Salad rolls at Kim Sang.
Kim Sang
Address: 1127 St. Mary's Road
Phone Number: 204-256-2156
Neighbourhood: St. Vital
Website: none
Kim Sang Vietnamese and Chinese Restaurant is the kind of small business you drive by a million times and wonder 'Is it any good?'
The same can be said for many of the myriad restaurants located on St. Mary's Road—a major thoroughfare connecting downtown to Winnipeg's southeast from the Main Street Bridge to the Perimeter.
Along that commuter route there are at least one hundred (if not more) restaurants of every description. Block by block, the route is a blur of chain- and family-owned spots serving all kinds of cuisine from burgers and fries to Italian and sushi, to barbecue and Mexican.
Kim Sang is one of that blurry pack.
Kim Sang sets itself apart the moment you open the door. While many Chinese and Vietnamese eateries are dimly lit and a bit cave-like, sunlight streams into Kim Sang from a wall of floor-to-ceiling-windows facing the street. The decor is typical, however, with tchotchkes filling shelves, plastic-covered tables and a big soda pop fridge at the cash register.
Don't go to Kim Sang looking for a refined dining experience. Go there for honest, nothing fancy North American Chinese and Vietnamese food. It's a great place to take the kids, celebrate a family milestone, or meet friends for lunch. It's also a great bet for take out too. It's not going to win awards for innovative cuisine but Kim Sang's menu of stir fries, vermicellis, chow meins and pho will leave you satisfied.
There are 152 dishes listed on the menu. We started with an order of salad rolls. They were crunchy fresh and loaded with the requisite rice, noodles, shredded lettuce, shrimp and slices of pork. A soy-infused peanut sauce added flair and a flush of warmth.
Salad rolls at Kim Sang.
Next we forked through a generous pile of chicken chow mein (#70) replete with broccoli and cauliflower trees, bok choy, carrot slices, slices of stir fried chicken and hunks of tender and sweet white onion. This is Chinese comfort food at its most simple and satisfying.
Chicken Chow Mein at Kim Sang.
Sizzling Tofu with Black Bean Sauce (#124) came to the table, as billed, sizzling on a cast iron plate. The tofu was infused with the sweet, dense black bean sauce that bubbled for minutes after being served. Hearty chunks of firm red and green pepper completed this monster-sized plate.
Sizzling Tofu with Black Bean Sauce at Kim Sang.
To find Kim Sang, Look for a big, red, circular sign mounted above the building. Don't let it pass you by.
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