fmed

I'm a fan of traditional roast chicken (which I make almost weekly), but I often have a hankering for Hainan Chicken. Hainan Chicken is poached (though there are roasted and BBQ'd variants). The best ones are made by poaching the whole chicken in stages (simmer/ice water/simmer/ice water...etc.) to achieve a silky texture.

It could be "Bang Bang" sauce.

Agreed - I just hope the the prices don't increase too much after the renos.... Anyone know of a good alternative in the area? Peaceful is good but it's over near Cambie. ← There's Kwong Chow up Main and 16th, Legendary (near 25th), Long's (near 33rd). On If Kingsway is an option - Dai Tung, and a few others.

How about the popular Asian street food - Oyster Omelette?

Interesting. I might have to have a first hand look.

This calls for a Google Map, canucklehead to help the rest of us along! They are easy to setup: Create a google map Here is my attempt so far: Vancouver Ethnic and Hole-in-the-wall Restaurant and Food Guide Would love to see a Canada Line specific one! ← This is a bit old and I may need to update it - http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=...a2131155ef6414e I added "zones" to that one.

I've been spending much more time in Richmond that usual these days. I'm amazed at the dining options - especially in the cheap and cheerful (and Asian) category. I'm seeing a stronger Taiwanese, and Mainland presence. I also see the izakaya craze spreading there - I've seen about four or so new izakaya - though I'm suspecting Chinese operated. The new Skytrain will be the A-train to Eat Street (with stations at Aberdeen and at Richmond Center). As someone who was raised there (when it was all pretty much all farmland) - I'm finding it all very interesting.

Could it be one and the same? (I mean - knowing the backstory of Lombardo's and Marcello's).

This is very interesting...I may have to investigate.

Noooo!

Chinese restaurants have the best seafood deals in the city. For non-Asian (along with Go Fish and Fish Cafe recommended above) you may want to check out the the mid-range places like Cardero's, Sandbar, etc. My own personal fave for special nights is Blue Water Cafe...but this place is not inexpensive. This city needs more mid-range seafood restaurants.

WaaZubee has decent nachos.

I know exactly where this place is...I had always thought it was defunct. I work fairly close by...maybe I'll check it out.

Near Stanley Park...The an izakaya crawl is in order: Guu (there are two in the area), Hapa, Kingyo...and points in between. Granville Island Hotel....perhaps Rangoli or Vij's? Have lunch on the island - Go Fish is a popular reccomendation. There are a bunch of places in Yaletown just a ferry ride away.

"Abysmal" is usually how Chinese food in London is described by my friends and colleagues.

LOL I agree. I ate there a few days ago and I gave them that feedback. The prices were not food stall prices - the "Rice Tables" (more like combos than true rijstafels were in the $7.50 - $8.25). At those prices - they need to use proper utensils and plates. (Hawker's Delight - which serves food in a lower price range manages to do it.) The Rendangs, Curries, etc are the dishes to get here...very nuanced spicing and very home-style, IMO. It could have been hotter (chili-hot). We asked for "spicy" but it was sill "mild". The roti canai was heavy and not so flakey. The laksa ayam was just OK. The black rice pudding was excellent - they used real pandan leaves to flavour it. The tofu salad had a very nice and tart chile dressing.

I agree with you about fine dining. I think Vancouver does casual dining very well, though. Fine Dining just doesn't jive with this city's "personality" IMO. I can't agree with you that the Chinese here is "very average." It's a very good scene. I personally know Chinese people with very critical palettes from San Francisco to Seattle who make regular trips to Vancouver/Richmond just to eat. Vancouver is certainly one of the top 5 cities in North America for Chinese food. LA/San Gabriel Valley, NY/Queens, Toronto/Richmond Hill/Markham, Vancouver/Richmond, San Francisco are in the top echelon on this continent. You will be hardpressed to find good Chinese in West Van...it's a feng shui thing, I hear.

Have you tried Fujiya? ← I looked at Fujiya again and found something called, "Mirinfu Chomiryo." It has 8.5% alcohol. I don't know if the clerk understood me but she said this is similar to Hon Mirin. Cross my fingers. ← My Googling tells me that it is a synthetic mirin-like product. Let us know how it works out.

I recall seeing it at Drive Organics on Commercial Dr.

I was going to mention dim sum, but I thought they have it pretty good over there in TO.

Fuel (next door to Gastropod) is another great option.

An izakaya is a sake bar. Think of it as a Japanese pub where they serve Japanese tapas, Sake and Beer. The food at these places are of the "small-plate" nature and will allow you to sample all sorts of Japanese food that is outside the usual "sushi-teri-ramen" box. Vancouver is known to have a vibrant scene - especially at the izakaya alley of Robson and Denman. A quick list Tourist Attractions... Granville Island Drive up to one of local mountains near sunset - eg Cypress to get postcard perfect views of the city Commercial Dr for a bit of gastro-tourism. Jericho Beach English Bay A day trip on the Ferry - perhaps to a Gulf Island or all the way to Victoria.

Seeing as TO does not have an izakaya scene - I suggest one of those or just do a crawl along Robson and Denman where izakaya are in high concentration. Guu (Garlic and Original), Hapa, Kingyo. Sushi that won't break the bank...Okada, Yoshi. Sushi that has the potential of breaking the bank - Lime, Octopus' Garden, Blue Water Cafe. Must stop ceap lunch eats - JapaDog. I also like Hawker's Delight for a super cheap Singaporean/Malaysian meal. Highly recommended restos - Boneta, Chambar, Aurora.

Thanks for the tip flowbee.

Yes they do. But it isn't very good.