Info: 7991 Bird Rd, Miami, FL 33155 – www.tropicalchinesemiami.com

This review is in collaboration with my friend Hayley over at @hayleygoodeats on Instagram. Give her a follow for some South Florida food reviews. If you are coming from Hayley’s channel, welcome. Here at DannySnarfs, the restaurant and food review arm of DannyPlops, we strive to take you around the globe, finding the finest cuisine the culinary world has to offer. This journey naturally took us to strip mall Chinese food in Miami. Located across from Tropical Park, Tropical Chinese is flanked by a spiritual boutique and a Peruvian bakery, with an honorable mention to the Botox and filler joint at the adjacent corner. According to the waitstaff’s t-shits, Tropical Chinese has been a Miami staple since 1984. So let’s see what the fuss was all about.

The interior lights were set low but not too low, so this dim sum restaurant was dimmed some. There were 15-20 dim sum dishes on the menu, mostly various dumplings and rolls, so there were plenty of options. Two shrieking toddlers evoked flashbacks to the Annual DNC Adrenochrome Harvest last April. An older child of about 10 was sitting at a nearby table, rapt in his iPad. Hey parents, if your kid is just going to be on his tablet all night, just slice some hot dogs into Easy Mac and leave technoboy alone at home. It’ll save you some money in this economy.

A few patrons aside, the restaurant was quite good, so read on to see what we ate. As always, I will then tell you the good shit and a nit pick about each item and rate the establishment on a scale of 1 to 5 Plops. There is a lot to go through here, so I’ll try to make it quick.

Dim Sum:

Chive and Shrimp Dumpling – $6.75

• The Good Shit: These small dumplings packed a lot of filling and flavor. The vibrant green color shining through the wrapper indicated the prominence of the chives. The dumpling wrapper was soft and chewy.
• The Nit Pick: $6.75 for three small dumplings was fairly steep compared to the rest of the dim sum options, but ultimately it’s cheaper than must other restaurants, so no biggie. I wish the chive taste matched the color. The dumplings tasted of chive but were missing the signature brightness of fresh chives.

Chicken Feet – $6.75

• The Good Shit: I had never eaten chicken feet, so I was excited to have these. The feet were extremely tender, likely due to a slow cooking process. They were coated in a sweet chili sauce, but there was enough flavor in the feet to come through. The taste and texture were those of a fatty piece of skin on a chicken thigh.
• The Nit Pick: The tenderness was a double-edged sword here, providing the nit pick as well as the good shit. Because the slow cooking dissolved the connective tissue, there were a lot of small bones to eat around, making these a bit cumbersome to eat in a dignified manner. A tableside spittoon for the galine metatarsals would have been appreciated.

Shrimp Rice Pasta – $6.75

• The Good Shit: Maybe I’m sheltered, but I had never had these either. They consisted of shrimp wrapped in a wide rice noodle and plated in a shallow pool of a sweet soy sauce. The shrimp tasted fresh, the noodle was tender and not overcooked, and the sauce perfectly complemented the roll without overpowering the dish.
• The Nit Pick: These too were cumbersome to eat, as the long rolls were too soft to support their own weight. Hey, we’ve all been there, so I’m not here to shame.

Steamed Chicken Bun – $6.75

• The Good Shit: Like the mature man I am, I do appreciate some big buns. Three large buns for this price is a steal, considering three bao buns at any Miami food festival may require a second mortgage. The filling was mainly chicken with a strong ginger flavor. I could probably have eaten ten of these.
• The Nit Pick: I can’t pick on them too much because the deal was so good, but I would have gladly paid more for more filling and less bun. The bun was also a bit too sweet for my taste.

Main Courses:

Half Roast Duck – $29.95

• The Good Shit: I think we were lied to, as this seemed like way more meat than a half duck. What they weren’t lying about is that this was just roast duck. No sauces, no side dishes, no garnishes, just duck, and that’s what I loved about this. If you have a dominant pro style offense, you run the ball and work the play action. No need for trick plays, fancy route combos, or bubble screens. Tropical Chinese gets right to the point here and gives you roast duck on a plate. The duck was seasoned with five spice, and my untrained palate was getting hints of cardamom. The duck was tender with crisp skin. To mix sports metaphors, the flavor, texture, and simplicity make this dish a home run. Get this if you visit.
• The Nit Pick: Hard to find any nit pick. Fewer elements mean fewer things that can go wrong. I know I touted the lack of sauce as a positive, and I stand by that, but maybe a dipping sauce on the side could have added another dimension to the experience.

Chicken Chow Fun – $19.95

• The Good Shit: The chow fun had scallions, onion, and bean sprouts and was very flavorful. There was plenty of tender chicken. This tasted like a typical chow fun, which I love, but it also serves as the nit pick.
• The Nit Pick: As an American who expects comical portion size, there wasn’t much chow fun here for the price. Compared to other retaurants, the flavor wasn’t much different, and the portion was smaller. So you are better off getting this from your local takeout spot. While there was nothing inherently negative about this dish, I will skip it next time in favor of something more unique.

Other Menu Highlights:

Peking Duck ($78) – My sources are saying Tropical Chinese is known for their Peking Duck. Carved tableside, it is served over two courses, The first course is duck meat served in pancake wraps with scallion and cucumber. And the second course is a duck meat wok sauté with vegetables.

The Verdict:

It’s a bit out of the way of most Miami happenings, but Tropical Chinese serves simple dishes at great prices. I recommend checking it out if you are in the Coral Gables area. Just make sure you get the roast duck. I’m going to give Tropical Chinese 4 out of 5 Plops for this visit, and make sure to follow @hayleygoodeats.