canucklehead
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Posts posted by canucklehead
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I did not know that both CBC and CTV were doing "chef's picks". Oh well - I caught the Chef with 'matinee idol looks' enjoying a tasty kolachy. Fun segment.
Except - what's with the Sonny Crockett stubble?
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Okay - this is not food in Vancouver - but I just wanted to link some pictures that were posted in the Chinese Thread on Sichuan Food in Guandong. They just looked too good!
Okay - I vow to find something similiar in Vancouver. Who will join me in my cause? (he says and he starts his car for Richmond).
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Holy Crap.
What a beautiful spread... I was in GZ last week and the meal was disapointing. Looks like I went to the wrong place. Great pictures!
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I recently discovered a little family owned hunanese place, which I believe is one of the undiscovered gems in the area. The beef with preserved chili, although not one of their better dishes, has the distinction of being the first dish in Vancouver that has actually been spicy enough to affect me.
Check out our review, which I believe is the finest our little website has put out yet. - Hu Nan Chinese Restaurant
Some Gulleters went for lunch there last summer? fall?
It was very tasty indeed
Yeah - based upon a recommendation from Nondual - we went last year - see posting #71 up thread for details. It was very good and I am glad that others have gone and enjoyed it also.
Reminds me that I should go visit again - this time asking for more heat.
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I stocked up 16 pies today - will be buying more to stash away. Spoke to the owner who is looking to work with someone or perhaps sell some of the recipes. I hope he finds a way forward.
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I'll have to borrow a camera and get busy...
Dave - I hope you and jokhm continue to fill us in on what is going on with food in HK. The places that I went to are from years ago - so I my knowledge of new and upcoming places is pretty low.
Looking forward to your future postings.
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My equally gluttonous friend and I want to have an entire Peking duck (with mini crepe things, and then the meat with the lettuce wraps) for ourselves at dinner. Which restaurant in Richmond or Vancouver do you all think serves the best? And what can we expect to pay? (Being "kids", our parents have always taken care of the bill.)
I think Fortune Garden (right beside Cru and Memphis Blues) on Broadway has an ongoing Peking Duck Special - but it is only one course (the skin - with a lot of meat) and crepes. Can' t remember the cost.
Another place you could try is Koon Bo on 41 and Fraser - they do have great BBQ duck and Sqaub - and I think they have a good Peking duck.
One per person - that's the Ling we know and fear.
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Call ahead and ask for the rack of lamb! If you give him enough time he usually can arrange it.
Cheers!
If you get the rack of lamb - it is a RACK of lamb. Very generous portions. He will also probably give you a sample of his kumquat grappa - which is pretty potent. He never seems to have the cod cakes - which I am curious to try. The caldo verde soup was very soothing and warming.
It is a nice neighbourhood place - so the decor is basic but clean.
Have fun.
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I meant to ask you: how was the price at Chuen Kee Seafood Restaurant? Would you give us some idea? How does it compare to a comparable meal in Vancouver?
It was about C$ 400 for about 8 people and alot of left overs. We did not go over the top with seafood (we had a whole roasted suckling pig) and no shark fin. So about $50 a head, tax and tip included. It would be more expensive to have a meal like that in Vancouver - the seafood would cost more. A set meal for 10 with a high amount of seafood would run about C$550 tax and tip included. However, the surroundings and services levels are much better the Vancouver restaurant that I have in mind.
The Tung Bo meal upthread was about HK$600 or less that C$100 for feeding 6 adults and 1 child - very good value. In fact - even at the expensive places like Farmhouse and Victoria Harbour - lunch is always an excellent deal - never breaking C$100 for four adults. The restuarant market is still very competive in HK right now - with alot of specials on offer after years of an economic slow down.
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3: it's been leaked to me that the Kiwi Pie Co is closing it's doors on friday Jan 13th.
time to stock up on frozen pies while you can (if you're a fan, that is).
Very sad indeed.. Do you know if both locations are shutting down or just the robson street locale?
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Here is Alexandra Gill's take on Saltlik - in a word Meh?
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rlr222: Welcome to eGullet!
Lee: Have you been to, during this or past trips, a small restaurant named "Law Fu Kee" in Central? It is blogged in Cha Xiu Bao's webpage:
http://chaxiubao.typepad.com/chaxiubao/200...fish_table.html
It is a tiny restaurant and very crowded. To me they are one of the best in wonton noodles and in particular their specialty of "deep fried dace fish balls" with the fermented raw clam condiment. They are excellent!
I have heard of it - but did not have a chance to go. Next time...
Thanks for pointing out an interesting blog. There was an entry about the crazy bun festival in Cheng Chau. It is were there is a race to climb to the top of a huge structure that is covered in buns. My father's company actually has the contract to build the underlying steel structure holding the buns - and rock climbing equiptment is used to keep the climbers safe.
Also - there is a bun mafia on Cheng Chau - and everyone MUST buy there buns from the same vendor. It costs something like HK$150,000 for the buns for each structure. Here's the link Cheung Chau Buns
HK is so full of these crazy food related stories.
Oh yeah - those tanks of seafood... it was crazy.
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I was toggling the menus and the selections at Aurora, Lumiere, C, HSG... et al - all look fantastic. Fantastic deals. Even the White Spot DOV looks pretty decent.
I was thinking how good it was to see some Chinese restaurants on the list - but then I saw the Floata menu - $25 gets you deep fried spring rolls/or wonton followed up by chicken on rice or beef on rice and a mango pudding. Helllo? Compare that with with impressive menu that Aurora has on offer (at the same price) and I am left baffled. Why participate if you are'nt even going to try to offer something interesting? I think I can go down to my local food court and get better grub.
I hope everyone remembers to have fun and take DOV for what it is - a chance to try out some new places and a great deal. The work loads at restaurants become insane - so a little understanding by everyone goes a long way.
If you can't get a reservation at your restaurant of choice - I am SURE that Floata will have some openings.
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Did you see the buffet prices at the bottom of the menu. $18 per person for the Sunday Brunch Buffet! Not that I am an all-you-can-eat kind of diner...
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I can't imagine that they would cut their alcohol prices though... surely the LDB would be all over that.
So would I, dude.
Actually - I just checked and parts of their wine list are going on special too. Now - I am not a wine expert - but some of these prices look insane....
I think that the wine list is available only at the Cascade Lounge and Five Sails.
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...The trip's food highlight was our family dinner at Rosemeade for 8 adults plus a 4 year old. First of all, it truly is a weird location buried in Esquimalt...
Glad to hear that the Rosemeade lives up to its hype. I am definitely going to check it out next time I am on the Island.
Thanks for the great write-up
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Wow, I just saw the pictures Canucklehead took of the food he ate or saw in HK. Fantastic. Mouthwatering! Now I want to go back to visit HK (have not been back since I was a young child). Just referred my friend to your post since she is returning to HK in a couple of days.
Ling, the pictures of your home cooked meal for your boyfirend were impressive indeed. You can train to be a chef! I second the opinion that the venison dish looked really excellent. Your lucky boyfriend. I hope he was appreciative!
I just had to comment on both your wonderful posts. Great pictures!
P.S. The posts can be found in "Truth be told, where have you eaten recently?".
Thanks for sharing.
(Sorry, Ling, I meant the pheasant dish. Did you go by recipes in the 2 cookbooks you referred to? Can you just repeat them here? Also, the recipe for the apple crumb pie. The crust looks really good!)
Thanks for the nice words - really I was trying justify all the food I was eating in HK as 'research' for egullet.
Either Shanghai Wind or River are good choices - but for lunch only. Dinner is not so good for some reason - Shanghai River specializes in dim sum type specialties. Remember to order the Soup Buns.
If you are downtown - you may want to check out Kirin on Cambie for dim sum - which I think is very good. However - they don't have carts and you order a la cart. If you like the cart thing - check out Sun Sui Wah on Main - though I don't think the quality is nearly as good.
For dinner - go to Sea Harbour in Richmond and try the Crab with Pumpkin, Pork w/ Chaypote, Hand Ripped (Shredded) Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork, and Tung Bo Pork are all stand outs.
Also for dinner - I have heard decent things about Gingeri at Landsdowne Mall. Has anyone else been yet. I did a walk by and it looked like a standard chinese dim sum place (though it was very busy - even on a weekday). I am going to do some recon.
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Just heard that the Pan Pacific Hotel is reducing all of their food and beverage prices to the orginal 1986 prices in celebration of their 20th year anniversary. I think the prices are good for next week only.
What they really need is a good renovation - but if you are looking for a cheap weekend brunch - you know where to go. I can't imagine that they would cut their alcohol prices though... surely the LDB would be all over that.
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Lee: Have you gone to Po Lin Temple during this trip? Have you noticed the new cable car station and towers near the Chek Lap Kwok Airport? It is supposed to be near completion but not sure if there is delay.
Also, did you go to Yuen Long / Lau Fau Shan / Sheung Shui?
Did not see any new cable cars and did not go to any of the temples this time. We did make it out to Yuen Long - but we only had so so dim sum (none of the famous roast goose). My mother bought some 'wife cakes' though and they were quite good.
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As a former Vancouver resident living in HK for the last decade or so, I'd rather eat in Vancouver, even for Cantonese food. Hong Kong restaurants are dominated by their insane rental costs, so to keep prices down they have to compromise on everything else - like what's on your plate. And the quality of fresh meat, seafood and produce here is no match for what you can get in North America, unless you're buying flown-in imported stuff at 3x North American prices.
There's nothing surprising about the high standard of food in Vancouver. Good cooks from all over the world (including Hong Kong), great ingredients, not-too-insane restaurant rents, and a large, discerning, diverse foodie community. I can't wait for my next visit.
Dave - glad to hear from you.
I agree that Vancouver does have a very high standard - but given the sheer size of HK, you have access to the best cuisine if you are willing to pay for it. There are places in HK that you know you are having something that is the best in the world. Again the caveat being you must be willing to pay for it.
I have heard people say that you can eat better in Richmond than in Hong Kong on a day to day basis (the curry brisket is better at Mui Garden than places in HK). I think that the differences in quality are there - though subtle, between the two cities.
Still at the end of the day - I am grateful for what we have in Vancouver. But I still think that economies of scale do give you better choices in HK.
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This tea looks a bit watered-down. Is the look deceiving? How's the taste?
Looks are decieving in this case - the flavor was perfectly strong - lots of base notes but lifted by floral and grassy flavours. Really nice clean finish - cleansing tanins and a lingering jasmine flavor.
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Lee, what do you think about the breadth of Chinese food available in HK vs. Vancouver? I'm talking about the dishes that are available here in Vancouver, more so than the exact ingredients. Would you care to put a percentage number on it?
For example, the Japanese restaurants here in Vancouver barely scratch the tip of the iceberg in terms of what can be found in Japan. Is this also true to some extent with Chinese food? (Obviously, the larger Chinese population here in Vancouver should mean better representation...)
EDITED TO ADD: To put it another way, are there a lot of HK dishes that you just cannot get here in Vancouver?
So the breadth of food in HK is much higher - simply a function of higher demand therfore more niche markets. HK people are very very food oriented - so they are always looking for new things to eat. This sometimes results in odd food (like the HK Style Western food thing). But what we do have in Vancouver is of a suprising high standard.
Have you tried the new Sushi place in Aberdeen mall? It seems very authentic to me - but I am always curious about an expert's opinion.
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During our little jaunt up to Shenzen - I had very little hopes for anything good. The population of Shenzen is already larger than HK's - but it feels so backward. But in the grand scheme of things this is the future of China - and it seemed a little grim to me.
What a skyline....
However - just outside of the city is a very large park/reserve and by the lake was this incredible tea pavillion. My father knew the proprieters and they were nice enough to treat us to a tea tasting.
It was beautiful - and all of a sudden you feel like it was a hundered years ago. All this breathing room - peace and calm. Serenity.
It was the first time I saw my father truly relax and be at ease. He has not been well - so I was grateful to see him get some rest.
The tea being brewed was over 10 years old - carefully aged and then stored and cared for. Each brewing bringing out a different complexity and note of flavor.
We spent 2-3 hours there - sipping the tea, contemplating its taste and our surroundings. Probably the highlight of the trip.
Thanks for letting me post my pictures and being so indulgent with my food photos.
Egullet rules.
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Clay pot rice is a real wintertime favorite in HK. They are cooked in proper clay pots over high butane burners. Meat is put on top - and if the rice is done properly - the rice ends up full of the flavors of the meat and you get a nice crispy crust along the side of the pot. Warming, comforting, and delicous...
Clay pots ready to go.
Spareribs rice, chicken rice.
For dessert agar jelly - mildly sweet and mostly without flavor. Definitely a texture thing.
Yoku Moku cookies
in Western Canada: Cooking & Baking
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I'd like to know too - but I suspect they are too pricey for Vancouver. The only time I saw them down in the States was at Neiman Marcus.
They are delicous - thin, crispy and buttery.