheng jian bao (juicy and crispy) with the most minimal wait time. While the location is remote, make the most of your trip by visiting Wild Sweets (an amazing chocolatier) and Fuggles & Warlock (“keeping beer weird”), both located in the same industrial park.