canucklehead
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Posts posted by canucklehead
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I was really impressed with Susur when I went - the food was very well done, witty, and demonstrated French technique with Chinese flavors in a smart unobtrusive way. Plus - if I remember correctly, a mid week tasting was about $100 - very good value considering the cost of tasting menus at Lumiere.
There was a lot of fun in the food. They don't seem to take themselves too seriously.
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Lai Wah Heen in the Metropolitan Hotel downtown is very good high-end dim sum. It's very non-traditional but I wouldn't go so far as to call it fusion. It's the only place I can think of that would be sufficiently different from what you can get in Van. I think canucklehead can comment further as I believe he visited on a previous trip.
In terms of sheer quality of dim sum - Lai Wah Heen is very good - but so are alot places in Vancouver. BUT - the experience is stellar. Nothing comes close in Vancouver for sheer quality of service or the room (though slightly dated) - the attention to detail is amazing. You would be hard pressed to find better service even in HK. The room is has a quiet hush about it.
I was by myself - so I could not order anything too large - but I noticed that there a few dishes with truffles incorporated into it. It was done in a very clean way - so the truffle flavor took front and center (it was a noodle dish of some sort). It was very Asian in that way - not fusiony, if you know what I mean.
Very pricey though - I spend $40 on my own for lunch without even really trying.
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My figures were in C$ - which is equivalent to US$ these days (yeah!).
I tend not to order fancy things - I like simple things done very very well. Real attention to detail and top flight ingredients win me over everytime. So that means that even in fancy places - I get away cheap!
Re: 'gweilo' - definitely the term is not used in a derogatory fashion anymore - in fact it can be a term of endearment. That being said though - I am not comfortable with it's usage. Perhaps its because, while growing up in Canada, I did see the pointy end of the racism stick and now - I don't like racially derogatory terms of any sort.
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Had two king crab dinners at SSW Richmond over the weekend. Fantastic.
Ordered with the rule of thumb - 2 pounds per person. True - it's alot of crab - but it was the centerpiece of the meal and a real treat. Leg's steamed with garlic, 'knuckles' deep fried with spicy salt and garlic chips. Yee mein tossed in the steamed juices. Really good.
All you need to round out the meal are simple dishes, abalone mushrooms with pea tips, scallops with sugar snap peas, mutton hot pot, chekiang spare ribs - all are good choices. Tax and tip included - works out to $45-50 per person. A very good deal really.
SSW Richmond is so far superior over SSW Main St. And though service can be perfunctory sometimes - for some reason - they had their 'A' game on last night - funny, engaged, enthusiastic that they had happy diners.
As noted about - king crab on special until roughly the end of the month - $13.80 per pound.
I think Kirin and Jade have similiar deals going on.
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Here's my (predictable) two cents worth on High End Dim Sum
Most places you go to will cost you about $30-40 per person by the time you work it out.
Fook Lam Moon
The Tsim Tsai Tsui location is superior. What's amazing about this place is that everything is done right - each component of dims sum is perfect. There's no real fireworks - but the service, quality of ingredients, and execution is about as good as it gets.
Victoria Harbour in Wanchai
The food is showier than FLM. Flower Crab with Chinese Wine, roast pork belly, pan fried beef buns, steamed chicken buns are all very good.
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Ah Leung - did you have any roast goose in Shatin? Or is Yung Kee in Central just as good?
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Sorry Rona, for some reason I keep thinking you are in Canada.
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If XO sauce were free at restaurants wouldn't all the customers order it? Chinese folks aren't ones to pass up a bargain.
At higher end places - I usually see it on the table already. Otherwise you would ask for it. I think that this is to make sure that you really want it - and not let it go to waste. These days I think most Chinese diners don't want to be wasteful vs. going for the bargain just for the sake of it.
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It's a Shanghainese thing - so I don't think you could get it in any old dim sum place. But it is easy to make actually
Grilled Green Onion Pancake + Cold 5 Spice Beef + A little Hoisin = Delicous Roll.
Most of the elements are available a larger Asian supermarkets here in Vancouver.
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Is it still a money squeeze? I usually get it for free at restaurants in Vancovuer - but then again - I don't check my bills carefully - so I might be getting hit with a charge and not even notice it!
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But forget Rodney's (at least in Vancouver) go to the one in Toronto but forget Vancouver.
I just found that Rodney's in Toronto and Vancouver are no longer affiliated with each other. Tip off is that the Rodney's website makes no reference to the Vancovuer location.
It explains why my experience in Toronto was different (and to me, better) than Vancouver. The oysters are good and fresh at Rodney's in Vancouver - but I agree that you have to pick a quiet time to go. The frat boy element is pretty off the charts otherwise.
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Ah Leung - stop it! You are making me wanting to book a flight back again.
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Great information up stream. One thing to consider about Vij's - get there early - and that means 5:30 - otherwise its a long wait. A pleasant wait - but a long one.
Also - I am no Chinesefood expert - seriously - I'm just an avid eater.
fmed - great suggestions!
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Excellent! What kind of oil to use in the final frying? Peanut, corn, canola?
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This dish is a litmus test for any Cantonese restaurant - should be wok hot, well sauced, but overly so - and not greasy. The stickiness of the noodles is particularly hard to handle.
The Ah Leung's version looks top notch. Look at that picture - perfectly cooked - nice and glossy - but no pooled oil or sauce. Delicious!
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If you have a little extra time in Richmond and if you love roast pork, there's a Chinese BBQ place in the Superstore complex that has the best roast pork. Crunchy skin & half-fat/half-lean pork = *drool*
HK BBQ Master - their Honey Glazed Char Sui is the best in the lower mainland.
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The Robson street location that you've chosen is a good one and there's a relatively good number of places to visit without needing a car.
Coming from NYC - I don't think there's the need for you to hit high end places.
Vij's is good - incorporating alot of local ingredients with Indian technique.
I've found Tojo's a little disappointing - though the food tasted fine, the sashimi and sushi work was a little sloppy. Not a big deal - except that the clock was ticking on a $150 omakase. Along with Octopus' Garden - I'll also suggest Zest - popular with Japanese expats.
Among the Izakaya places around your hotel - I think Kingyo is by far the best. The cooking and attention to detail is much tighter vs. the other izikaya's.
Where Vancouver does excel is Chinese food - I think easily the best in North America. Very cantonese focused. Unfortunately - this will mean a trip to Richmond for you. Even multi-branch places like Kirin and Sun Sui Wah are better in Richmond because of the fierce competition.
Stay away from Chinatown. Transit here is nowhere as good as NYC - a one day car rental may shave alot of travel time for you.
As noted above - Sea Harbour is a favorite - particularly during dinner. You will be in town during King Crab Season - many of the better restaurants - Sun Sui Wah, Kirin, and Jade will all be featuring King Crab on their menus. Prices are about $14 a pound - with the legs being steamed with garlic and the 'knuckles' being stir fried with a spicy peppercorns.
For dim sum - I think Gingeri in Richmond is excellent, but if you want to stay in Vancouver - Kirin on Cambie is quite good also.
There are a large number of Shanghainese places in Richmond. The most popular right now being Shanghai Wonderful - which is doing a killer business with PRC Expats.
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In a word - yes. I've never had a jarred version - but Cantonese restaurants in HK and Vancouver make their own XO suaces in house, from dried seafood and chilies. The quality of the sauce is of course dependent on the quality of the dried ingredients that go into it.
Most of the time, it is used as a dipping sauce. It works particularly well with plain seafood - such as har gow - as it lifts and sharpens the inherent sweetness of the shrimp. I have also seen it used to stir fry pork jowls or even just sugar snap peas - where again it lifts the blank sweetness of the vegetables or pork. Good XO sauce should have a sweet briny spiciness to it. It should not be fishy or oily tasting.
The jarred versions are probably an offshoot of this traditionally restaurant made condiment. The 'XO' name comes from, of course, the Hong Kong love of anything that sounds expensive.
MSG is not a substitue for XO sauce.
To see if you like it - go to a good dim sum place and ask for XO dipping sauce. Usually it is free, but I've also heard of places charging for it. I think it is perfect with things like Har Gow, Rice Rolls, and even well made spring rolls. It's one of those things that if the restaurant serves a good XO sauce - it's probably a decent place to eat.
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King Crab season has just started up in Vancouver - 13.80 a pound in local Chinese restaurants. It's a date that clearly marked on my calendar.
The crabs are kept live in holding tanks - and then the legs are split and steamed with garlic:
The garlic is pretty mellow - and the resulting dish is spectacular - the natural sweet brininess of the crab legs shining through.
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Benkei is great - their tonaktsu broth is the richest, most 'glossy' soup ever! So insanely thick - I can see why some people cut it with the Shiyo broth.
The charsu that they serve is also super rich and fatty.
My goodness - its a great bowl of noodles. But now I need a nap.
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Tawain street food is the best! I like how Taiwan is this sort of mix between Japanese and Chinese influences.
Thanks for the great pic's
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King Crab season has started! 13.80 a pound at SSW - prepared two ways.
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I've always understood that 'Pho' is taken from the French 'Pot Au Feu' - the pronounciation that I've been told is correct is the "fu-uh" that Fud describes above.
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Hanwoori - how could I forget? Very good Korean food.
Reports on Hong Kong dining
in China: Dining
Posted · Edited by canucklehead (log)
What does 'lo fan' actually mean? The use of 'lo' makes me assume is a honorific - but it's always best not to assume anything when it comes to Cantonese slang.