| Dallas Restaurant Reviews |
| Canton Chinese/Vietnamese 400 N. Greenville Ave., Richardson, TX (Dallas) 972-238-1863 |
Dallas Restaurant Review:
Okay, let’s get serious about Chinese food. And Canton restaurant IS serious. But it's
probably not the place to take your boss (unless he/she is adventuresome) or a new best
friend on a first date (ditto). It's just the "real thing" - traditional Chinese and Vietnamese.
SETTING - Canton is small café in Richardson’s Chinatown, right at the north edge of Dallas.
The building was obviously something else in its previous incarnation – maybe an insurance sales
office or an auto parts store. It’s in a large Asian strip shopping center, brightly lit at night
with festive red signs in Chinese.
MENU - “Serious Chinese” means 15 soups, 25 noodle dishes, 50 “Chinese Specialties”, and
about 100 other items. Some are Vietnamese, several are delicacies. "Delicacies" is a fancy
term for edibles that most Americans would not put in their mouths. A couple dozen items
are a mystery, being listed in Chinese only.
APPETIZERS - The usual – and some unusual. My favorite was not even listed in English until
recently ... Goi Sua Chua ... pickled jellyfish salad. I had it in Hong Kong once and was
surprised that it was so good. It’s slivered carrots and cucumbers, and little shreds of
slightly chewy, sweetly-pickled jellyfish – in a light vinaigrette which makes for a very
refreshing appetizer or almost-salad. Large enough for 3-4 people – $7. So far, I haven't
found anyone who didn't like it. Or if that sounds too exotic, pick one of the dozens of other
starters.
FOOD - I've only tried a handful of their 150 items, mostly very good. The one I cannot stop
ordering is the Salt & Pepper Squids – deep-fried, very crusty calamari. It’s one of the more
expensive items on the menu at $10. Or, you can go to the pricey Steel restaurant in Dallas
and get the same thing for $20. Each table has a 1-quart squeeze bottle of tangy red
Sriracha sauce (hot), as well as a small glass bowl with a metal lid holding nuclear-crushed-red-
pepper-in-incandescent-oil. (Do not touch the oil and then your eyes or other sensitive parts.)
Their 6-page menu is just about anything Chinese or Vietnamese that you've ever imagined and
many that you haven't. No rolls of any kind, though. In any case, Canton was named “Best
Chinese Restaurant” by D Magazine in 1990, so it has been around awhile.
B.Y.O.B. - No alcohol here. When it comes to a good-but-inexpensive meal, I look at
B.Y.O.B. as a plus. However, there are no beer-and-wine stores within several miles, so do plan
ahead.
AMBIANCE - A simple diner, not much decor. Half of the clientele is Asian. The rest is an
eclectic mix who look like they have found Chinese Food Nirvana. The Caravelle restaurant
across the parking lot is another great Chinese/Vietnamese place, somewhat larger and
better-decorated -- also BYOB. And there are others nearby that I haven't tried yet. In
some, the signs are in Chinese.
RESERVATIONS - R U kidding?
BOTTOM LINE - If you like serious and traditional Chinese, you have come to the right
place at Canton. And if you like Canton, you may also want to try one of the others nearby.
You can see their signs below.
Okay, let’s get serious about Chinese food. And Canton restaurant IS serious. But it's
probably not the place to take your boss (unless he/she is adventuresome) or a new best
friend on a first date (ditto). It's just the "real thing" - traditional Chinese and Vietnamese.
SETTING - Canton is small café in Richardson’s Chinatown, right at the north edge of Dallas.
The building was obviously something else in its previous incarnation – maybe an insurance sales
office or an auto parts store. It’s in a large Asian strip shopping center, brightly lit at night
with festive red signs in Chinese.
MENU - “Serious Chinese” means 15 soups, 25 noodle dishes, 50 “Chinese Specialties”, and
about 100 other items. Some are Vietnamese, several are delicacies. "Delicacies" is a fancy
term for edibles that most Americans would not put in their mouths. A couple dozen items
are a mystery, being listed in Chinese only.
APPETIZERS - The usual – and some unusual. My favorite was not even listed in English until
recently ... Goi Sua Chua ... pickled jellyfish salad. I had it in Hong Kong once and was
surprised that it was so good. It’s slivered carrots and cucumbers, and little shreds of
slightly chewy, sweetly-pickled jellyfish – in a light vinaigrette which makes for a very
refreshing appetizer or almost-salad. Large enough for 3-4 people – $7. So far, I haven't
found anyone who didn't like it. Or if that sounds too exotic, pick one of the dozens of other
starters.
FOOD - I've only tried a handful of their 150 items, mostly very good. The one I cannot stop
ordering is the Salt & Pepper Squids – deep-fried, very crusty calamari. It’s one of the more
expensive items on the menu at $10. Or, you can go to the pricey Steel restaurant in Dallas
and get the same thing for $20. Each table has a 1-quart squeeze bottle of tangy red
Sriracha sauce (hot), as well as a small glass bowl with a metal lid holding nuclear-crushed-red-
pepper-in-incandescent-oil. (Do not touch the oil and then your eyes or other sensitive parts.)
Their 6-page menu is just about anything Chinese or Vietnamese that you've ever imagined and
many that you haven't. No rolls of any kind, though. In any case, Canton was named “Best
Chinese Restaurant” by D Magazine in 1990, so it has been around awhile.
B.Y.O.B. - No alcohol here. When it comes to a good-but-inexpensive meal, I look at
B.Y.O.B. as a plus. However, there are no beer-and-wine stores within several miles, so do plan
ahead.
AMBIANCE - A simple diner, not much decor. Half of the clientele is Asian. The rest is an
eclectic mix who look like they have found Chinese Food Nirvana. The Caravelle restaurant
across the parking lot is another great Chinese/Vietnamese place, somewhat larger and
better-decorated -- also BYOB. And there are others nearby that I haven't tried yet. In
some, the signs are in Chinese.
RESERVATIONS - R U kidding?
BOTTOM LINE - If you like serious and traditional Chinese, you have come to the right
place at Canton. And if you like Canton, you may also want to try one of the others nearby.
You can see their signs below.
