Last week, Tourism Richmond invited some local food media on a rather lavish exploration of some of the city’s eclectic Northern Chinese restaurants as part of their monthly Dine Around Richmond campaign. Riding high on a wave of enthusiastic local and international press as well as the second successful showing in the Chinese Restaurant Awards, Richmond’s dining scene continues to push the culinary envelope.
- ^ Our ride for the day courtesy of Tourism Richmond and Aerocar HighEnd Limousine Service
(click map to enlarge)
Northern Chinese cuisine covers a significant area of the country. Stretching from Shanghai all the way north past Beijing deep into Mongolia and as far west as Xinjiang. The food tends to be colourful, spicy, and full flavoured — a reflection of the region’s more severe climate of hot summers and cold, dry winters. Using hardy crops such as wheat, cabbage and root vegetables, much of the food is preserved, often pickled or salted.
Our first stop was a popular bbq and hot pot haunt called Point Zero Four Fusion Restaurant on Alexandra Road, a.k.a. Richmond’s unofficial “Food Street”, where you will find 200+ Asian restaurants tightly packed into three city blocks.
Point Zero Four Fusion Restaurant
140-160, 8500 Alexandra Road | Richmond
Tel: 604-278-1213
pointzerobbq.com
- ^ Cold dishes: Beijing pork jelly and beef slices with sour chili sui choy
- ^ Spicy and savoury Chinese hot pot .
- ^ Super spicy BBQ chicken wing.
I did order their super spicy chicken wing to try; basically, a bbq’d wing coated in chili. Thankfully, I bit into it near the end of my meal as it pretty much was like napalm on the palate for the next half an hour. To put out the fire, the staff brought a plate of frozen grapes and cherry tomatoes, which helped… a little.
- ^ Baijiu or “white liquor”, typically made from rice or wheat, is the digestif of choice at Point Zero. This powerful spirit clocks in around 80-120 proof and has a sweet alcohol burn.
Considered by some to be one of the best Shanghainese restaurants in Richmond, Suhang has quietly been building a loyal local following tucked away in a non-descript strip mall across from the Save On Foods.
Suhang Restaurant
100- 8291 Ackroyd Road | Richmond
Tel: 604.278.7787
^ Marinated bean curd and spinach
^ Deep fried fish fillet with seaweed.
^ Crispy smoked fish Shanghai style
^ Braised wheat gluten with mushrooms
^ Mud baked chicken Hangzhou-Style
Wrapped in lotus leaves and covered in clay, “Beggar’s Chicken” is a legendary Beijing dish and the highlight of our visit at Suhang. As the story goes, a lowly beggar in rural China had stolen a chicken from a nearby farm and was busy preparing a cooking fire when the emperor’s guards came along the road with the Emperor and his entourage. In a panic to hide the bird, the beggar covered it in clay and buried it in the fire pit. Enchanted by the incredible aroma of the baked chicken, the Emperor stopped to dine with the beggar, demanding to know how he created such a delicious meal.
If you are interested in trying this traditional dish, you will need to call a day in advance to the restaurant as it takes over 4 hours to prepare.
Our final stop was Shanghai River, one of Richmond’s best known and celebrated restaurants; the place was packed full at 7:30 pm mid-week. Nonetheless, the house made Xiao Long Bao dumplings alone are well worth the trip.
Shanghai River
110-7831 Westminster Highway | Richmond
Tel: 604.233.8885
^ Xiao long bao
^ Pork lettuce wrap
^ Peking roast duck is served and eaten with pancakes, scallions and sweet bean sauce
^ House made noodles
^ Gao Lic Dou Sa (deep fried Chinese meringue) and a sweet bean paste
The next planned Dine Around Richmond is in a couple of weeks and is called “Demystifying Food Street”, where we will dive head first into the heart of the Golden Village on Alexandra Road. I am sharpening my chop sticks in anticipation.
~ PK
