Restaurant: The Jade Seafood Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese/Dim Sum/Seafood
Last visited: January 23, 2012
Location: Richmond, BC (Richmond Central)
Address: 8511 Alexandra Rd
Train: Lansdowne Station Northbound
Price Range: $10-20 (dim sum) $ 30-50, $50+ (dinner)

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try!

Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• Authentic Cantonese cuisine
• Fine dining Chinese
• Popular for fresh seafood
• Local favourite/Busy
• “Chinese Chef of the Year” Tony Luk
• Voted “Best Dim Sum”
• Award winning Chinese restaurant
• Some modern Chinese dishes
• “Customized Cuisine” available
• Banquets/events
• Reservations recommended
• 15% off Take Out Menu before 6:30pm
• 9-11am 20% off
• Dim Sum/Lunch: Mon-Sun 9am-3pm
• Dinner: Mon-Dun 5pm-10pm
• Free parking
• See my Jade Dinner post here.

**Recommendations: For dim sum: Steamed Mushroom Dumpling, Deep Fried Shrimp Ball with Almond Chips, Baked BBQ Pork Bun, Steamed Beef Ball with Bean Curd, Baked Mushroom Pie, Steamed Vegetable with Preserved Vegetable, Mixed Mushroom Chow Mein, Jade Fried Rice, Preserved Egg & Pork Congee, Steamed Brown Sugar with Honey Cake, Blueberry Glutinous Ball (I’m curious about their Deep Fried Milk). For dinner recommendations see here. Any live seafood is a good bet.

Oh crap. I woke up late for dim sum. It was a Chinese New Year Eve dim sum and since I was going to be late, I told everyone to go ahead and order first. For most people you would feel guilty for showing up late, and I do, but as a foodie, it also sucks that you miss out on the ordering. Boo. That’s one of my favourite parts. Yes, that should also be in “Sh*t Foodies Say“. Therefore the items you see are not necessarily what I would order, but I did add a few items to the list.

It’s not even tradition, but my Chinese New Year Eve dim sum last year happened to also be at The Jade Seafood Restaurant – see here. It was with different groups of people, but it’s generally well liked by locals for upscale dim sum or Chinese fine dining. The prices have increased slightly since last year and most of the dim sum comes in 3 rather than 4.

I find the general issue with The Jade is that the items are a bit pricey for what they’re serving. While that is somewhat true, the ingredients and techniques are still good, and they do offer some specialties unique to the restaurant. Some dishes I can find better elsewhere, but it’s still never been “bad” from my experiences here, if anything just overpriced. They do have award winning credentials as the “best dim sum in Richmond” and the chef is Tony Luk, who was last year’s Chinese Chef of the Year, so all of the above sums up to higher prices and that’s somewhat expected.

What I like about The Jade is their willingness to challenge tradition by offering innovative dim sum and overall dishes. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it “fusion”, but they do add their own twists to authentic Chinese food without butchering it.

On this occasion I actually came to The Jade for dim sum on Chinese New Year Eve and then again for dinner for Chinese New Year with Tourism Richmond. I’ve come here on several occasions for dim sum and dinner without Tourism Richmond, and I’ve never had a bad experience although there are hit and miss dishes which I find is pretty normal. Whether it offers the “best dim sum” is debatable, but I feel comfortable to say it is one of the best in the context of Richmond from what I’ve tried, which is quite a bit. It’s not necessarily my favourite dim sum, but it’s still one I go to and like. I recommend it because they’re reliable, quite consistent, and offer dishes I can’t get anywhere else.

On the table:

**Steamed Shrimp Dumpling - 3.5/6 (Good-Very good)

• $4.88
• Well I’ve never seen it served like that before.
• I’m not sure if the prawn was special for the New Year, but it was an unexpected surprise. Deciding who got to eat it was the hard part, but out of respect, it’s usually the oldest person. Luckily I was at the kids table, so lucky me!
• The Shrimp Dumpling proves the skill of a chef and it’s usually the must try item at every dim sum restaurant.

• The skin was thin, but it wasn’t as chewy as I had hoped and that’s an important part to a prawn dumpling.
• The prawn meatball was juicy and crunchy with no bamboo shoots, but I do remember the skin being better previously.

Steamed Pork Dumpling – 3.5/6 (Good-Very good)

• $4.88
• It was about 50% pork and 50% shrimp and for a high end restaurant like this I expected it to be at least 70% shrimp. Most high end dim sum restaurants will give more shrimp since it makes it more valuable.
• They each had a little Shiitake mushroom and they were very juicy and tender with a nice crunch from the shrimp and sponge like texture from the pork.
• Personally I prefer the Red Star Seafood Steamed Pork Shiu Mai Dumplings, but these were still good.

**Steamed Mushroom Dumpling – 6/6 (FMF Must Try!)

• $4.88
• This is one of their signature items and award winning dishes and I have to say it’s a must try if you come here. I always order it every time I come.
• It’s very good and original, but at the same time it has few ingredients and the flavours are not necessarily complex, but simply enjoyed by all.
• It is made for mushroom lovers and they’re rich, but not saucy dumplings that would suit the tastes of both Chinese and non-Chinese.
• The dumpling skin was pretty perfect and it’s a different skin than the prawn dumpling skin. This one is a bit thicker, but it’s much chewier and has a great resistance to it.

• The inside is generously filled with sweet Shiitake mushrooms, Enoki mushrooms and Oyster mushrooms.
• The mushrooms give the dumpling a nice crunch and there’s a good balance of all three.
• There was supposed to be an accent of truffle oil, but I couldn’t taste it as much as I could get the aroma of it.
• It’s the best when you get one stuffed with a bundle of Enoki mushrooms because it gives the dumpling an extra crunch to contrast all the soft and juicy textures.
• The natural juices from the mushrooms are the sauce and it gives the dumpling a very slippery texture, although it can get a bit gummy at times if it’s over steamed.

Dried Oyster Seaweed Dumpling - 2/6 (Okay)

• $4.68
• This is a special dim sum dish only available for a limited of time during the New Year so I had to order it. It’s unique to Jade restaurant.
• The ingredients used to make it are quite pricey, but also symbolic to the New Year.
• The oysters and seaweed (actually dried black moss) translate to prosperity and good business.
• The execution was quite interesting and it was almost like a purse with 2 compartments, one for the oyster and the other for the seaweed.
• Underneath the two features was a roughly chopped mixture of prawns, dried oyster and seaweed. It’s not a creamy or saucy stuffing.
• I would say this dumpling is acquired in taste and texture because it can be a little mushy and pungent due to the dried oyster.
• There really wasn’t much dried oyster and it was all kind of crumbled into the mixture and I think it should have been one entire piece of dried oyster to show quality.
• It has a strong seafood flavour, but the pieces of shrimp gave it a nice crunch so it’s not as mushy as it could have been.
• Personally I would have loved more dried black moss because there was so little I couldn’t tell the quality.
• I feel kind of bad because black moss is going extinct so it’s hard to get nowadays and that’s why it’s so valued and prized.
• I’m familiar with all the ingredients and I would eat it again, but I wouldn’t order it again. I just expected more.

**Steamed Beef Ball with Bean Curd – 4.5/6 (Very good-Excellent)

• $4.38
• I’m actually not a huge fan of these, but I’ll still eat them and I actually really liked these one and so did everyone else.
• I’m usually not keen on the orange peel flavour, which these ones still had, but I still liked them and the orange was quite obvious too.
• They were super soft and tender meatballs wrapped in tofu skins and they were juicy, spongy and full of flavour without being too salty.
• The meatball mixture had some chives, cilantro and minced water chestnuts for some texture and crunch and they almost melted in your mouth.

**Baked BBQ Pork Bun - 5/6

• About $4.18
• These are one of my favourite dim sum items. The baked BBQ pork buns are so much better than the steamed ones to me.
• These are rather new at Jade and not even on the menu yet, but I hope they eventually include them.
• They’re basically melt in your mouth savoury “donuts” and my non-Asian friend calls them savoury Krispy Kremes.
• My all time favourite baked BBQ Pork Bun is still at Top Gun J& C Restaurant, but these ones are definitely up there as one of my favourites.

• The topping on this one was almost like a meringue and it was all crispy and buttery, but not as sugary and sweet as it usually is and that I usually prefer.
• The crumbly topping forms a dome shaped crust, and this one was excellent, but I wouldn’t mind it a bit sweeter and more of it.
• The BBQ pork meat was a little heavy on the dye, but it still tasted delicious and the meat wasn’t fatty or chewy, but also not dry.
• The filling wasn’t too sweet and it was nice and saucy with some crunchy onions.
• The onions were more apparent and usually there are less onions and almost all pork.
• The bun was very soft and it’s a sweeter type of Asian bread and I just love these things!

Steamed Chicken Wrap with Fish Maw – n/a

• $4.98
• Okay so I know it looks like dead crow, but keep an open mind.
• The black chicken is Silkie Chicken and it offers lots of health benefits and is often used to create chicken stocks.
• I rated it “n/a” not because I didn’t try it, but I just don’t really know how to eat the chicken.
• Eating the Silkie Chicken just seems like sucking on skin and bones to me. I left it for the “older generation” to appreciate.
• The part I liked is everything else.
• Fish maw (gas bladder) is a Chinese delicacy. It’s a chewy, jelly-like spongy tube and it has a slight crunch. It’s a bit slimy and acquired, but I really like it. It doesn’t even really have a flavour and just absorbs the flavour of everything it’s cooked in.
• The broth is one of the best parts of this dish and it’s meant to be enjoyed as soup, but the qualities of it make it like a rich sauce.
• The broth was infused with a bit of ginseng which makes it naturally a bit bitter, but very healthy, and then some dried gogi berries are added which give it a sweetness.
• The broth was thick and full of rich chicken flavour and a sweetness that was not from granulated sugar, but from natural sugars.
• It almost tasted a bit caramelized, but this is considered a healthy and high end dim sum dish although acquired.

**Baked Mushroom Pie - 5/6 (Excellent)

• $4.88
• This is from my previous Jade dim sum post, but I still think it’s worth re-mentioning.
• Chef likes mushrooms and I love mushrooms! Actually Chinese people really like mushrooms because they represent wealth and prosperity.
• As “non-Chinese” as these were I still loved them! This was definitely modern dim sum and it is a signature dish that is very catered to Western tastes.
• Compared to a Western baked mushroom pie it might not be comparable, but I still liked it a lot.
• It’s almost like a quiche meets a mini mushroom pot pie, but made with Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms.
• It had a generous layer of baked cheese over top which is not Chinese, but it was all still incredibly delicious!
• Mushrooms + melted ooey gooey cheese in a tender buttery pie pastry shell… sign me up!
• If you like this you might also like the Baked Seafood Pie with Portuguese Sauce at Top Gun J & C Restaurant.

**Preserved Egg, Dried Oyster & Pork Congee - 5/6 (Excellent)

• Bowl $6.99 Casserole $14.99 (By “casserole’ they mean large bowl)
• This is my favourite kind of congee and this was likely one of the best versions of it I’ve had.
• I’ve never had huge chunks of pork in my congee like the ones they gave here, and I’m pretty sure it was their leftover roasted suckling pork. It was delicious!
• The congee was incredibly creamy and well flavoured on its own too.
• The pork was lean and slightly dry, but in the context of the congee, it was easily overlooked.
• There was a good amount of egg and I can’t comment on the amount of dried oyster since I didn’t get any.

The congee comes with savoury Chinese donuts which were completely crunchy, light and airy. There are also green onions, and some pickled Chinese radish as accompaniments. The Chinese donut is basically a “Chinese churro”, but it’s not sweet. The photo was a late photo, but it came with more of them.

Wok Fried Sweet Rice with Chinese Sausage Bits – 3.5/6 (Good-Very good)

• $15.59
• I’m not huge on this dish, but for what it was, it was very good.
• The rice is called sweet rice, but it’s not actually sweet. It’s sweeter than regular rice and does have a sweetness and chewiness, but it’s not dessert.
• It’s a bit like sticky rice and it was fried very well with a nice wok aroma and it wasn’t clumpy, wet, or dry.
• The Chinese sausage added a sweetness and there was also lots of dried shrimp which gave it salty nutty bites and intense flavour.
• For what it was, I actually liked it a lot, but it’s just not something I would order.

I came late and people had started on this so I tried reassembling the dish for the photo.

**The Jade Fried Rice – 5/6 (Excellent)

• $16.99
• Next to Red Star Seafood’s Dungeness Crab with Wild Rice Sea Conpoy & Chicken, this is possible my next favourite modern version of fried rice.
• It had fresh chopped prawns, scrambled eggs, minced carrots, slices of Chinese broccoli stems, preserved Chinese olives, and dried pork floss (dried and shredded pork jerky) generously sprinkled over the top.
• The Chinese olives and the dried pork floss was what made this fried rice different and I personally love those ingredients so it worked well for me.
• The rice was well fried, separate and well flavoured with a wok aroma and it was so much more interesting than your basic fried rice.
• There was crunchy texture from the vegetables and great savoury flavour from the pungent olives which were used sparingly because a little goes a long way.
• I would have loved some dried scallops for even more flavour, but it was still great as is.

**Mixed Mushroom Chow Mein – 5/6 (Excellent)

• $15.59
• I came late and people had started on this, but I have a photo of a special order dinner sized version below.
• It’s called “Mixed Mushroom and Truffle Chow Mein” on the dinner menu, but it should be the same thing.
• See description below.

I came late and people had started on this so I tried reassembling the dish for the photo.

Fried Rice Noodle with Beef in Satay Sauce – 4/6 (Very good)

• About $15.59
• The noodles were soft and chewy and there were plenty of tender beef slices and even some Enoki mushrooms which was a modern twist.
• The sauce was not heavy with the usual cornstarch so it wasn’t as gluey or gelatinous.
• The savoury and aromatic satay sauce had a bit of heat and it was slightly gritty and very nutty with garlic.
• It seemed heavier with Hoisin sauce and I don’t think there was peanut or sesame sauce since it was a Chinese version of satay sauce and not South East Asian version.

New Year Rice Cake Layered with Biscuit– 2.5/6 (Okay-Good)

• $3.98
• This is a special item new to the menu specifically for Chinese New Year. This is from my previous Jade dim sum post.
• This was their own creation. It was a sweet sticky rice cake called “New Year Cake” and it was topped with a pineapple bun crust that has no actual pineapple, but it tastes like a short bread cookie.
• I’m indifferent about New Year Cake, but it was pretty good here.
• It’s served warm and it’s very chewy, sticky and gummy and it’s made with rice flour and brown sugar.
• It’s not very sweet at all but has a caramel like flavour, but way less intense and sweet.
• Eaten together I kind of felt like I was eating a Fig Newton or Nutri-Grain Bar, but instead of fruit puree it’s a chewier sticker rice cake.

Steamed Layer Cake with Egg – 4.5/6 (Very good-Excellent)

• $3.98
• This is from my previous Jade dim sum post.
• I actually really liked this! It was made very well for what it was.
• It’s a warm and layered sponge cake and there’s a bit of caramelized coconut custard and sweetened egg yolk layers in between.
• It’s moist, soft, chewy and slightly sweetened. It’s quite mild in sweetness, but it’s very aromatic and enjoyable.
• You can’t compare it to Western style cakes, but it’s unique and good in the Asian category of desserts.

Dinner at The Jade Seafood Restaurant

Complimentary Peanuts

• This is a common complimentary appetizer in China.
• It’s equivalent to complimentary bread and butter.
• Unlike North America, peanut allergies are very rare in China and peanuts and peanut oil are used in a lot of Chinese cooking there.

**Steamed Mushroom Dumpling - 6/6 (FMF Must Try!)

• $4.88 for 3 at dim sum.
• I wrote about them above, but we special ordered these for dinner and they were just as good.

Seafood is the specialty at all Chinese restaurants and the sign of an in house live seafood tank is a sign of quality and freshness. The whole sustainable seafood thing is a whole other topic that includes culture, so I won’t get into that although your comments are welcome below.

Most if not all Chinese restaurants will bring out your seafood before they prepare it to show you size and freshness. At this point you can approve it before they start. They do this all over Asia and part of the reason is to reassure you that you’re not getting tricked.

**Sautéed B.C. Dungeness Crab & Mixed Mushrooms with Amoy Premium Soy – 6/6 (FMF Must Try!)

• Seasonal and market price.
• You can select your choice of seafood and style of preparation.
• It may be apples and oranges, but personally I’ve always preferred the Asian methods of preparing seafood in Vancouver.
• This was won the Critics’ Choice Signature Dish Gold Award in the seafood category at the Chinese Restaurant Awards 2012.
• First off, it smelled delicious. The aromas were lifting off the plate.
• It was crab sauteed with lots of green onions, onions, garlic, ginger and mushrooms.
• The crab was no doubt fresh and cooked perfectly with flaky and juicy crab meat.
• The flavours were aromatic and a bit nutty with sauteed shiitakes and oyster mushrooms in a bit of soy sauce and sesame oil. The mushrooms had a bit of chewiness and they were quite meaty.
• The pieces of ginger were also sauteed to the point of almost being like jerky and I could eat them whole and they weren’t spicy or crunchy.
• The head of the crab is always served and the tomalley (sperm, guts, brain) is highly prized and “fought” for. It’s basically seafood butter and although rich and high in cholesterol, it’s often known as the best part. “Real foodies” will fight for it.
• Other Jade seafood dishes include: Braised Fresh Whole Australian Abalone, Sauteed Pumpkin & Prawn with Salted Egg, Fresh Crab Meat Sauteed with Egg Yolk & Soy Milk and Live Rock Cod.

**The Jade Smoked Grandpa Chicken - 6/6 (FMF Must Try!)

• $14.99 half
• I don’t know if they left the head out intentionally to not freak out the “Westerners”, but it should have been the whole bird, head to tail, to symbolize coming together of families… on the other hand dinner was “business-oriented” so I guess it wasn’t necessary. =p
• This is one of Jade Seafood Restaurant’s award winning dishes and most famous items on the menu.
• It’s not my first time trying it, but I love it.
• It’s a chilled chicken and full of flavour. It’s not heavy or greasy, but the flavours will keep your taste buds excited and guessing.
• There is a very light sauce, but the flavour is literally in every thread of the chicken meat, down to the bone. The sauce is still fantastic though!
• It was sweet and savoury and you could taste the smokiness infused in the chicken meat as well as the sauce. I just wonder if they use liquid smoke because there’s no grilling or barbequing going on here.
• It’s a free range chicken so the meat is naturally firmer and more flavourful with a drier texture, but it’s certainly not a dry chicken.
• The sauce has some sweet Chinese cooking wine that’s similar to Japanese mirin, and it’s combined with the natural flavours of the chicken oil. This is what gives it the savoury and sweet balance.
• It’s infatuating to not see a heavy sauce or any visible spices and rubs and to still achieve such intense flavour throughout. A real talent from the Chef.

The chicken is served with green onion and ginger oil, but it doesn’t even need it. It was made in house and nicely salted, but I prefer my onions a bit more minced. I love this condiment in general though and can eat it alone.

Pea Tips (Seasonal Vegetable) Sauteed with Garlic – 5/6 (Excellent)

• Around $13.99
• It’s just a simple vegetable dish and for what it was it was pricey, but expected and at least they did a good job with it.
• The pea tips and garlic were fresh and the dish wasn’t greasy or overcooked, so that’s pretty much all you look for in a dish like this, hence the 5/6.

**Mixed Mushroom and Truffle Chow Mein - 6/6 (FMF Must Try!)

• $15.59
• There’s a slight increase in price since last year and it’s also offered during dim sum, but called “Mixed Mushroom Chow Mein”.
• This is an original Jade creation and I would say it’s a must try here. It’s even better than the one I had last year and they even looked different.
• These were not the crispy chow mein, but the soy sauce wok tossed chow mein.
• It’s tossed with Shiitake mushrooms, Oyster mushrooms, bean sprouts, green onions, carrots and drizzled with truffle oil.
• I could definitely smell the truffle oil as soon as it hit the table, but I couldn’t really taste it in my noodles, which was disappointing. It was the same issue with the mushroom dumplings. Regardless, they’re both still delicious.
• It had more mushroom flavour and mushrooms compared to last time and it was better seasoned overall.
• There was nice crunchy texture from bean sprouts, green onions and carrots and the noodles had a great wok aroma and smokiness without being dry.
• It’s actually a great dish for vegetarians.

**Blueberry Glutinous Ball (Cold) – 4/6 (Very good)

• $4.28
• Being that I’m not a fan of most Chinese desserts, I actually like this one because it’s a modern Chinese dessert catered towards Western tastes.
• This is unique to Jade and it’s a Chinese-American style Japanese mochi.

• It’s a chilled light and fluffy mochi, but it’s not frozen and the skins were very soft and not as chewy as the Japanese kind. They also weren’t starchy or doughy.
• The inside is filled with fresh whipped cream that’s semi melted and some frozen blueberries that have thawed out so they’re a bit wrinkly.
• The inside was a super creamy semi melted mixture of very lightly sweetened whipped cream with the blueberries folded in and I found them enjoyable.
• At times in the past, some of them had harder bottoms which meant air got to them.

**Steamed Brown Sugar with Honey Cake - 6/6 (FMF Must Try!)

• $4.38
• This was delicious and so unique! Apparently it’s very common and traditional in Hong Kong, but I’ve never seen it in Vancouver.
• It was a very light and airy warm cake, and it had a caramel flavour, but as usual it still wasn’t that sweet like most Chinese desserts.
• It looked like honeycomb, but it was completely soft and seemed like a bunch of compacted mini straws.
• It was almost like a chewy very elasticky sponge cake and they used rice flour to make it.
• There were very squishy with a nice bounce and spring to them and they’re almost water resistant, yet incredibly moist from being steamed.
• It was the love child of a traditional Chinese sweet brown sugar rice cake and a traditional steamed Chinese almond cake (the almond cake is available at most dim sum places – see Steamed Sponge Cake).
• I’ve really never had anything quite like this cake though and it was very peel-able like cheese string. Definitely a must try for uniqueness.

Restaurant: Xi Shi Lounge – Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea
Cuisine: Tea/Pacific Northwest/West Coast/Fusion/Desserts
Last visited: January 24, 2012
Location: Vancouver, BC (Downtown)
Address: 1128 West Georgia Street (At Shangri-La Hotel)
Subway stop: Burrard
Price Range: $20-30+ ($34 Afternoon Tea)

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try!

Food: 4 (for Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea)
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 5
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• Inside Shangri-La Hotel
• Euro-Asian/Fusion menu
• Tearoom/Lounge/Restaurant
• Aafternoon Tea Service
• Lunch service
• Great for snacks
• Elegant/posh
• Cocktail/wine list
• Afternoon Tea with live classical piano
• 11.30am – 1am (Seasonal Patio from 11.30am – 11pm)
• 11.30am - 5pm (Saturday and Sunday)

**Recommendations: Afternoon Tea

Adding to the growing list of Chinese New Year menus in Vancouver is Xi Shi Lounge’s Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea (limited time). I’m loving the enthusiasm for the New Year and the various restaurant choices and menu options are more than welcome in a multicultural city.

Xi Shi Lounge opened late last year at the Shangri-La Hotel just underneath Market by Jean-Georges. It features an Euro-Asian fusion inspired menu with a focus on chilled and hot snacks, limited lunch items and a traditional Afternoon Tea. Yes, Afternoon Tea, not High Tea, there’s a difference (see my post here). On this occasion I was invited to their Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea which is offered from January 23rd through Sunday, January 29th from 11:30 am to 5:00 pm.

One of the things I valued most at the Xi Shi Lounge Afternoon Tea service was the live classical piano performance they had for entertainment. I’ve been to Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Vancouver, The Secret Garden Tea Company, The China Cup Tea Company, Applewood Country Gifts, Tearoom & Bakery, Tracycakes Bakery Cafe, and The Urban Tea Merchant, but this is the only one that featured live entertainment which really made it an elegant and upscale experience. This is featured on a daily basis even with their regular Afternoon Tea service.

It was nice to see Xi Shi continue the Asian theme with the Nikko chinaware rather than the English brands. When it comes to Afternoon Tea I can get quite particular because there are a certain set of expectations and traditions that come with it. Ambiance is a big part of it. It was an elegant, stylish and posh tearoom, and I found it carried more of a cocktail atmosphere fit for after work drinks.

I recently tried the “Year of the Dragon” Signature Afternoon Tea at The Urban Tea Merchant a block away. It featured a standard version of Afternoon Tea, but with some playful Asian influences. It was definitely still more Westernized, and if you’re looking for something more traditional to the Chinese culture, that isn’t quite authentic as dim sum, then I would suggest trying this Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea at Xi Shi. Personally, the “foodie” part of me enjoyed the food, value and overall experience at Xi Shi more, but the “tea lover” (not connoisseur) in me appreciated the luxury teas and tea culture at The Urban Tea Merchant. They both offer very different experiences and each have their strengths and clientele so it depends on what you’re looking for.

Even though I am very familiar with traditional dim sum, I still appreciated this Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea at Xi Shi, but on another level. I didn’t have expectations for authentic dim sum, but I was expecting a general understanding of the East meets West concept since the menu was developed by Chef Wayne Harris of Market by Jean-Georges upstairs. Jean-Georges is notorious for Asian fusion, so I was quite confident in the Chinese New Year menu even though the chef is of non-Asian decent. The selection of dim sum was more traditional than I expected from a place like Xi Shi, and if it can introduce or warm people up to traditional Chinese food via a modern context, I’m more than happy.

Now for the “stick to tradition” readers, I wouldn’t compare this Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea at Xi Shi Lounge to authentic Chinese dim sum. However, they actually did a good job replicating dim sum dishes making it more approachable for Western tastes. I would say the food was probably more Westernized than a place like Wild Rice (where the chef is non-Asian, but culinary trained in dim sum), but I do respect the extra effort they went on creating an entire menu just for the New Year and it was representable of Chinese food. Food authenticity aside, I would recommend this for anyone who values ambiance and style and it plays well into the Chinese New Year celebration.

On the table:

**Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea - 4/6 (Very good)

• $34/per person (Includes choice of loose leaf tea)
• Available January 23rd through Sunday, January 29th from 11:30 am to 5:00 pm.
• It was Western style dim sum, but again they did a respectable job with it.
• I was very impressed with what was delivered and the value was certainly there, especially when you factor in the provided classical piano performance.
• The menu featured great variety and every item was handmade and actually representable of traditional Chinese food.
• If you compare the items to the real deal, this doesn’t really do it justice, but it also wasn’t disappointing and I really did enjoy it.
• It’s supposed to be an Afternoon Tea, but with 9 hors d’ouevres, it’s definitely substantial enough as a lunch, and that’s coming from me! (I eat a lot.)

Choice of Loose Leaf Tea – 5/6 (Excellent)

• It was a premium brand of loose leaf tea from England, and I would have loved if they offered an Asian brand to suit their Asian theme.
• I have to admit, The Urban Tea Merchant is my shrine for luxury teas and it’s hard to compete with that quality.
• **Shangri-La Blend
• A black tea blend with pineapple, kiwi and plum.
• This is the signature tea. It was a fruity tea, but it smelled fruitier and sharper than it tasted.
• It was floral, with a hint of citrus, but I couldn’t pick up the kiwi although I enjoyed it overall.
• **Classic Chai
• An assam tea with exotic spices – India at its best.
• How can I resist “India at its best”?
• This was an excellent Chai and it was heavy with the cinnamon with a hint of cardamom and even spicy ginger notes.
• The spices were quite apparent and well rounded after adding cream.

Barbeque Pork and Puff Pastry, Vegetable Spring Roll, Shrimp Dumplings

• The items on this plate is representable of Cantonese style dim sum.
• It had something baked, fried and steamed and there was good variety.

The tier of hot appetizers were served with a soy and rice wine vinegar, Hoisin sauce, and lemon plum sauce. Traditionally the only item that would come with a sauce is the spring rolls, but this was the Westernized version.

Barbeque Pork and Puff Pastry - 4/6 (Very good)

• This is more or less an Asian inspired “sausage roll”, but it does exists in authentic Chinese dim sum. See BBQ Pork Pastry.
• This was meant to be eaten with the Hoisin sauce, which is the modern take.
• It was a soft and flaky buttery puff pastry that wasn’t dry and it was well stuffed with sweet and salty barbeque pork and green onions.
• The barbeque pork was lean, but not dry and although I prefer the authentic version, I still easily enjoyed this one.
• It was less saucy than the traditional version and since it had the Hoisin dipping sauce, it was understandable.
• If you like BBQ pork style buns, I would highly recommend these Baked BBQ Pork Buns.

Vegetable Spring Roll - 4/6 (Very good)

• A spring roll is a spring roll, but for a vegetarian spring roll, this was very good!
• It was well stuffed with carrots, cilantro and sweet Shiitake mushrooms and a bit of cabbage and celery.
• They were very crispy and the vegetables still kept their flavours and textures and it had a great crunch.
• There was a very subtle heat, but it wasn’t spicy. This was meant to be enjoyed with plum sauce and I was surprised that I even liked it at all since it was just a spring roll.
• A traditional Chinese style spring roll would be stuffed with prawns and the dipping sauce would be Worcestershire sauce. As for their vegetarian versions, I actually don’t think it’s as good as this one.

Shrimp Dumplings - 2/6 (Okay)

• It’s ambitious to take on the shrimp dumpling.
• This is what dim sum chefs and restaurants pride themselves on and it’s one of the hardest things to master. You judge a Chinese restaurant based on their Shrimp Dumplings.
• This requires a lot of technique to make so it almost holds too much significance for me to enjoy unbiasedly.
• The skin was actually quite chewy and nice, but it was too thick and classically it should be very thin and transparent, but not breaking.
• The prawn was a Side Stripe (?) and it had a mild infused ginger flavour, but it was on the dry side.
• It just didn’t carry that desired juicy crunch of an authentic prawn dumpling – see “Har Gow“.
• The effort is commendable, but if you’ve had a great version of the real thing, this was tough to appreciate.
• It was served with a soy and rice wine vinegar which is very modern, but it actually made it taste better. Traditionally soy and vinegar sauces are served with fried meat dumplings.

Green Onion Pancake, Steam Buns, Crunchy Sesame Balls

• This was the starch tier that was in between sweet and savoury. It led up to the top tier of sweet desserts nicely.
• The items on this plate is more traditional of Shanghainese dim sum.
• Green Onion Pancake – 1.5/6 (Poor – Okay)
• Next time I would start by eating this one first. It hindered from being eaten cold. That being said, I’ve had cold versions of the green onion pancake that have worked better.
• Usually there is more green onion and it should be all crispy and flaky.
• This one was quite dense and chewy, but it tasted better with the Hoisin sauce, which is not an uncommon method to enjoy together.
• I prefer it fried, but traditionally Shanghainese cultures tend to deep fry it – see Grilled Onion Pancake (it’s not actually grilled).
• Crunchy Sesame Balls – 2/6 (Okay)
• I loved that they served these, but the only thing is that they under baked/fried them and the inside was still doughy and stretchy. The flour flavour was cooked out, but they were still under cooked.
• This is very traditional to Chinese New Year – see my post on Chinese New Year Food.
• Traditionally they’re known as “Laughing Sesame Balls” and they’re enjoyed as a dessert or sweet snack.
• The sesame balls have a crack or dent in them which represent a smile and the seeds are symbolic for “having kids” (procreation) so you’ll get pregnant after one… just kidding.
• It’s actually a deep fried sweetened pastry and usually it’s crusted with white sesame seeds.
• I actually liked the black sesame seeds better and it made it even nuttier and more aromatic.
• They’re supposed to be crunchy throughout, but these were crunchy just on the outside and then soft and bready in the middle and unfortunately still doughy in the centre.
• I really loved the flavour of these (even more than the traditional ones) because I think they used all butter rather than lard/shortening (which Chinese people use). It was richer, a bit sweeter and not as greasy or dry as the traditional ones – see traditional Laughing Sesame Ball Cookies.

Steam Buns – 4.5/6 (Very good-Excellent)

• Wow. This was impressive. They did a great job with this and I was surprised to even see them. It was almost the “scone” on the tier.
• It’s traditionally a Shanghainese dish and they’re basically deep fried buns known as “Mantou buns”. Terracotta Modern Chinese actually uses them to make amazing Short Rib Sliders.
• These tasted very authentic and perhaps even better than some traditional ones.
• They’re meant to be dipped in condensed milk (in the centre) and enjoyed as a dessert.

• It’s deep fried, but it’s not a doughnut and it’s only the outside that is meant to be crispy.
• The inside was soft, somewhat spongy and fluffy as it should be, and the bread is a sweeter type of Asian white bread.
• The larger versions of mantou (loaves) are rolled like cinnamon buns before being deep fried and it creates a noodle like inside that Asian kids often enjoy. You can peel them like cheese strings.

Lychee and Osmanthus Flower Shooter, Red Bean Mochi Ball, Egg Tarts

• Oh gosh. Chinese desserts. Desserts is not the forte in Chinese cuisine and usually it’s just fruits, which I kind of expected, but this was still appreciated.
• I eat everything, but Chinese desserts and Indian desserts are hard for me to love.
• Indian desserts I find often too sweet and Chinese desserts often not sweet enough, and it bothers me that they’re usually served warm.
• Anyways, they took the “better” of Chinese desserts and I didn’t fear getting to the top tier.

Red Bean Mochi – 2/6 (Okay)

• Alright, so I kind of feared this so I ate it first. Save the best for last…
• If you know this blog, you all know how I feel about red bean. Basically, it’s something I think I’ll appreciate when I’m older.
• Red bean mochi is more of a Japanese thing, but Chinese people still have their own version and so do Koreans. I prefer the Japanese kind – see here.
• The mochi skin was a bit doughy, dense and starchy and sprinkled with coconut, the coconut I liked!
• The inside was filled with sweetened red bean paste that was smooth and sweeter than traditional Chinese red bean paste.
• This was very rich and pasty and it’s just not my thing. That being said I still swallowed my bite and it wasn’t bad for what it was.
• A mochi that is my thing that I love (since it has no red bean) is the one from Hapa Umi that’s filled with ice cream – see Passionfruit Mochi Ice Cream.

Egg Tarts – 3/6 (Good)

• They did a good job with the egg tarts and they’re made in house too.
• It was a sweetened, crumbly, soft and moist shortbread like tart and the egg custard was also smooth and well made.
• It wasn’t a flaky or crispy egg tart shell, but they were very tender and even better than some Chinese dim sum places.
• There are some amazing ones at authentic Chinese dim sum, but these were still good.

Lychee and Osmanthus Flower Shooter – 4.5/6 (Very good-Excellent)

• When I heard “shooter” I expected a drink, but this was actually jello.
• Jello shooters at Afternoon Tea was new, but of course non-alcoholic… boo. Just kidding.
• This was a version of the traditional Longan & Wolfberry Pudding or Lychee and Gogi Berry Jello.
• The bottom was the Chrysanthemum(?) flowers and I’m not sure if they meant them to sink to the bottom, but traditionally the flowers float throughout the jello.
• The gogi berries usually float throughout the jello too, but they just had the one dried one on top. This is perhaps a bit “exotic” so I understand the interpretation.
• This lychee jello was probably the best lychee jello I’ve had to date. It was full of fresh lychee fruit flavour (how? I don’t know since it’s not in season), but I loved it.
• It was fragrant and fruity and definitely sweeter than most Chinese desserts, and as sweet as most American jellos.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Provided by: Martin Newman – casinotop10.net (How appropriate since it’s Chinese New Year when everything is about $$$)

Gong Hay Fat Choy! Sun Lien Fai Lok! Gong Xi Fa Cai! Xin Nian Kuai Le!

The day has finally come, but the Chinese dinners should have started last night! If you missed out, there are still 15 days to go! It’s not as long as the celebrations for an Indian wedding, but the Chinese can still party half as hard! Hey there’s tea involved, not alcohol. Don’t judge… or did I just do that for you?

Anyways I’ve been gearing Chinese New Year up since Friday with a post on Chinese New Year Menus (which are still available at some places), followed by a post on Continental and Kirin. After all that talk about Chinese food I’m going to talk more about Chinese food, except this time it’s specific to the New Year.

If you don’t eat these things you’ll be poor and unsuccessful and have bad se… whoa! Ha! Just kidding, this is a Chinese post, you don’t make mention of that ever. The poor and unsuccessful thing is actually more true, but it’s all based on superstition so you can believe as much or as little as you want to. All jokes aside, Chinese New Year food is very symbolic and it’s part of the celebration to eat these things amongst family and friends.

Note: The following are only some of the foods, but there are a lot more! I listed them in order of “foodie beginners” to “foodie experts” … beginners first.

Follow Me Foodie to Chinese New Year Food!

Mini Honey Mandarins

Credit: flickr.com/photos/garysoup | CC BY 2.0

Yes! Come to mama! I love these things! No! They’re not the “Cuties” or regular mandarins, but they’re the little mini honey mandarins that are the size of golf balls. I’ve literally had a mini box for breakfast for the last 2 days and that’s about 30 mini mandarins. They’re so tiny though and 30 of them is about 3 oranges… whoa… okay never mind, that’s actually quite a bit for breakfast. Building up my immune system!

The mandarins translate to “gold” in Chinese so you’re supposed to eat them during the New Year. You’ll be rich. It doesn’t have to be these mini honey mandarins, and it can be any mandarins or even oranges, but they all translate to “baller”.

Sesame Ball Cookies

These are Laughing Sesame Ball Cookies which are deep fried sesame crusted cookies. It’s supposed to symbolize a laughing head… eat them and you’ll start to giggle! The sesame seeds (or any seed) also represent having lots of children, so don’t blame me if you happen to get pregnant or start popping out babies after eating one.

Chinese Cakes and Puddings

I’m warming up to the more “exotic” stuff. This is a Taro Cake and I mentioned the Turnip/Radish Cakes in my post on Chinese New Year Menus. To repeat myself, both are savoury cakes and the Radish/Turnip Cakes (different names, same thing) are definitely available all year. There’s also a traditional sweet brown sugar rice cake called “Nian Gao” and these cakes symbolize a sweet year and growth… growth in prosperity, success, and height… although the last is wishful thinking. Just kidding, but cake or pudding in Chinese is “Gao” which means height or raising higher. You can try these all or even buy them at almost any dim sum restaurant or purchase them at Saint Germain Bakery.

Whole Chicken

Not exactly exotic, but serving it whole may be different. The whole chicken should be presented with the head and tail and it symbolizes the coming together of families and completeness. In Vancouver they don’t always serve the head and tail anymore because people don’t really eat it as much as they would in Asia. Yes, people do eat the tail, but not everyone can make it well. This is The Jade Smoked Grandpa Chicken, one of the Jade Seafood Restaurant’s award winning dishes and most famous items.

Abalone

Abalone (sea snail) symbolizes good fortune, wealth and prosperity… and if you’re eating it, you likely have all of the above. The one you see above is a Braised Whole Fresh Australian Abalone (Medium) and it goes for $34.99 each at The Jade Seafood. There are lots of different qualities for abalone and some can taste like mushrooms while the more expensive kinds can taste like clams. 

Braised Dried Oyster, Pork Tongue & Black Moss

See I told you I was warming you up. I know. It doesn’t look good and it sounds pretty exotic and adventurous. But if you’re a “real foodie” you should at least give it a try. If ordering it at a restaurant is intimidating then just order it to go and dissect it at home.

For those familiar with this dish, you’re likely drooling at your screen. This is an expensive dish and it’s full of Chinese delicacies. It comes with a price tag, but if you want quality, you got to pay for it and the portion is enough for 10.

This is the mother of all dishes when it comes to symbolism because it has some of everything. The braised dried oyster is a Chinese delicacy and they represent wealth. The Chinese Shiitake mushroom and Abalone sauce also represent wealth and the black moss also represents wealth. It all has to do with money, which I think is no surprise anymore. The reason for the pork tongue (which can also be pork hock or pigs hand/feet) is the idea of giving money to the hands of people. Super creepy thought, but it’s true!

This photo is the Braised Dried Oyster, Pork Tongue & Black Moss from Kirin and another one is the Dried Oyster with Fat Choy from Fisherman’s Terrace at Aberdeen Centre in Richmond.

Restaurant: Continental Seafood Restaurant 辛運海鮮酒樓
Cuisine: Chinese/Seafood/Dim Sum
Last visited: August 18, 2011
Location: Richmond, BC (Richmond)
Address: 11700 Cambie Rd
Bus: WB Cambie Rd FS No. 5 Rd
Price Range: $10 or less dim sum, $20-30+ dinner

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: FMF Must Try!

Food: 3.5-4
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 3
Additional comments:

• Traditional Cantonese cuisine
• Chinese/English menus
• Live seafood tanks
• Popular for dim sum
• Push cart dim sum
• Popular for take-out BBQ meats
• Known to Chinese locals
• Nightly live entertainment
• Ballroom dance floor
• Very affordable prices
• Large space/venue
• Free parking
• Dim Sum/Lunch/Dinner
• Monday 10am – 12:30am
• Tuesday 10am – 12am
• Wed-Thurs: 10am – 12:30am
• Fri-Sat: 10am – 1am
• Sunday 10am-10pm
• Banquet dinner post

**Recommendations: Double Boiled Winter Melon Soup with Mixed Seafood, Black Cod & Eggplant, Sauteed Beef and Seasonal Vegetable with Satay Sauce, Golden Crispy Roasted Pork

Chinese New Year Eve is tomorrow so I’m continuing the Chinese theme! I posted on a few different types of Chinese New Year menus yesterday (see here), but perhaps there was still nothing you fancied? Well that just makes you picky because I had quite the variety! Kidding… sort of.

If you don’t have reservations by now, you’re likely screwed since all the “best” and popular Chinese restaurants have been booked for weeks/months. However here is an option that might still be available. It’s one of Richmond’s largest Chinese restaurants and you might be able to get seated for dim sum if not for dinner… and if neither, then there’s also their discrete take out window. It’s not the best place for Chinese food in Richmond or Metro Vancouver, but it’s not bad either, and your procrastination leaves you with slim pickings anyways.

I’ve been coming to this restaurant since I was in elementary and I’ve seen it change names, chefs and hands on a few occasions. To be honest, I usually dread coming to this place because I know I’m usually in for a long banquet dinner featuring very mediocre mass produced food. The thing I look forward to the most is the Dairy Queen Blizzard I get for dessert since it’s conventionally across the street.

Although I’m not crazy about the food, the reason for the return is usually due to mandatory obligations and the fact that my parents love ballroom dancing. Yup! This is the “hot spot” in Richmond for the Chinese baby boomers. They come to eat, sing and dance… or in their words, “eat, sing K, and disco”.

I’ve blogged about a banquet dinner at Continental Seafood Restaurant before (see here), and I’ve never really been impressed. I rarely come here for dinner since I come here enough for banquets throughout the year, but when “K and disco” are a must, then I can bet my parents’ dancing shoes that I’m likely to end up here.

Anyways, on this occasion I was definitely caught by surprise and I ended up being incredibly impressed with the food, quality, portions and price. I think the majority would agree that banquet dinners don’t properly represent a restaurant, and this is a perfect example. Sure, it might have just been a good day, but regardless, the food was good enough to make me want to come back on a regular night and that’s what matters.

Personally, I find it extremely difficult to order at pretty much all Chinese restaurants even if they have English menus. The menus are the size of bibles and the descriptions are vague or poorly translated. Well it’s no different here, but I’m hoping to help!

On the table:

**Double Boiled Winter Melon Soup with Mixed Seafood (Advance Order) – 6/6 (FMF Must Try!)

• $50
• You have to order this in advance and it’s enough for at least 10 people which makes it $5/bowl with more left for seconds.
• What better time of the year than to have this healthy comfort food/soup?
• It’s a premium soup that exists in Hong Kong, but it’s not that easy to find and it’s even harder to find in Metro Vancouver, so it’s quite special.
• It’s an entire winter melon that’s carved and used as a pot.

• Needless to say, I loved the presentation.
• Although it might not be “the best” in Vancouver, it’s not something easily made at home and this one was still excellent, so I would say it’s definitely still a must try.
• The winter melon is super tender from being boiled and the meat gets scraped and scooped into your bowl. At the end it’s just the outer shell of the melon.
• The winter melon is extremely tender, juicy, soft and creamy and it just absorbs all the flavours of the soup.
• It’s naturally sweet and very mild and neutral in flavour and comparable to a cucumber, zucchini or perhaps squash, but less filling and not starchy.

• The soup was full of ingredients like dried scallops (Chinese delicacy), fresh mushrooms, Shiitake mushrooms, straw mushrooms, Chinese broccoli (kai lan) slices, dried red dates, boneless dark meat chicken, little pieces of pork shoulder, pieces of duck, ham, crab, fresh prawn, and fish maw (Chinese delicacy).
• Fish maw (gas bladder) is a chewy, jelly-like spongy tube and it has a slight crunch. It’s a bit slimy and acquired, but I really like it. It doesn’t even really have a flavour and just absorbs the flavour of everything it’s cooked in.
• It was a clear soup that wasn’t oily and it didn’t taste like an intense meat and seafood soup.
• It was more of a savoury vegetable and chicken soup.
• The meat and seafood was obvious, but the flavours didn’t really infuse into the soup since there were no bones or shells used.
• It was more flavourful than a standard vegetable soup of course, and although it was a light broth, it was full of hearty ingredients and flavour.

Golden Crispy Roasted Pork & BBQ Duck – 4/6 (Very good)

• $15.80, 1/2 BBQ Duck $16.80
• Golden Crispy Roasted Pork – 4/6 (Very good)
• I had the suckling pig last time too (here), but it was even better than I remembered this time around.
• The pork was ultra tender, falling apart and almost melting as you can see in the picture.
• It wasn’t as fatty as last time with a better balance of lean meat and fat, but the fatty parts were still a bit chewy and gelatinous rather than creamy.
• It had a delicious crispy crackling skin that was well salted and overall it was delicious!
• BBQ Duck – 3.5/6 (Good – Very good)
• The duck had a sweet soy sauce marinade and it was tender and moist.
• For some reason it tasted more like squab than duck and it wasn’t juicy, but still moist.
• It wasn’t too fatty (which I like) and it had a crispy skin, but the fat part was still slightly gelatinous for my liking rather than creamy.
• It was a good BBQ duck, but there are others I prefer in Richmond.

Garlic Chicken – 3/6 (Good)

• Half $16.80 Whole $29.80
• I’m not really a fan of this dish, but it was still good for what it was.
• It was covered with crispy nutty fried garlic chips which I could have used more of.
• It was salty and oily with an unexpected spicy kick at the end, but I wouldn’t say it was a spicy dish.
• The chicken juices were strong and it was likely in a brine of cooking wine, salt, sugar, ginger and garlic before it was steamed and drizzled with sesame oil.
• The free range chicken was flavourful moist and juicy, but I prefer mine slightly more slippery and silky smooth.
• Usually free range chicken like this tends to be a bit on the dry side, but this one was nice and oily and well done.
• I had this last time too – see here, and I think it was better last time with more garlic.
• For a change I also recommend The Jade Smoked Grandpa Chicken from The Jade Seafood Restaurant.

Green Onion Ginger Oil -  This is the condiment for the chicken. This was a very chunky version of it and I liked it. The garlic seemed nuttier than usual because they fried it and it also had some fried onions/garlic/shallots in it for extra flavour. There was a good ginger and onion balance and it was well salted and I actually like the frying method better than having it raw (which I do also like).

Fresh Rock Cod Steamed – Whole Fish – 4/6 (Very good)

• Current price
• The fish was fresh and it was boneless and skinless so very easy to eat.
• The fish was firmer than expected, but not like halibut either. It was moist and light, but a bit mushy rather than flaky.
• The vegetables included carrots, scallions, snow peas and celery and it actually wasn’t all celery which is good.
• It was simply sauteed with soy sauce and a bit of garlic, ginger and onions, and it was quite a standard and simple dish, but done well.
• It was slightly oily, but only as oily as expected.

**Black Cod & Eggplant – 4.5/6 (Very good-Excellent)

• $20.80
• I love black cod (sablefish) and eggplant, so naturally I’m going to love this dish.
• The sable fish was lightly deep fried in huge pieces and although the skin was slimy, it tends to be when it’s made in a clay pot like this since it’s covered with sauce.
• The fish was very moist and juicy (as black cod usually is), but it was a bit slimy since the gravy was a bit thick and oily (as it tends to be in clay pots).
• I expected it to be black bean sauce, but surprisingly it wasn’t.
• There was some ginger, garlic and onions and the sauce was the standard soy sauce, garlic and maybe oyster sauce gravy.
• The eggplant was tender and plentiful and super creamy with all the sauce and there were also pieces of fatty pork in it.
• The pork just made the dish richer, heartier and more flavourful.
• If you’re familiar with these clay pot dishes, than this was good, but if you’re not, then the slightly slimy texture may take getting used to.

Pan Fried Prawns with Wasabi Sauce – 1.5/6 (Poor-Okay)

• $18.80
• I was pretty disappointed with this modern Chinese dish and expected something very different.
• The menu said “pan fried”, but it was very obviously deep fried and the batter was very thick and mushy with no crispiness or crunch.
• It looked and tasted like deep fried prawns tossed in a mayo salad dressing and I couldn’t taste an Wasabi sauce either.
• The wasabi sauce was just some wasabi paste/powder mixed with some mayo an  perhaps honey. It had a bit of a powdery texture.
• It wasn’t spicy and more sweet and carried very little wasabi kick.
• The prawns were cooked well and tender with a crunch, but the batter and sauce just wasted it.

Buddha’s Feast with Pumpkin- 3/6 (Good)

• $16.80
• I know it sounds super “Caucasian” to order “Buddha’s Feast”, but the pumpkin was the selling factor for me!
• It’s basically a vegetarian dish, but this was a modern yet traditional Chinese way of making it.
• Note it’s not actually vegetarian because it had fish maw (gas bladder) in it (Chinese delicacy).
• The ingredients were traditional Chinese and a bit exotic, but the pumpkin was the modern twist.
• It was half a Japanese Kaboocha Squash used as the bowl and the whole thing was creamy, sweet and super saucy.
• It was perhaps too saucy and the vegetables were all a bit slimy and it was almost soupy.
• The sauce just tasted salty with soy sauce and it was quite basic and not offensive, but texturally a bit goopy.
• It was filled with fresh crunchy bamboo shoots, baby corn, crunchy chestnuts, a couple Shiitakes mushrooms, soft black wood ear mushroom, straw mushrooms and fish maw.
• I would have liked more Shiitakes and I wish the chestnuts were soft.
• The broccoli was tender and the fish maw (gas bladder) was unexpected, but it’s what made it worth the price.
• Again, fish maw is a chewy, jelly-like spongy tube and it has a slight crunch. It’s a bit slimy and acquired, but I really like it. It doesn’t even really have a flavour and just absorbs the flavour of everything it’s cooked in.

**Sauteed Beef and Seasonal Vegetable with Satay Sauce – 5.5/6 (Excellent!)

• $15.80
• We had chicken, pork, duck, prawn, fish and needed beef!
• This is a very typical dish, but it was excellent here! I was very impressed with the quality of beef and how tender it was.
• The slices of beef melted in your mouth and it was nice and saucy with a satay sauce likely made with garlic, ginger, soy, sugar and a little chili.
• It was sweet and savoury with a little heat, but it wasn’t spicy and just creamy in texture. It wasn’t dry at all.
• The seasonal vegetable was Chinese broccoli (kai lan) and it was young, tender and crunchy and cooked perfectly.
• I hope they’re consistent with this dish because it was a sure winner.

Braised Fish Head and Tofu in Brown Sauce – 4/6 (Very good)

• $19.80
• It wasn’t the actual head, but pieces of the head. It’s the best part of the fish and has the most flavour although it might sound intimidating. It’s for the “real fish eaters”.
• This is for those who have graduated from eating fish with the skin and bones, and if you’re not even at that point, then you might not want to start here.
• It had the collar or neck, and pieces of the cheek which is my favourite part of the fish. The collar and neck is great too! They have great texture and flavour.
• The fish pieces were lightly battered and fried and it was a bit greasy, but that was a bit assumed.
• The pieces of fish have a lot of meat and the cheeks were big pieces of cheek.
• The meat was also easy to eat because the bones are big and easy to remove. The cheek just slides off the bone.
• It was sauteed with garlic and a typical soy sauce/fish sauce gravy and it even had a little bit of dark meat chicken in it.
• The tofu was lightly deep fried and crispy, just like the fish, and it was an interesting component for those who don’t eat fish.
• It should have come in a clay pot since it was braised, but it didn’t. It didn’t really bother me, but it adds to the fresh factor having it bubbling hot in a pot. On the other hand this makes it easier so people don’t pick through the dish.
• There were some hidden baby bok choy and mushrooms underneath as well.

Fried Rice with Shrimp & Chicken in 2 Different Sauces – 4/6 (Very good)

• $16.80
• Popularly known as Honeymoon Fried Rice, or Ying Yang fried rice, this is one of my favourite fried rices to be served at a Chinese banquet dinner, or really any Chinese dinner.
• It wasn’t exactly 50% of each sauce, but I do like the red sauce better so I was happy. Most like the cream sauce, but I actually like it best mixed.
• The tomato sauce was a bit too neon for me and I like it a deeper darker red – like this one at Gingeri – see Fried Rice with Shrimp and Cream & Chicken in Tomato Sauce.
• The tomato side has onions, chicken and tomatoes, but the chicken was a bit dry. It’s typically a Ketchupy sweet and sour like sauce, but this one wasn’t that tangy.
• The cream side was creamy, but could have been creamier and it was slightly gluey from the corn starch.
• The cream side had tender baby shrimps and peas, but it was slightly bland overall.
• The fried rice underneath was just regular white rice and I was hoping it would have some scrambled egg in it at the very least.

Dessert - Red Bean Soup - n/a

• You bet there was complimentary red bean soup! And you bet right again that I left before it even came! Dairy Queen across the street was about to close!
• I’m not a fan of red bean, and like I said in the intro of this post, usually when I come to Continental I look forward to the Dairy Queen after (just out of convenience).
• It’s almost the only time I have DQ unless it’s an ice cream cake at someone’s birthday.

Dairy Queen

Bananaless Split

• I was incredibly disappointed they ran out of bananas and the service was actually pretty awful.
• I had to ask them not to charge full price for a banana split that had no bananas. Then they made it into a blizzard which wasn’t what I requested and sold it to someone else at full price. Ouch.
• This ended up being a triple sundae with marshmallow cream, pineapples and strawberry sauce.
• Really not the same without bananas and I should have just went with an ice cream sandwich or Oreo Blizzard.

Caramel Toffee Cookie Blizzard

• It was the flavour of the month so I was curious, but it was way too sweet for me. It was almost hurt your teeth sweet.
• The toffee cookie was pretty hard and again I should have just went for a reliable Oreo Blizzard or ice cream sandwich.

Follow Me Foodie to the Chinese New Year Kick Off & Chinese New Year Menus!

Gong Hay Fat Choy! Sun Lien Fai Lok! Gong Xi Fa Cai! Xin Nian Kuai Le!

Nom nom nom! Ah yes, those are phonetics everyone might understand! Happy Chinese New Year and welcome to the year of the dragon! “Puff the Magic Dragon lives by the sea…”, I bet you’ll be singing that all day now. Anyways, it’s the year of the dragon, one of the few animals Chinese people don’t eat… and why? Because they’re mythical creatures that only exist in forms of tattoos on Asian gang members… and in Mulan. Anyways, if you missed my Foodie Friday segment on NEWS 1130AM radio this morning (11am every other Friday) here’s a quick recap.

If you don’t have reservations for your Chinese New Year dinner or more importantly Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner, you’re likely not going to get any of the “Best Chinese Restaurants” the city has to offer. But no worries! There are lots of other options! Being in Vancouver, even plan B or C isn’t that bad for Chinese food. We’re lucky to live in a place where excellent Chinese food isn’t hard to find.

There are endless options in the city for Chinese food and various ways to participate in the celebration of the New Year. If you want to do it the traditional way, then a traditional Chinese restaurant with a traditional Chinese menu, and a group of 10 people is the way to do it. However we’re in Vancouver and traditions don’t have to be followed, it’s more about the spirit and always about the food, so grab your chopsticks and toothpicks and Follow Me Foodie to various Chinese New Year Menus in Metro Vancouver, BC!

This is a very small dent in the Chinese restaurant scene and there and many more options than this, so please use this as a rough guide. Feel free to leave a comment if you have questions or need further suggestions.

Follow Me Foodie to Chinese New Year Menus!

“I’m a foodie of tradition and I’ll eat all 10-12 courses myself if I have to! Bring on the real deal!”

Dried Oyster with Fat Choy from Fisherman’s Terrace at Aberdeen Centre in Richmond, BC

You said it! Almost all the formal Chinese restaurants will have a set menu for Chinese New Year. It should include Chinese mushrooms, fish, chicken, noodles, and abalone if you go for the higher end menu. There are different menus and prices usually set for 10 and you can expect to spend anywhere from $280-$800 for a table of 10 at a nicer Chinese restaurant. Each restaurant should have at least 4 different set menus for you to choose from.

Dried Oyster with Fat Choy is a very traditional dish for Chinese New Year and there is a lot of symbolism behind it. You can listen to my explanation of it here on air with CBC Radio last year.

Here are some sample menus of traditional Chinese New Year dinners I’ve had: Fisherman’s Terrace, Shun Feng Seafood Restaurant, Kirin Seafood Restaurant and The Jade Seafood Restaurant.

“I want to do something traditional, but less formal and I can’t get a reservation for dinner.”

Make it a dim sum! It still may require a reservation, but your chances are higher for dim sum than dinner. A few dishes traditional to Chinese New Year are the Pan Fried Radish/Turnip Cakes and the Pan Fried Taro Cakes. They are both savoury cakes and the Radish/Turnip Cakes (different names, same thing) are definitely available all year. There’s also a traditional sweet brown sugar rice cake called “Nian Gao” and these cakes symbolize a sweet year and growth… growth in prosperity, success, and height… although the last is wishful thinking. Just kidding, but cake or pudding in Chinese is “Gao” which means height or raising higher.

You can also buy premade ones and pan fry them at home yourself. Almost all the of dim sum restaurants will sell ready to fry ones during this time. It’s tradition to buy them and give them away to people as gifts during the New Year. Saint Germain Bakery sells nicely packaged ones (see here), so if you really want to impress someone… *ahem* bring one for their mother.

Dim sum options: Richmond options: Red Star Seafood, J&C Top Gun Restaurant, Rainflower Restaurant, The Jade Seafood Restaurant, Empire Chinese Cuisine, VivaCity Seafood, Kalok Seafood Restaurant, Sea Harbour, Kirin Seafood Restaurant, Good Eat Seafood Restaurant etc. Vancouver options: Kirin Seafood Restaurant, Red Star Seafood, Dynasty Seafood Restaurant, Golden Ocean Seafood etc., and Burnaby option: Grand Dynasty Seafood Restaurant. There are honestly so many options and if you’re not familiar with your dim sum, then get cracking! Not knowing what or how to order is no excuse when I have pictures to help

“I prefer a modern take on Chinese food and don’t have 10 friends/family I like.”

Try Wild Rice. It’s a modern fusion take on traditional Chinese cuisine and they have a special Year of The Dragon Prix Fixe Menu designed for 2 from January 22 – February 4, 2012. (I hope you have at least one person you like). The menu includes Water Dragon Platter for Two, Dungeness Crab Salad, Steamed Ling Cod, Albacore Tuna Tartare and a dessert Plate of Food Wishes. $38.88 for two people.

Wild Rice Vancouver: 117 W. Pender Street at Abbott on the edge of old Chinatown, 604-642-2882

Wild Rice New Westminster: 122-810 Quayside Drive in the River Market, 778-397-0028

“I’m a tea connoisseur, and I’ve done the dim sum, but I want something new and modern.”

This is the shrine for tea lovers. Their tea library and quality of luxury teas are incredible. From January 16th – January 31st, 2012, The Urban Tea Merchant is introducing their “Year of the Dragon” Signature Afternoon Tea Service. The menu includes Tiger Hill Tea-infused egg salad sandwich, traditional wrapped Peking duck & plum sauce, chocolate dipped dragon fruit, dragon eye fruit, Matcha tea-infused fortune cookie and many more savoury and sweet bites. $48 per person. Full menu here.

The Urban Tea Merchant Downtown Vancouver: 1070 West Georgia St. Vancouver, 604-692-0071

The Urban Tea Merchant The Village at Park Royal: G3 – 825 Main St. West Vancouver, 604-926-3392

Now heads up! Xi Shi Lounge at the Shangri-La Hotel nearby is also hosting a Special Chinese New Year Afternoon Tea Monday, January 23rd through Sunday, January 29th from 11:30 am to 5:00 pm. $34 per person. See my post here.

“I prefer the hotel version of Chinese New Year.”

Photo Credit Pan Pacific Vancouver

So you’re a little less adventurous and maybe not a fan of the traditional stuff? Or your dining with some “white bread and butters”? Or you need something for the kids? (I personally believe kids should be introduced to unfamiliar food at a young age though). Well whatever the reasons are you’ll get a good mix of everything (including non-Chinese items) at the Cafe Pacfica Restaurant.

This Sunday January 22, Cafe Pacfica Restaurant at Pan Pacific Vancouver is hosting their annual Chinese New Years Day Brunch Buffet which includes a fancy buffet featuring: Chinese Charcuterie, Dim Sum, Lemon Chicken, Wok Station, Sushi Station, Omelette Station, Carving Station and many more things. The dessert buffet offers Chocolate Dipped Fortune Cookies, Sweat Bean Sesame Balls, Egg Tarts, Sago & Lotus seed pudding, Chocolate Mousse and Creme Brulee. See the full menu here.

The buffet also includes a live piano performance and a great view – see here for prices and more details.

Pan Pacific Vancouver: 300-999 Canada Place, Vancouver, 604.891.2555

“Just take me to a Chinese New Year fair and let me sample random Chinese goodies!”

Aberdeen Centre in Richmond, BC is hosting their annual Chinese New Year flower and gift fair January 19-29 (see hours here). There will also be a live countdown on January 22 at 10:30pm – 12:10am in the Central Atrium of the mall. Parking will make you want to pull each strand of hair out one by one and you may discover a heightened sense of road rage, so I highly recommend taking the Canada Line… thank me later.

Make sure you check out the Dragon’s Beard Candy stand. It’s Chinese style cotton candy stuffed with sugared ground peanuts and it will be extra popular this year since it’s the Year of the Dragon. It’s a special dessert that’s labour intensive to make and the “cotton candy” is hand pulled.

Aberdeen Centre: Suite 130, 4400 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond, 604.270.1234

Miku Restaurant – Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi

2011 Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Yearblog

Happy New Year! Welcome to my Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Best of 2011! This is a recap and yearbook/yearblog of the BEST Follow Me Foodie (FMF) Food and FMF Foodie Moments in 2011.

I wrote a Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Best of 2010, so I decided to do another one this year. I don’t even know where to start. It’s been a crazy year, and I’m so grateful for everything that has happened with this blog. I’ve loved every minute of it (even the parts where it hurt to laugh because I was so full) and I’m so happy to have shared these delicious moments with you. Thank you for following me foodie and cheers to another year of gastronomic indulgence!

NOTE: IT’S NOT NECESSARILY “THE BEST“, BECAUSE FOOD IS PERSONAL AND I CAN ONLY DISCOVER SO MUCH IN A YEAR. THESE ARE JUST SOME WORTH MENTIONING IN MY BOOKS… OR BLOG? BLOG. IT’S MORE OF A 2011 RECAP/SUMMARY. ALL EXPERIENCES ARE FROM 2011 ONLY.

Top 20 BEST ASIAN/FUSION Restaurant Dishes & Food in Vancouver:

Suika – Beef Short Rib

Being in Vancouver, we’re spoiled by great Asian/Asian Fusion cuisine, so I decided to make it a separate category. Vancouver dominates and excels when it comes to Asian/Asian fusion cuisine.

Listed in no particular order. Based on the menu item, not the restaurant.

1. Suika – Beef Short Rib

2. Aki Japanese Restaurant – Black Cod (Sable Fish)

3. Pho Tam – House Special Pho

4. Wing Kee – Fresh Steamed Scallops with Vermicelli and Garlic

5. Dan Japanese – Tuna Chili Sashimi

6. Wang’s Beef Noodle House – Beef Brisket Noodle

7. Kirin Seafood Restaurant – Black Cod Braised with Squash and Roasted Pork Belly

8. Jade Seafood Restaurant – Steamed Mushroom Dumpling

9. Rainflower Restaurant – Pan Fried Tiger Prawns with Basil

10. Tokyo Joe’s Sushi Factory – Volcano Roll

11. Empire Chinese Cuisine – Alaskan King Crab Dinner – 4 ways

12. Red Star Seafood – Dungeness Crab with Wild Rice

13. Motomachi Shokudo – Bamboo-Charcoal Dark Miso Ramen

14. Tokachi Japanese – Tuna Gomaae

15. Empire Chinese Cuisine – Deep Fried Alaskan King Crab Knuckles

16. Ichiro Japanese – Dragon Roll

17. Delicious Cuisine – Deep Fried Shrimp with Salted Egg Yolk

18. Hapa Izakaya (Kistilano) – Salmon Shooter

19. Suhang Restaurant – Steamed Soup Buns with Pork Filling (XLB)

20. Jade Seafood Restaurant – Jade Smoked Grandpa Chicken

Honorary Mentions from 2010 list: Miku Restaurant – Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi, Top Gun J & C Restaurant – Baked BBQ Pork Bun, Hakkaido Ramen Santouka – Toroniku Shio Ramen

See “Follow Me Foodie Best of 2010 Asian/Fusion Dishes” here.

See the full “Follow Me Foodie Best of 2011″ here.

Restaurant: Kalok Seafood Restaurant 加樂海鮮酒家
Cuisine: Chinese/Dim Sum/Seafood
Last visited: November 27, 2011
Location: Richmond, BC (Richmond Central)
Address: 1008 – 8300 Capstan Way
Subway stop: Aberdeen Station Northbound
Price Range: $10-20 (dim sum) $20-30+ (dinner)

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 2.5-3
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 3
Additional comments:

• Chinese owned/operated
• Authentic Cantonese cuisine
• Busy at peak hours
• Spacious
• Affordable dim sum
• 25% off before 11am
• 20% before 11:30am
• Complimentary tea
• English/Chinese menus
• Family friendly
• Free parking
• Mon-Sun Dim Sum/Lunch 9am-3pm
• Mon-Sun Dinner 5pm-10pm

**Recommendations: BBQ Pork Pastry, Fish w/Ginger & Onion, Black Bean Beef Fried Flat Rice Noodle, Young Chow Fried Rice, Steamed Sponge Cake

After Follow Me Foodie to New York, Follow Me to Jamaica and Follow Me Foodie to Montreal & Quebec City, I’d say it’s definitely time for some Follow Me Foodie to dim sum! It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other. I must say I’ve been avoiding it on all my foodie trips just because I’m confident none of those cities will compare to the quality of dim sum we can get in Vancouver. We pride ourselves on our Asian cuisine and we’re spoiled by endless options for it, especially in the category of Chinese food and dim sum.

Kalok Seafood Restaurant is one of the newest additions to hit the Richmond, BC dim sum scene. It’s located in Union Square Shopping Centre and although it’s quite hidden, it’s known to Richmond’s Chinese locals. The space has changed hands and names a few times in the last few years, but it’s always remained a Chinese restaurant.

I’ve actually come here on three occasions now to check out the menu. It’s not because my first visit was so impressive, but it’s more because it’s still a new place that people are curious about. It’s a very spacious restaurant and it’s quite busy, but the turnover is fast so the wait is never long.

One of the biggest draws is really because it offers 25% off before 11am and 20% off before 11:30am and free tea at both seatings. People love deals and discounts… especially Asian people… I can say that right?! Anyways Kalok Seafood is great value if you’re in early. You snooze you lose! It’s not the cheapest and not the best dim sum for sure, but it’s decent.

It has an extensive menu, free parking, spacious seating, nice atmosphere, and it appears clean, so what more can you really ask for? Yes, I already mentioned you get free tea. Go ahead with the 10% tip if you wish (j/k!).

I find dim sum always relatively “cheap” anyways, so I have my spots that I prefer and I don’t mind paying a bit more for it. On a global scale, it’s probably great, but Richmond has a lot of competition for dim sum. For me, Kalok isn’t my first, second, or third choice, but I wouldn’t complain about coming. It satisfies the craving and it’s good for group dining, so if you’re not picky about your dim sum, then sure, why not?

On the table:

Fresh Shrimp Dumpling - 3/6

• $4.95
• It’s the test. I used to have 2 orders of this for myself as a kid, and now I’m almost tired of them, but it’s somewhat of a “must”.
• I like them, but they’re not great here. They’re good.
• I was more impressed with the stuffing than the skins.
• The skins are relatively thin, but they’re not as chewy as excellent ones.
• The prawns were decently seasoned, crunchy, juicy and still in somewhat whole pieces and not mashed which is always a good thing.

5 Spice Swatow Style Dumpling - 3.5/6

• $4.25
• I find these more exciting than the prawn dumplings, but they’re entirely different.
• They’re perhaps a bit more “adventurous”.
• They’re made in house and the skins are very thin and chewy which is good, but also breaking which isn’t good.

• They were steaming hot and stuffed with a mixture of dried shrimps, ground pork, Chinese celery, cilantro, chives, water chestnuts and peanuts.
• I usually love anything with nuts, but for some reason I’m never crazy about Chinese peanuts and using them in these, although it’s the style of the dumpling to have them.
• These ones had more peanuts than normal too, unless it was just the one I ate.
• The mixture was flavourful, aromatic, creamy and somewhat slimy (Asian sauces tend to be), but it has good textural contrast with so many ingredients.
• I wasn’t keen on the 5 spice seasoning, but it’s in the name so I can’t complain. It was subtle and it wasn’t bad, but I just prefer the standard soy sauce gravy they usually make it with.

Cantonese Dumpling – 3/6

• $4.95
• It’s called “Cantoness Dumpling” on the menu.
• This had less textural contrast and ingredients in the filling than the 5 Spice Swatow Style Dumplings, but they’re not bad.
• This is the Cantonese style which is much more simple than the Swatow style of the dumpling.
• The skins weren’t as thin or chewy, but they’re still made in house.

• It was stuffed with saucy ground pork that was a bit gummy from the corn starch, but that’s quite common of Cantonese food again.
• The pork wasn’t that fatty which is good and it wasn’t dry either.
• There were also minced carrots and chestnuts in the mix for crunch and flavour.
• It was a typical soy sauce gravy, but I wouldn’t mind a bit more salt.
• The flavours were much more basic than the 5 Spice Swatow Style Dumplings so it’s good “beginners” dim sum.

Steamed Shiu Mai Dumpling - 3/6

• $5.25
• These were massive shiu mai! They were the size of two normal ones.
• They’re definitely made in house and I wish the tobiko display was nicer, but I’ll let that go.
• They were probably 50% pork and 50% shrimp which is fair since most places will give more pork than shrimp.
• They were plump, juicy, moist, and the stuffing was somewhat loosely packed together.
• They’re really soft and tender and quite good, but not my favourite.
• I wouldn’t mind a couple more shiitake mushrooms since not every dumpling had one.
• Personally I prefer Red Star Seafood’s shiu mai – see here.

Steamed Fish Ball with Watercress – 1.5/6

• $4.25
• I’m not a fan of these in general so I’m biased.
• I still tried one and they’re made in house, but I still don’t really like them. People that like these thought they were pretty good.
• They’re really soft and tender fish balls made with pureed fish, cilantro, Chinese celery, and perhaps some orange peel I could mildly taste.
• They’re quite fishy tasting and they’re not flaky, but almost spongy.
• The fish bones are also pureed into this, and I could still tell and I really don’t like that, although this characteristic is usually a sign of “freshness”.
• I’m not a fan of the orange peel in there, but traditionally that’s how it’s made and how people would prefer them.
• It’s apples and oranges, but I prefer the curry fishballs over this. These are gourmet fishballs and they are healthy for you too.

Taro Cake with Shrimp Paste – 2/6

• $4.95
• I usually love these (4.5/6), but they’re not great here. They’re okay.
• I suggest trying them at Grand Dynasty in Burnaby or Empire Seafood in Richmond, who also does a good job with them – see here.

• I prefer the inside to be stuffed with minced pork curry or seafood curry and this just tasted like pureed onion curry sauce. I couldn’t really tell if it was onion or what though.
• The curry sauce isn’t spicy, and it never is, but it was more mild than normal.
• The shrimp was slightly overcooked and I’ve never really seen it made this way.
• There was a decent amount of mashed creamy taro (similar to mashed potato), but I prefer more.
• The outside was crispy and fried well and I liked the textural contrast as always.
• They weren’t too greasy, but the quality of the filling wasn’t great and they were slightly bland I wouldn’t mind more salt and curry flavour.
• Personally, I prefer the traditional soy-based minced pork mixture over the curry, but each restaurant and chef has their own style.

Eggplant with Shrimp Paste – 2.5/6

• $4.95
• I love this dish and it was okay here again. I like it better at Red Star Seafood – see Pan-fried Eggplant stuffed with Fish Cake
• It’s more expensive to make them with shrimp though, so it is “better” when they offer it.
• It was good, but I just wanted more flavour to them.
• I wanted either more garlic or some black bean sauce and I couldn’t tell what sauce it was supposed to be.
• I think it was just a standard soy based sauce, but it was a bit gummy and heavy on the cornstarch. Again, it tends to be, but it’s perhaps a bit more noticeable here.
• The eggplant was big, plump and tender and there was a decent amount of pureed shrimp paste on top.
• They’re deep fried so the shrimp is somewhat crispy, or at least you can tell it’s been deep fried, but it’s not greasy either.

BBQ Pork Pastry – 4/6

• $4.25
• I wasn’t going to order these, but they were walking around with them fresh from the oven and they just looked so darn cute! And good!
• 100% of the time I’ll go for the Baked BBQ Pork Buns over these, but they sold out, so this was my rebound.
• It wasn’t a bad rebound! They’re fresh, hot and made in house.

• I was more impressed with the pastry than the stuffing.
• The pastry was soft, tender, flaky, buttery, moist, and nutty from the sesame seeds.
• They were decently filled and all the way to the corners, but the filling wasn’t as good as normal.
• The BBQ pork wasn’t dry, but it wasn’t as saucy and the colour was a bit bright from the dye. It was “okay” BBQ pork.
• The meat wasn’t all fat which I like, but it just wasn’t as well marinated and savoury and sweet as I prefer.

Baked BBQ Pork Buns – 3/6

• $4.25
• I had to come back on another occasion to order these since they were sold out on my first visit.
• I always cross my fingers it’s going to be the Mexican bun topping and not the pineapple bun topping. This was the pineapple bun topping. See the Mexican bun topping on the Baked BBQ Pork Bun here.
• The topping is my favourite part. It’s crispy and sweet, but this one had a slight egg yolk like flavour. I didn’t mind it, but I could tell.

• The buns were nice and soft and a sweeter type of bread, but I did want more BBQ pork stuffing.
• The meat wasn’t all fat which is good, but also not as saucy, marinated and flavourful as I prefer.
• I always choose the baked BBQ pork buns to the pastry kind, but here I prefer their BBQ Pork pastries to these.

Steamed Rice with Minced Pork & Chinese Pickles - 2.5/6

• $4.95
• It’s a typical home cooked Cantonese dish that’s “always best when mom makes it”. It’s one of those dishes.
• This one was okay. It’s good if it’s your first time trying it, but if you’ve had it before, it’s likely you’ve had better.
• The meat was very tender, but it almost seemed too pureed and like meatloaf. It kind of is a Chinese style “meatloaf” or meat patty though.
• It was topped with crunchy preserved Chinese radish and some minced Shiitake mushrooms.
• The meat is marinated in soy sauce and other Asian seasonings and it’s not difficult to warm up to.
• The rice was fine and the portion is good for the price, although it’s not a whole lot of meat.
• It also comes with a side of sweetened soy sauce for you to pour over top, so you’re not just eating plain rice too.

Rice Roll with 3 Kinds of Fresh Mushrooms – 2.5/6

• $4.95
• I generally love these things (5/6) and I really like the mushroom kind, but this one was okay.
• I found the texture a bit too soft and slimy and I wanted more crunch from the mushrooms and found them almost over steamed.
• It was stuffed with Enoki mushrooms, Shiitake mushrooms and I think Oyster mushrooms, but I could barely taste the oyster mushrooms.
• You pour a sweetened soy sauce on top of these before eating them.

Rice Roll with Chinese Donuts & Green Onion – 3/6

• $4.95
• They were going for the Kirin presentation, but I prefer Kirin’s Rice Roll with Chinese Donut more.
• It’s basically a rather neutral tasting deep fried dough wrapped with a rice roll served with soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame sauce.
• Generally, everyone loves these, unless you’re a “I don’t eat deep fried foods” person.

• The roll was nice and bite sized which I like, and I prefer the donut thinner like this rather than super thick.
• The donut wasn’t that crispy though, but the middle was soft. I usually like it crispy with a soft and fluffy centre.
• I also prefer dried pork fluff/floss in between the donut and rice roll wrapping, but this one didn’t have that.
• The rice noodle was good, but it didn’t have the dried shrimp which is rare to get and more expensive. Some people don’t like it though, which is fine, but I like it.
• It was a good ratio of wrapper to donut and this was decent for what it was.

Rice Roll with Soy Sauce – 3.5/6

• $6.99
• This is one of my favourite things (6/6) and it brings back childhood memories, and they’re pretty good here.
• They’re a bit oily and not as tender and delicate as some, but I’m quite sure they’re made in house.
• It’s simply rice noodles rolled up, but to get them nice and thin with a chewiness is the trick. These are “rustic” in execution and slightly denser than I prefer.
• Sometimes they have dried shrimps and chives in the rice roll, but these just had the onions sprinkled on top.
• They’re pan fried and rather neutral in flavourful with a bit of soy sauce for savouriness.
• There is hoisin sauce and sesame sauce served on the side that you eat it with.
• I like when they sprinkle these with sesame seeds too.

Gai Lan – 4/6

• $6.99
• It’s not difficult to make and I find steamed vegetables always so overpriced at dim sum, but we still ordered it.
• Not every place will have a good vegetable stock though, and this one was great!
• The gai lan (Chinese broccoli) was nice and young and not tiresome to chew and it was cooked very well.
• It’s perhaps a tad oily, but it’s no more than what’s expected.

**Black Bean Beef Fried Flat Rice Noodle – 4.5/6

• $6.99
• This was another favourite and it was really well done.
• It came with a good amount of beef that was very well marinated and cooked. That was the highlight.
• The beef was really tender and the sauce was flavourful with black beans, ginger, onions and a few red peppers.
• The noodles were also good and separate and overall it was a solid fried noodle dish with a good amount of sauce.

Fried Sticky Rice - 3/6

• $6.99
• I didn’t get to try this, but there wasn’t much left and I heard no complaints or raves about it.

**Young Chow Fried Rice – 4/6

• $6.99
• For what it was, they do a good job with it here.
• It’s just fried rice with shrimps, BBQ pork, crunchy gai lan (Chinese broccoli), and scrambled eggs.
• Sometimes there are carrots, which is a bit Western, but this one didn’t have any. I wouldn’t have minded some peas, but it was a fair amount of other ingredients.
• The shrimps were nice and crunchy and the BBQ pork was slightly sweet and the rice was well seasoned and fried with separate grains and not greasy.
• I couldn’t really get that aromatic “wok” aroma, but it was still good.

Jacket Fish in Soy Sauce – 3/6

• $6.99
• It’s called “Jecket Fish in Soy Sauce” on the menu.
• I prefer this dish at Rainflower in Richmond or Kirin.
• The sauce is delicious and it’s a sweetened soy sauce with garlic, ginger and chives fried into it.
• It’s deep fried, but it’s not battered or very greasy and it still tastes healthy.
• The fish itself has a lot of tiny bones and they’re not really crispy enough to eat through so you have to be careful when you hit the fins and tail.
• It’s a good dish and the fish is a firm white meat with a mild fish flavour, but I prefer the dish below, Fish with Ginger & Onion.

**Fish with Ginger & Onion – 5/6

• $6.99
• This is probably my favourite dish here and I’ve ordered it on two out of three occasions.
• It’s a generous amount of lightly battered and deep fried halibut with a good amount of sauteed green onions, garlic, ginger, onions, and Chinese celery.
• It’s a very aromatic dish and it’s sauteed in sweetened soy sauce before it’s served so each piece is well flavoured, sweet and savoury and not soggy either.
• The pieces are served the Asian way with bones and fish skin, so be prepared. It’s halibut though so the bones are easy to get rid of.
• There’s a good amount of whole meat pieces and and they’re not overcooked.
• The ginger is fried into the oil and it’s not obvious in flavour unless you bite into a slice. It’s used for aromatics along with everything else, but I could taste more celery and soy than everything else.
• The fish tails are extra crispy and you can chew right through all the bones. Those are my favourite! Lots of calcium and it’s almost like shrimp chips… but with fish… and they’re saucy! (I’m trying to encourage you to try them if you haven’t)
• The tender and crunchy sweet onions, green onions and Chinese celery are delicious and I could just eat bowls of that alone.

Portuguese Style Egg Tarts - 3/6

• $3.95
• These were under the “fried & baked” cateogry and they should be under the “dessert” category.
• I love Portuguese Egg Tarts, but I’m not keen on Chinese Egg Tarts. Does that make me racist… ?
• These tasted a bit more like Chinese egg tarts than Portuguese egg tarts to me.
• They weren’t as sweet (like most Chinese desserts) and they were a bit eggy than custardy, but the pastry shell was great and it was nice and flaky and tender.
• They don’t offer regular egg tarts, but this would settle that craving.

**Steamed Sponge Cake – 4.5/6

• $3.80
• For what it is, it’s done really well here and it is a house favourite.
• It’s made fresh in house, served warm, and I could smell the almond scent as soon as it hit the table, but I couldn’t taste almonds. It does have almond extract though.
• It’s a very light, fluffy, soft and airy sponge cake that’s very lightly sweetened.
• It was very tender and moist and I could almost peel the layers of cake. When the cake is loose like this, it’s good.
• It’s made with eggs so it has an eggy flavour too, but it’s not like brioche. It’s way less rich than brioche because there’s no butter.
• I don’t like many versions of these, but I really liked this one because of the aroma, flavour and texture.
• I really like the ones from Empire – see their Steamed Sponge Cake and Top Gun J & C too – see their Steamed Sponge Cake.

Restaurant: Shanghai Wonderful Restaurant
Cuisine: Shanghainese/Chinese/Dim Sum
Last visited: August 12, 2011
Location: Richmond, BC (Richmond Central)
Address: 8380 Lansdowne Rd
Price Range: $10 or less for dim sum, $10-20+

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4
Service: 2
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Shanghainese owned/operated
• Authentic Shanghainese
• Local favourite
• Extensive menu
• Very busy/line-ups
• Reasonably priced
• English/Chinese menus
• Family friendly
• Reservations recommended
• Sometimes cash only… “machine broken”
• Free parking
• Mon-Sun Dim Sum/Lunch 11am-3pm
• Mon-Sun Dinner 5pm-10pm

**Recommendations: Shanghai Style Juicy Pork Buns aka Xiao Long Bao, Turnip Cake, Pan-fried Pork Dumplings, Boneless Duck with Eight Treasures (Reservation required and for dinner only)

I’ve been coming to this restaurant before it moved to this location. It used to be a hole in the wall located on No 3 Road across from Richmond Centre. It was fantastic as a hole and the wall and I found it still very good after it moved and re-opened here. There was a lot of debate about the quality going down hill after the move, but I didn’t visit it often enough to be able to tell a significant difference. Regardless, it’s been a few years after the move, and it still remains as busy as ever and reservations are highly recommended.

On this occasion I came at around 2pm so the restaurant was a lot quieter than usual. They offer a dim sum menu for brunch and lunch and then a separate larger menu for dinner. There’s English translations and some photos, but otherwise I’d recommend coming here with someone who knows what to order because “Onion Cake”, “Baked Short Cake”, and “Deep Fried Salty Cake”, isn’t exactly a helpful menu description. I guess that goes for almost every Asian, Indian and ethnic restaurant out there though. It even drives me insane and I know the culture, but you’re bound to get lost in translation sometimes.

Shanghai Wonderful is probably one of the most popular and well liked Shanghainese restaurants in Richmond, BC. It’s one of my go-to Shanghainese restaurants although I like to switch things up and try new places, however if it’s a big group, nobody ever objects to this as a dinner spot. It’s clean, comfortable, casual and reasonably priced and the quality of food is generally there. I’ve had my hit and miss dishes though so not everything is superb, which is the case for most restaurants anyways. This isn’t my favourite Shanghainese Restaurant because I really find my experiences have been heavily based on what I ordered, but I still like it and do come back every so often.

On the table:

**Shanghai Style Juicy Pork Buns – 4/6

• 6 pieces $5.25
• I think by now almost everyone knows what a “juicy pork bun/dumpling”, “xiao long bao” or “XLB” is… and if you don’t, I almost feel bad for you. Go try one!
• This is the must order dish at any Shanghainese restaurant and it’s supposed to show what the restaurant and chefs are capable of.
• They were served steaming hot and  hand made upon order as they should be.

• So many of my friends think they’re the best here, but I’m not as excited about these ones, although they are still very good.
• Yes, they are delicious and the skins are paper thin, but I found the meat too heavily marinated with soy sauce and it overpowered the natural flavour of the pork broth.
• There was a ton of “juice” or pork broth/soup, but it was noticeably saltier than usual and you can tell just by the colour of the broth.
• I couldn’t taste much of the onion or ginger either, which in some cases I can.
• The meatball was tender and good, but I actually prefer the XLB from Suhang Restaurant, Shanghai House, Shanghai River, or maybe even Beijing Cuisine better (all those are located in Richmond).

Usually there should be much more ginger in the vinegar served with it.

**Pan Fried (Pork) Dumplings – 4.5/6

• 6 pieces $5.25
• I really enjoyed these and for what they were, they were done really well, except the skins were a little thick.
• Shanghainese skins tend to be a bit thicker for the pan fried dumplings, but I’ve had them thinner than this before.
• They were fried incredibly well with a nice and crispy golden brown bottom, but it was a tad oily, but that’s to be expected.

Sorry, it’s not the prettiest picture, but I had to show how much tasty pork juice these dumplings held.

• This is the same dumpling and as soon as I bit into it, the juice squirted all over the table. It was almost a one biter. When this happens though, it’s usually because the skin is a bit thick and your teeth didn’t sink through it.
• The skin was chewy and the pork and vegetable filling was incredibly tender with lots of pork flavour.
• The meat used was actually quite fatty although you couldn’t tell and it wasn’t gelatinous at all.
• I really enjoyed these!

Shredded Chicken with Starch Cake – 3/6

• $6.50
• Just by the title, I would never order this. Usually they would call it “glass noodle” “mungbean noodle” or “clear noodle” instead of “starch cake”, and by calling it “starch cake” even I got confused.
• This is one of my favourite Shanghainese dishes, but they didn’t do a great job with it here.
• If you’ve never had it, you would probably still find this good, but it can get so much better.
• In the simplest “American” description it’s basically clear mungbean noodles tossed with sesame sauce and shredded chicken, but there should also be freshly sliced cucumbers in it.
• It’s served room temperature or slightly warm and sometimes even cold. This one was in between. The sauce was warm, but the noodles were room temperature.

• It’s not always spicy, but sometimes it is, and I like it when it is a bit. In Shanghai they serve it with Chinese mustard on the side.
• This one had a lot of sesame sauce, but the sesame sauce tasted more like melted peanut butter than it did sesame sauce. It was very peanutty rather than heavy with the sesame. It was well seasoned and salty though so at least it wasn’t bland.
• There wasn’t much chicken, but the pieces it had were dark meat and a bit gelatinous. This is the authentic and typical chicken it would be served with though.

• The noodles are really slippery and they were all shapes and sizes. Some of them were very bitty and others were sheets of noodles.
• They were quite thin, but slightly crunchy in texture rather than chewy and springy.
• I would recommend the Beijing Style Chicken Fenpi (Mungbean Pasta) Salad from Lin’s Chinese Cuisine, although it is a bit more Western in style, or the Tossed Mung Clear Noodles in Sauce, Sesame Paste & Shredded Meat from Beijing Cuisine, which is a Beijing interpretation of the dish.

**Turnip Cake - 5/6

• 3 pieces $5.25
• These are really labour intensive to make and not many Shanghainese restaurants will offer them, but they are very authentic to Shanghainese dim sum.
• It’s a very filling and dense appetizer and half of one is plenty.
• The pastry is quite rich and it’s very tender, flaky and crisp on the outside, but also soft like a pastry dough on the inside.
• The inside is stuffed with well seasoned Chinese ham, chives and shredded radish and it’s savoury, but not saucy.
• It was also a bit sweet and some of the shredded radish which seemed pickled in a sweet vinegar, so the flavour was more than just savoury, which I liked.
• The pastry dough can come off as a bit dry, but with the moist filling, it all balances out and it’s delicious!
• The base of the turnip cake is crunchy and almost pan seared with a nutty toasted sesame seed crust.
• The only other place I’ve had it at where I’ve enjoyed it as much is Shanghai House – see Turnip Cake.

Onion Cake – 2.5/6

• 2 pieces $3.95
• The onion cake is good if it’s your first time having it, but it does get better than this.
• I wanted lots more onion, but the pastry was quite good with a crispy flaky exterior and then a soft and chewy inside.
• It was moist and savoury and very doughy, but a bit too thick of a pancake for me.
• An authentic Shanghai one is lighter than this, so this would be considered a dense onion cake, but it was still okay and not too oily.

Pork and Salted Vegetable Fried Rice Cake - 3.5/6

• $10.95
• I love Shanghainese Fried Rice Cakes. It’s basically a flat oval shaped thick noodle that’s chewy and also very filling.
• I actually prefer the “Shanghainese Style Fried Rice Cakes”, which has a bolder, darker, richer, saltier and stronger soy based sauce.
• The noodle was sliced very thin which I liked and they’re very chewy and they kind of stick to your teeth. I love them.
• This pork and salted vegetable version is quite traditional as well, but sometimes I find it a bit boring.
• This one was quite savoury with the natural juices from the pork acting as a sauce.
• The pork pieces were very fatty and gelatinous and a bit chewy and I really didn’t like that, but that is traditionally how it is made.
• The pickled cabbage gives in a tanginess and it does make it seem less greasy and takes the heaviness of the fatty pork away.
• It’s also sauteed with bean sprouts for a nice crunch and added texture. The flavour of this dish is not offensive at all.

Tofu with Four Treasures - 2/6

• $6.95
• I actually ordered this at dinner on a previous occasion and it looked nothing like the picture on the menu.
• There are photos on the menu, but after this, I don’t know how trustworthy they are.
• I love all the ingredients, but they really skimped on the toppings and the presentation wasn’t there.

The photo looked like this, so I wasn’t expecting what we got at all.

• It just looked like a block of tofu dumped straight from the plastic container it came in and it even had the ridges of the container imprinted around the edges.
• The “four treasures” will vary depending on the restaurant, but this was the vegetarian version.
• It was topped with some chopped up salted duck egg yolk, preserved century egg, pickled cabbage and another preserved pickled radish.
• The one they serve here will always come with the salted duck egg yolk, preserved century egg, and pickled cabbage, but the fourth “treasure” will vary according to what they have in stock.
• Other “four treasures” often include shrimp, smoked fish, peanuts, black wood ear mushrooms or other preserved, pickled, or dried Chinese ingredients.
• As much as I enjoy all the “four treasures” in this version, overall the execution was disappointing and they skimped on the toppings.
• The sauce was a soy based sauce and it was a bit oily, but it gave flavour to the tofu, which is obviously just bland.
• It’s a chilled salty and tangy appetizer and it was pretty much something I could have done at home after a quick stop at T&T.

**Boneless Duck with Eight Treasures - 4.5/6

• (Reservation Required, Dinner Only) $36.95
• This is another item I ordered at dinner here before. It’s a famous Shanghainese dish.
• It’s visually stunning, but it is pricier, although it is meant to be shared by at least 6-8 people.
• It’s pretty much an Asian style stuffed “turkey”.
• The duck is braised and it’s incredibly rich, filling, greasy, and heavy. One piece is almost more than enough.
• The “Eight Treasures” are different than the “Four Treasures” from the appetizer above.
• The duck is swimming in a bed of sauce and traditionally it’s supposed to be as well.
• This is also offered at Suhang Restaurant, and it must be pre-ordered there too.

The whole duck is incredibly tender and it cuts like a meatloaf.

• Unless you’re familiar with this type of cuisine, most of the ingredients in the stuffing will be foreign to you and perhaps a bit acquired, although it’s generally not hard to accept if you’re prepared for what to expect.
• It was stuffed with sticky rice, lotus seeds, duck meat, duck livers, shrimp meat, possibly pork or chicken gizzards, green soybeans, dried scallops, ham dices, bamboo shoots, dried mushrooms and maybe ginko nuts and dates.
• I’m not exactly sure which of those 8 were in there, but it was some combination of those listed and it was a bit hard to pick out.
• It’s all sorts of traditional Chinese ingredients that are bound together with duck fat and foie gras drippings. Yum!
• This wasn’t the best stuffed duck and it was a bit heavy on the sticky rice rather than the ingredients, but it’s still good and I would recommend you to try it.
• The skin is incredibly fatty and then the inside is almost mushy and creamy and a bit wet from all the ingredients, but it isn’t always like this.
• The duck is tender and moist and braised for hours so it melts in your mouth, but then there’s some texture from all the other ingredients too.
• It’s heavily sauced with a oily, rich, thick sweet and savoury duck broth gravy, and it is good, but just heavy.

Steamed Sticky Rice with Eight Treasures – 1/6

• $8.95
• I call this Asian style “Christmas Pudding” or “Rice Pudding”.
• This is not for me at all, it’s pretty much everything I dislike about Chinese desserts in one bowl.
• For people that like this dessert, it might be a 5/6.
• It was another menu item with “treasures” in the title, which is super vague for anyone unfamiliar with the food or culture.
• I don’t even know what the eight treasures in this dessert were, but it was different than what was in the stuffed duck and tofu appetizer… thank goodness.

• First, I saw red bean… ew. It was extra thick and pasty too. Sorry, not for me.
• Then there were those artificial tasting syrupy preserved fruits that remind me of Maraschino cherries…
• To top things off it was served warm and it’s incredibly dense, heavy, filling and gluey.
• Basically it’s sweetened sticky rice, sweet dried dates, dried apricots, ginko nuts,  and some type of artificial candied jellies or fruit and other beans and overall this was an utter nightmare for me.

Restaurant: Continental Seafood Restaurant 辛運海鮮酒樓
Cuisine: Chinese/Seafood/Dim Sum
Last visited: June 19, 2011
Location: Richmond, BC (Richmond)
Address: 11700 Cambie Rd
Price Range: $10 or less dim sum, $20-30+ dinner

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 2.5
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 3
Additional comments:

• Traditional Cantonese cuisine
• Chinese/English menus
• Live seafood tanks
• Popular for dim sum
• Push cart dim sum
• Popular for take-out BBQ meats
• Known to Chinese locals
• Nightly live entertainment
• Ballroom dance floor
• Very affordable prices
• Large space/venue
• Free parking
• Dim Sum/Lunch/Dinner
• Monday 10am – 12:30am
• Tuesday 10am – 12am
• Wed-Thurs: 10am – 12:30am
• Fri-Sat: 10am – 1am
• Sunday 10am-10pm

**Recommendations: n/a

It was another Chinese banquet and this time it was at a restaurant I can’t say I’m too excited to go back to each time. So why do I go back to it? Well it’s mainly because of the dance floor. So this is where Mijune gets her boogie down? Actually no. But it is where my parents do. They love ballroom dancing, so this is one of the spots to do it. Being that it was Father’s Day I decided to partner up with dad and do a little jiving myself!

Banquet food. I’ve never been a fan, however there are some hotels, restaurants and catering companies that do a great job of it. It doesn’t always have to taste “mass produced”, but quite often it does and I have to kind of expect it. As long as everything is served at it’s intended temperature and the quality of ingredients isn’t sacrifice I’m usually a happy girl.

I can’t say Continental Seafood Restaurant is my preference for a Chinese banquet dinner, but it’s a big venue so it is a popular choice with very reasonable prices. People also like coming here for dim sum because of the old-fashioned push cart system they offer. It’s better than Floata in Chinatown, although this exact restaurant used to be Floata a few years ago. I came here when it was too, so maybe I just have bad memories all together.

The menu on this occasion was one of their more affordable banquet menus (around $28/person) and it was quite average, but the venue is what people like. For me, I look forward to my Dairy Queen Blizzard I usually get after dinner here. It’s located in the same mall complex right in front of it… and sorry hot red bean soup just doesn’t do it for me.

On the table:

XO Sauce

• This was better than I expected and actually quite gourmet, but not as good as the one from Top Gun J&C or Red Star Seafood. I actually think it might better than Kirin’s though.
• It was made with dried mini shrimp and dried scallop which are pricey ingredients. The smaller shrimp is more affordable than the large.
• It was mildly spicy, but could have been more aromatic and I think the quality of the dried seafood just wasn’t as high, but still good for this restaurant.

Roasted Suckling Pig – 3.5/6

• We were really hungry, so we ordered a pre appetizer a la carte.
• Roasted suckling pig is usually a celebratory item that traditionally comes out on special occasions.
• For anyone that enjoys porchetta or “crackling”, the Chinese have been doing it for centuries.
• For traditional Chinese tastes, this was actually a very good roasted suckling pig, but for my “Westernized palate”, it was too fatty.
• The skin was crunchy and sweet like meat candy and the meat was juicy, fatty, creamy and rich just as pork belly should be.
• It’s too fatty and gelatinous for my liking, but authentically it’s common to find it like this.
• All the clear gelatinous fat layers did melt away and there’s no chewy tough parts at all.
• It’s not the best roasted suckling pig in Richmond, but you can get this at pretty much any Chinese restaurant.
• Butcher shops are solid and affordable options for it. Try HK BBQ Master which is an award winning take out butcher shop in Richmond. (Of course it’s in Richmond.)
• I actually really like the one from Jade Seafood which doesn’t have the fatty layer, and the meat is lean, but not dry, and the skin is still very crispy.

Cold Appetizer Platter – 3/6

• The BBQ pork – 3/6 – was relatively lean, but not as flavourful or saucy as I prefer. I prefer mine a bit juicier, but this one was still good.
• Jellyfish –  2.5/6 – was marinated with sesame oil, but a bit bland and not sweet nor spicy. Although different styles, after having the jelly fish at Blue Water Café it’s hard for me to go back to the Chinese stuff.
• Hokkaido Clams – 3/6 – was chewy and it’s one of the more modern options included on the appetizer platter.
• Soy Sauce Chicken – n/a – I missed this one.

• Mushroom Tofu Wrap – 3/6 – I love these. They were sweet and juicy and stuffed with lots of Shiitake mushrooms in a bean curd wrap. Not as smoky as it sometimes is, but still good.

Deep Fried Prawn Ball Stuffed with Scallop – 3/6

• I prefer the lobster version, but given the set menu price the scallop was fair.
• It was lightly breaded and crispy and the pawn ball was juicy with a firm spring to it.

• The scallop was soft and the quality of it wasn’t great, but I still enjoyed it.
• It’s dipped in either red vinegar or sweet and sour sauce before enjoying.
• The vinegar cuts the grease a bit and the sweet and sour sauce makes it reminiscent of a gourmet spring roll. I like both dipping sauces.

Sauteed Mixed Vegetables, Chicken & Squid – 2/6

• The celery was overcooked and old and I was hoping for more snow peas and other vegetables. A generous amount of celery is usually the case with this dish though.
• It was simply sautéed with garlic and the chicken was a bit bland, but the squid was tender.

Shredded Chicken & Dried Scallop Consumme – 2.5/6

• I’m not a fan of this soup, but I’ll still eat it and somewhat enjoy it. I think I’ve just had it too many times by now.
• It was a bit watered down, but at least it wasn’t thickened with too much corn starch and it wasn’t gluey or that slimy.
• Naturally it is a bit slimy though and it’s full of slippery ingredients and crunchy textures like bamboo shoots, green onions, Shiitake mushrooms and of course shredded chicken and dried scallop.
• There was lots of dried scallop, which is the delicacy, so it was nice to see so much.

Sauteed Sweet & Sour Prawns – 3/6

• I usually look forward to this dish.
• It tasted like fresh prawns sautéed with garlicky Sweet Thai Chili sauce and sweet and sour sauce.
• The prawns were slightly overcooked, but not dry and I wish they were crispier to the point where the shells are edible. These weren’t quite there yet.
• It’s quite aromatic as it’s sautéed with aromatic vegetables like Chinese celery and bell peppers, so it’s more developed than just plain old Sweet Thai Chili sauce or sweet and sour sauce.

Braised Pea Tips and Bean Curd in Consomme – 2.5/6

• This is a healthy and light vegetarian side dish.
• I wish there was more garlic flavour, but the pea tips were sautéed quite well maintaining their colour and texture.
• The bean curd was silky soft and absorbed the consume well.
• It’s a rather boring dish, but it’s meant to be like that, so I can’t really say anything more about it.

Steamed Chicken with Deep Fried Garlic – 3/6

• I was expecting the standard deep fried chicken course next, so this was a bit of a change.
• I think it was braised before it was steamed, but the sauce it was sitting in was great.
• The sauce was sesame oil, natural chicken oil, and Chinese cooking wine and it was nice and light and not too oily or salty.
• It was a tender free range chicken but the meat itself was bland, although tender and decently juicy.
• There was a hint of Chinese 5 spice powder, a bit of white pepper, and then crispy nutty garlic chips on top.
• This was meant to be eaten with the ginger and green onion oil served along side.
• For this style of chicken, my favourite is The Jade Smoked Grandpa Chicken from The Jade Seafood Restaurant.

Steamed Fish with Soy Sauce & Onions – 2.5/6

• I have to admit, this totally freaked me out a bit.
• It looked like eel and I’ve never had this type of fish served at a Chinese banquet dinner. It was unusual.
• I think it was a Snakehead fish and the meat was white, and it was firm and almost like tuna, but perhaps more mild in flavour.
• I prefer the standard steamed Rock Cod, but this was okay and there weren’t many bones which was nice.
• It was cooked perfectly and the sweet soy sauce was fine, but at times it was a tad fishy tasting.

Fried Rice with Tobiko – 2/6

• I found the rice really bland and there was no dried scallops or soy sauce or salt or anything as seasonings.
• The crunch of Chinese broccoli (kai lan) was nice, but the frozen mixed vegetables and lack of egg whites made it a bit sad.
• The tobiko on fried rice started maybe a year and a half ago, and I do welcome the new garnish.

Braised E-Fu Noodles (Yee Mien) – 2.5/6

• It was soft buttery noodles, but a bit heavy with the soy sauce and a little wet.
• There was some green onions and Shiitake mushrooms, but hardly any and then a couple strands of Enoki mushrooms too.
• The noodle itself is a somewhat chewy soft egg noodle made with wheat flour, and they’re unassumingly rich, but you can’t tell just by eating them.

Chinese Dainty Two Cookies – 3/6

• Almond Cookies – 3.5/6
• I’ve always like these cookies.
• These weren’t very crispy, but they were very tender and soft in the middle and very lightly sweetened.
• It was less sweet than normal and it was a bit on the eggy side and almost like an eggy almond cake cookie.
• The whole Chinese almond on top was an ideal garnish.
• Sesame Cookies (Laughing Balls) – 3/6
• These are pretty much deep fried balls of dough rolled in sesame seeds.
• It’s crumbly and harder and not like a donut, but more like a cookie.
• This one was a bit soft in the middle and nutty from the sesame seeds and again not that sweet.
• The crack in the ball is supposed to represent a laughing smile. (Wow that sentence sounds weird)

Red Bean Soup – n/a

• Yup! If you know my blog, you probably know how I feel about this.
• We’re not friends, yet it always shows up on my dinner table even though I never invite it.
• This is the part when I head over to Dairy Queen, which is located within the same mall complex almost next door.

Restaurant: Gingeri Chinese Cuisine 金如意
Cuisine: Chinese/Dim Sum/Seafood
Last visited: July 24, 2011
Location: Richmond, BC (Richmond Central)
Address: 323 – 5300 #3 Rd (Inside Lansdowne Mall)
Price Range: $10 or less dim sum, $20-30 dinner

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: n/a
Service: n/a
Ambiance: n/a
Overall: n/a
Additional comments:

• Traditional Cantonese
• Fine dining Chinese
• Private room available
• Live seafood tanks
• Set menus
• Banquet menus
• Dim Sum/Lunch/Dinner
• Free parking

**Recommendations: n/a

Another banquet dinner, another 12 courses, at another Chinese restaurant. I feel kind of spoiled saying this, but I have these way too often. Whether it’s a wedding, one month celebration or Chinese New Year, it is usually the same menu with the few occasional switch ups. As much as Chinese banquet dinners can be the same old traditional courses, each restaurant has their own style, menu and of course chef.

Okay so what’s up with the eggs? Is it Chinese Easter? I thought this was a Chinese dinner, not a Ukrainian one. Or are you at the kid’s table? Well, actually it’s none of the above. It was my second cousin’s one month old celebration dinner. So due to the nature of the event, and out of respect that the owner of Gingeri is a relative, I’m not going to be “rating” or commenting on the food too much.

Traditionally in Chinese and some other Asian cultures, when a baby reaches its one month, its health and the mother’s recovery is to be celebrated. The celebration is a fancy banquet dinner, like this one, which is also called a “Reg Egg and Ginger Party”. I know, it sounds a bit questionable.

Anyways at this Red Egg and Ginger Party, or One Month Celebration dinner, red eggs are handed out to the guests by the parents in exchange for red packets and gifts. Nowadays the eggs are often prearranged on the table. The restaurant usually provides the eggs and the baby pickled ginger is served on the table as well. It’s tradition to eat the hard boiled egg as part of your appetizer, or you can bring it home too. The egg is red regardless of the gender of the baby and it symbolizes new life and happiness.

I’m all for eggs, so sometimes a Follow Me Foodie Easter Egg Hunt of collecting leftover ones may happen at the end of these dinners. This is not a tradition though, and this “Easter Egg Hunt” is completely organized by myself, I am the only one playing, so do not Follow Me Foodie in this scenario… unless no one is looking. Asian people hate wasting anyways… so don’t be shy either.

On the table:

XO Sauce

• Complimentary, but some places will charge. Only fine dining Chinese restaurants will offer XO Chili Sauce. I can eat it plain even if it’s really spicy, and this one also wasn’t spicy.

Gingeri Cold Combination Platter

• Clockwise from 12 o’clock: Jellyfish, deep fried crispy chicken knees, pork hock slices, honey garlic spare ribs and tofu wrapped mushrooms and vegetables.
• This is standard on a banquet menu and it’s the Chinese version of a charcuterie platter.
• The items on it will vary, but the jellyfish and tofu wraps are on there 100% of the time.
• It was different to see the chicken knees on the appetizer platter.

• The Tofu Wrapped Mushrooms and Vegetables are usually stuffed with all Shiitake mushrooms, so it was a different take to see them with carrots, celery and onions.
• If there’s no smoked salmon on the appetizer plate, this tofu wrap is usually my next favourite appetizer on the platter.

Sauteed Scallops with Cuttlefish and Vegetables

• The vegetables were sugar snap peas, some carrots, celery and black mushroom fungus clouds.
• I know “black mushroom fungus clouds” may not sound appetizing, but they’re almost like thin sheets of somewhat puffy cloud-like shapes. They’re slimy, jelly-like, and a bit crunchy with mushroom flavour.

Pan Fried Fillets and Steamed Fillets of Green Wrasse on Vegetables

• Green Wrasse is the name of the fish and it’s very similar to basa or rock cod and it has a very mild flavour.
• The vegetable is seasonal and it will usually be broccoli or Chinese broccoli (kai lan).

Braised Shark’s Fin in Supreme Thick Soup

• I didn’t take a photo of this, and I didn’t try it either.

Pan Fried Lobster & Crab on E-Fu Noodles with Cream Sauce

• Chinese restaurants offer seafood with a variety of sauces and I think the “Cream Sauce” is the childhood favourite.
• It’s an ultra rich, indulgent and buttery cream sauce and the best part is having it sit on a bed of E-Fu Noodles to soak it all up.

• It seemed to have more sauce than usual, which is nothing to complain about, and the flavour was almost extra rich and buttery.
• If the E-Fu noodles show up in the lobster dish, then it will likely not show up at the end when it is usually served with the rice.
• The cream sauce was a bit of a surprise because it’s usually “Supreme Stock” sauce, which is made from a lobster crustacean broth and onions.

Braised Chinese Mushrooms on Vegetables

• These were jumbo dried Shiitake mushrooms over top baby bok choy in a thinner soy based sauce.
• The sauce is made from the natural juices released in the cooking process of the mushrooms and vegetables.

Pan Fried Fillets of Beef Tenderloin with Sweet & Sour Sauce

• This is the traditional Cantonese version of sweet and sour sauce, and it’s different than the neon orange American-Chinese version.
• It’s comparing apples to oranges, but this one is just more suitable for my tastes.
• The traditional version has less ketchup, vinegar and no pineapple juice, so it’s almost less sharp, and less artificial looking and tasting.
• The sauce is still bold, and perhaps thicker and richer, and it’s a bit more soy sauce based.
• It’s more like a gravy compared to the Western style sweet and sour sauce.
• It’s served over a bed of sweet and semi-crunchy onions and the sauce is still sweet and sour, but not as sweet and sour as the American-Chinese one.
• The fillets of beef are very tender, soft, and incredibly well marinated and they really just melted in my mouth.
• I’d order this a la carte, and if you like the Filet Beef Luc Lac at Phnom Penh, there’s a good chance you would appreciate this. The flavour is different, but the beef is just as tender.

Deep Fried Crispy Chicken

• The free range chicken marinates in a brine before it is deep fried and cooked.
• The skin is very crispy and you can eat it with the Worcestershire sauce or salt served along side.

Fried Rice with Shrimp and Cream & Chicken in Tomato Sauce

• Popularly known as Honeymoon Fried Rice, or Ying Yang fried rice, this is my favourite rice to be served at a Chinese banquet dinner.
• Usually it will be plain fried rice, so this is a bonus.
• It’s pretty much comfort food, very kid friendly, and also very “Western palate” friendly.
• The sauces are served on a bed of fried rice, and any rice covered with so much sauce, is a winner for me.
• Almost everyone prefers the cream side, but I like the tomato side better and I like to mix the two sauces. It’s not “weird” just think of adding cream to a tomato sauce for a creamy tomato sauce.
• The cream side had fresh prawns and sliced asparagus and it’s not rich like a bechamel sauce, although some versions of it can be. This one had perhaps less cream and butter and some places will use those ingredients as well as cheese, but the cheese is rare.
• The flavour of the cream sauce is supposed to have a slight seafood flavour too.
• The tomato side had lots of sliced chicken, stewed tomatoes and onions. It’s more tangy than sweet, but there is a slight sweetness to it. It’s not like sweet and sour sauce, but more like a tomato sauce.

Freshly Ground Walnut Cream Soup

• This is an unusual dessert to come at the end of a banquet, but it was a great change from the expected red bean soup, which I really dislike anyways.
• I’m actually not a fan of Chinese desserts in general, but anything nutty I don’t mind. So hot Chinese almond soup or walnut soup I actually am okay with.
• It’s not very sweet, like most Asian desserts, and it’s made of walnut paste so the texture is smooth, but still somewhat gritty from the walnut paste/powder.
• It’s not very rich, but it is creamy and quite aromatic in walnut flavour.

Chinese Petit Two

• Popularly known as “Dainty Two’s” this is a traditional Chinese dessert that comes after every banquet style menu.
• Coconut Almond Cookies
• The cookies were coconut almond cookies instead of just almond cookies and they were topped with whole almonds and a bit of jam which was different.
• It’s a dry crumbly nutty cookie made with ground almonds and dried coconut.
• Laughing Sesame Ball Cookies
• They’re essentially deep fried balls of dough rolled in sesame seeds.
• They’re not bready or like donuts at all.
• They’re nutty, dry, crumbly, crunchy on the outside and still somewhat hard on the inside.
• They’re very mildly sweet and the crack in them is supposed to resemble a smile or laugh, hence the name.