akl

To put things into perspective, which restaurant in Vancouver will you qualify as a "great" Chinese restaurant? BTW, VIP's is highly regarded by some Chinese as having the best Chiu Chow dishes in the lower mainland.

There is this store across from O'Grady's Westcoast on Hastings. The selection is pretty good. In Chinatown, there are 2 - Tinland and a new store, both on Pender between Main and Gore. The new store was not fully stocked yet. According to the staff there, the main branch is in Richmond, north of Westminister Hwy on Minoru Boullevard (north of the car show room). Personally, for home, I like to shop at Ming Wo.

I've not been to either Lai Wah Heen or Dynasty, so I do not know your definition of "serious" room. Have you been to East Passion on Hornby in the HSBC building? Does that qualify as a "serious" room? ← What's the food like at East Passion? I've walked by a number of times - but I haven't had the chance to try it. Have you been akl? ← I have been there a few times. I prefer not to comment on the food, but I really like the room.

I've not been to either Lai Wah Heen or Dynasty, so I do not know your definition of "serious" room. Have you been to East Passion on Hornby in the HSBC building? Does that qualify as a "serious" room?

Boulud coming to Vancouver. Susur Lee going to NYC (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080401.wlee0401/BNStory/lifeFoodWine/home). Maybe Feenie to T.O. to complete the circle? Kidding. This is off topic, but I've been a Susur Lee fan since his Club Chinois days. I wonder if he will ever open a restaurant in Vancouver. akl.

Thank you for your frank reply. Makansutra is a good guide, but by no means the definitive guide. Singaporeans are very passionate about our food. If I were to pick people off the street in Singapore randomly and ask for their favorite Chicken Rice place, chances are I will get 8 different places. And chances are I will not have heard about half of the places! The same goes for any other food. I believe our strengths lie with the support from Singapore, enabling us to offer twists to classic dishes like Seafood Laksa Spaghetti. Do come and try our dishes. I will say majority of our "classic" dishes are as close as it get to the hawker's in Singapore. Bring your Singaporean friends along and let them be the judge.

Hi Flowbee, Roti - I'll let you try and decide for yourself. Sauce - Yes, we do use Prima products imported from Singapore. Crab - Yes, we do serve man tou with Chilli Crab. We usually serve it deep-fried. However, if the kitchen is not too busy, we can steam it. May I ask how familiar you are with Singapore food? akl.

Seriously, no. But Pho Tam is right beside Central City skytrain. Lots of sketchy people around. I believe there was an attack a while back in bear creek park, so it has a bad name. But hey, why venture into the park after dark?

Asian Spice in the same mall as Mahek is worth a try too. It is Chinese/Indian fusion. Surrey has pretty good pho if you are interested. But they are in an even scarier part of town. Try Pho Tau Bay (108 ave and 148 st, look for a Mac's convenience store) and Pho Tam (King Georg and 103 I think).

Hi all. Just joined the board a couple of days back. I am Kiam Ang, the Canadian franchisee of Prima Taste Restaurant. Just some factual updates. Ellie's, in Richmond's Continental Centre, is owned by a Malaysian. Carol, formerly of Rasa Singapura in Richmond Public Market, is no longer in the food business.