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For Dim Sum in Ma On Shan, I would recommend King Harbor Restaurant in Sunshine City Plaza. Their roast goose is also quite good but be prepared to wait for a table as it is packed for lunch and dinner on most days. Alex I have not lived in Hong Kong for years. But my brother does. He lives in Ma On Shan and here is what he recommends: Hit Hot Chiu Chow Restaurant Room 3049, 3/F, Sunshine City Plaza, Ma On Shan Tel: 2633 4829 潮州好棧 馬鞍山新港城商業中心 ← Thanks! I'll post something here if I have a chance to check them out. ←

Our plans are lunch in Mongkok then dinner at Yung Kee. I want some roast goose, even if I can't taste it! Any other suggestions for Yung Kee? ← I actually prefer the roast goose at Yue Kee in Sham Tseng but it is quite far to go without a car. If you decide on Yung Kee, I would highly recommend the soy chicken and the roast pigeon. I prefered the pigeon to their roast goose. Alex

Had a fabulous dinner at Senova last Thursday. 3 courses for $35, 4 for $45 and 5 for $50. The serving sizes were pretty good so I was pretty full with the 3 course version. Thursday evenings is roast suckling pig night and that evening they had a 40 lb roast pig they were carving up to order. The meat was fork tender and they top is with a generouse piece of crackling. mmm.. crackling.... Alex

Nice pics Brian. Many thanks to Brian and Greg for making a great team. We probably overdid the mise in the begining and got a bit caught out with the first course but we were able to bang everything out quickly afterwards. My favorites in our group were the ravioli and the tart. The pheasant sous vide turned out a bit more cooked that I would have liked because I didn't account for the extra cooking from the pan sear. We also had a lot of help from HKDave, Chef Tony and all the helpers that were there providing tips or an extra hand and also carting away the tons of pots and utensils we used to the wash. Thanks! I must say that I was glad Brian was there to come up with the plating ideas. I usualy draw a blank there and Brian's plating was clean and understated. The quality of the cooking was very high and what I was able to taste was very good. Alas, I was too full to try everything so I ended up taking some leftovers from the other groups and had it for dinner tonight....yum! Now where do we sign up the for advanced advanced course Alex Team Feenie's Weenies

The number I have is 604-231-8006 Alex

Top Gun does not have cart service. Prices are probably similar to Kirin but if you go before 10:30 on weekends, I think everything is 30% off but it does get crowded and reservations are recommended. They do a char siu (BBQ pork) dish using pork cheeks that is really nice Alex

I've used it successfully for cooking chicken breast. The trick to using it is to have a minimum amount of liquid or to freeze the liquids first because once you get the sealing surface wet, you cannot get a good seal and there will be too much air inside the pouch. In this thread here, Chef David Hawksworth describes using Glad Press n Seal to cook fish sous vide. Alex

Not really an openning or closing but I went to The Kedah House on Fraser and 41st for the first time. Three of us shared the beef rendang, roti canai, mee goreng and string beans with sambal. The food was quite good and the beef rendang was probably the best I've had in Vancouver. Anyways, they are closing the current location on April 1 and re-opening at the new location on SE Marine Drive near Argyle on April 15.

I went there Sunday afternoon for lunch and he made a big portion of horse tartare for us. He initially said he had the seared horse meat but we didn't feel like eating something that heavy for lunch so he offered the tartare as a lighter alternative. It was quite good and he seasoned it with a touch more heat than beef tartare I've had elsewhere but the sweetness and tenderness of the horsemeat came through. I've been there twice and have been impressed with the food both times. Alex

Count me in for the advanced class Alex

Just got back from Feenie's. I almost didn't order the lamb shanks after reading your review because I also like my braises with the meat falling off the bone. I ended up ordering it anyways and I am glad I did. The shank tonight was very tender, flavourful and huge. It was cooked to the point where some of the cartilage was turning into gelatin which gave the sauce a wonderful body. I wonder if they read this forum Oh, and the rest of the meal was wonderful as well. Alex

I was not able to find Misono or Hattori knives locally so I ended up picking it up from here He is based in Montreal so prices are in Canadian dollars and you save on PST. I've had good success in dealing with Paul. Alex

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. ← I agree with pretty much with Lee on this one and my opinion is based trying out many different kinds of food in all price ranges. There are exceptions of course but the key is identfying the right restaurant for the type of food you are eating. This is where having foodie friends who live in HK is a big help. The wife cakes "lo po piang" in Yuen Long was awesome and I don't even like them and the roast goose in Sham Tseng Yue Kee Restaurant was great. Alex

Great posts canucklehead. I just got back after spending 2 weeks in HK and my friend was taking me to all sorts of different places for the best or most well known version of different dishes. This was also my first time back in 10 years and here are some of my observations: 1) I thought, on average, HK Chinese food (Chiu Chow, Cantonese, Shanghai) is seasoned less aggressively than Chinese food in Vancouver. Seasoning is more subtle and you can taste the ingredients better. I prefer the HK style. 2) If you know where to go for the specific Chinese food, I prefer the HK version. This ranged anywhere from Chinese BBQ meats, beef brisket noodles all the way to high end cuisine. I think it's a combination of the available ingredients and subtle differences in the style of cooking. 3) I love the chicken in HK. It just has more flavor 4) We cooked a Western Christmas dinner and the variety of Western ingredients available at the higher end supermarkets are incredible. You can get all sorts of hams (parma, iberico, etc), cheeses, fois gras, caviar, multiple vintages of first growth Bordeux, etc. Be prepared to pay for it though. Some staples that are easy to get in Vancouver like chives and parsley are hard to find. 5) I ate all kinds of street food but never got sick. Ironically, the only time I felt a tinge was when we went for a buffet dinner and I ate less than half a questionable oyster at the Disneyland Hotel. We went there based on a recomendation from a friend but would pass on this given the choice. 6) I was introduced to a dessert made of sago, mango puree, chunks of mago, milk, pomelo pulp and sago that I absolutely loved. Ripe sweet mangoes punctuated by bits of juicy pomelo pulp that burst when you bit into them. 7) I thought is was funny how many diners are concerned enough with hygene to wash all bowls and utensils with super hot tea or water at the restaurant table while raw meats are hanging without refrigeration all day long. I went to a wet market and I can see how the smell can be a bit much during the summer. Alex

I've been meaning to try this place out since I drive by there quite frequently on my way home from work. But lately, there has been some nights where he was not open. Does anyone know what's going on? Alex

I just had my favorite dish of the year for dinner tonight. Our original intention was to go to West for the Early Prix Fixe until the server described one of the specials for the evening and I knew I had to try it. It was Snake River Kobe Beef Hanger Steak served with Chanterelle Mushrooms, Chanterelle puree, Artichoke Puree, Carmelized Onions and Wilted Spinach. The steak was cooked perfect rare and was very flavorful Other standout dishes I've had this year in no particular order: Roast Duck at La Regalade Scalop and Carmelized Onion Tart at La Regalade Pan Seared Queen Charlotte Halibit at C - my favorite cooked fish dish Otoro Sashimi at Ajisai - my favorite raw fish dish Marinated Grilled Quail with Sherry and Espresso Sauce at Senova Pinched Ravioli of Veal and Spinach with Sage-Garlic Sauce at Cioppino's Enoteca Alex

Thanks for the heads up Arne. Sounds like he took some of our suggestions from the class survey. Alex

So I finally worked out the courage to try cooking sous vide for the first time. I got a piece of chicken breast and lightly seasoned it with some sea salt, white pepper, slivered scallions, olive oil, and thinly sliced lemon sections. I sealed it with Glad Press'n Seal Freezer Wraps as tightly as I can (thanks to Daddy-A for pointing out this link about Chef David Hawksworth's technique). The first time I tried to seal, I tried it with olive oil drizzled over the chicken but it was too much and I could not get rid of the air pockets as the wrap wasn't sealing in the areas where there was oil. I re-sealed it a second time but I just rubbed the chicken with olive oil this time and I was able to get a pretty tight seal with minimal trapped air. For the heated water, I filled a stock pot with water over a gas stove set to the lowest setting. I knew from experience that I would not be able to get down to 140F even at the low setting so my brother came up with the idea of using a flame diffuser and it worked like a charm. I monitored the water temp with a digital food thermometer and by regulating how much overlap I used on the lid, I could maintain 140F within a couple of degrees. Chicken went in for 1 hour and here are my impressions: The first thing I noticed was the texture. It was very silky smooth, tender and moist. I felt the chicken taste also stood out in a good way. Most chicken breasts you buy these days are quite tasteless and rely on seasoning and sauces to make the dish taste good. With the SV method, you know you are eating chicken. Next, I took half the chicken breast and seared it for 30 seconds on each side with some clarified butter in high heat to add some color. I actually found that this took away from the purity and delicacy of the un-browned chicken and I prefered it straight out of the bag. Lessons learned: I think I could have been more aggressive with the seasoning and the next time I add lemon, it will be without the skin which imparted some bitterness from the pith. I will try some fish next time because I think this technique will work beautifully with fish. I will need to experiment with the technique to see if I can maintain a long term steady temperature without a lot of attention before trying things like duck confit or short ribs. Also keep in mind I haven't knowingly eaten anything prepared this way so I don't have a frame of reference except what's been described here by others. Thanks for all the collective suggestions from the previous posts in this thread. Alex

I really like the roast duck at La Regalade. They slow roast it so the meat is fork tender but they finish it at high temp so some of the skin gets crispy. An order is half a duck and they usually cook it in a fruit (pears, apples, peaches, whatever they have fresh) sauce. They also have a scallop and carmelized onion tart that is really good. The scallops are sliced thin (carpacio style) and placed on top at the end with just enough time in the oven to warm them up.

Last three places: ----------------------- Mistral Bistro: Very good French comfort food. I had Nicoise-sytle this-crust onion tart. I am used to puff pastry as the base but this thin crust version was quite good with the sweet carmelized onions punctuated by olives and anchovies. My friend had the Duck Platter which was also pretty good. Standouts in the duck platter were the Pate in crepine and the Fois gras terrine. For the main, I had the much talked-about cassoulet while my other friends had the rib-eye and the duck breast. The cassoulet was nicely seasoned with a whole duck confit leg that was perfect crisp-tender. My friend's duck breast was a standout. It was done med-rare and was extremely tender. The rib-eye was good but I think I would rather go to a steakhouse or HSG for hangar steak for a piece of boeuf. Of course the accompanying pomme frites were yummy. For dessert, we had the mango clafoutis (special that evening instead of blueberry) and warm apple tart. The clafoutis was similar to light bread pudding with chunks of mangoes inside and the apple tart was very good. Overall, it's a very good French Bistro and a nice addition to Bistro Pastis and La Regalade as my favorite Bistro's in YVR. ------------------------------ Matzusushi (NE corner of North Rd and Lougheed Hwy) This is one of my favorite places for cheap sushi and sashimi. It's a bonus that it is close to my workplace. The sashimi is very good and they have them on display in the fridge. You select the piece you want and they will slice and serve it to you. I had a meltingly good piece of toro and a tempura udon. ------------------------------- Top Gun in Richmond for Dim Sum Decent dim-sum and 20% or 30% off before 11:00. The must-order dish there is the home made BBQ pork (char siu) that they make out of pork cheeks. It has a nice bite to it because of the fat content from the pork cheek. Alex

Once Alex learns how to handle his Weber you may never go back A. ← I'm still trying to work out the kinks with the combination of cooking times, rubs and tempertures. I've made passable ribs but I think they can be improved... I have been to Kansas City Bar-B-Q Shack but I thought it was just OK. The pulled pork was decent. Of all the BBQ places that I've tried locally, my favorite is the brisket at Memphis. I think it's their best item on the menu. Alex

I didn't mind the pad thai so much because despite the faults it was better than the overly sweet and ketchupy ones I normally get at the Thai restaurants I go to. A bit of adjustment in the seasoning and it can be good. I'm looking forward to the dry aged beef tenderloin next week Alex

I've seen carnaroli at Whole Foods but it's basically arborio that is more plump in shape. Most important lesson with rissoto that I learned was not to over stir the rice or you destroy the shape of the grains and end up with congee. Alex

And pray tell, how do they do this duck? ← I'm not 100% on this but it seems like they confit the duck first (both the breast and leg) and then deep fry it to get the skin and the outer part of the meat crispy. The combination of crackling with tender and melt-in-your-mouth meat is really good. Alex

My mistake. I'll have to check it out.