Sea Harbour’s approach to Chinese food has always been about that extra bling, the additional flourish, the showy ingredient that speaks to ambition and aspiration. The restaurant has recently moved to the River Rock Casino reflecting its high roller food and clientele. The room is certainly glossier with golden mirrors and soaring ceilings. The food, if anything, has gotten brasher – with bigger flavors, portions, and prices.
The best of dish of the evening is an appetizer of wood ear mushrooms dressed in a vinaigrette spiked with sichuan peppercorns.
Sea cucumber with green onions and ginger has a good meaty chew remincent of mushrooms (with a staggering price tag of almost $50 per order).
A twist on sweet and sour pork – pork chops in sauce of haw berries
Though cooking remains impeccable – I’ve got say it’s not quite the same as the old Sea Harbour. The food seems much more calculated to impress rather than simply to be enjoyed. The desired effect has been fully embraced by most diners – who order too much, with pricey out of season king crab being the most popular item. Is there anything quite as depressing as the sight of plates of expensive well made food being barely touched for the sake of show?
The food is bigger – but wobblier, as though there is one ingredient too many. The dish that showed the most subtlety was the dessert of warm coconut cream with taro and tapioca – the flavors were clean and pure, and the taro was cooked to a perfect state of near collapse. Ironically – it was also free.
Gone is the sense of a small jewel box of a restaurant, replaced by a room that much shinier, but less charming. However, the food remains delicious – and along with your meal, you’ll get a view of how China’s booming entrepreneurial class likes to dine out – and that’s Big and Beautiful, baby.
Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
(Across from River Rock Casino Resort)
150-8888 River Road,
Richmond, BC
T 604.232.0816
Website | Facebook (note – address information is not up to date on Facebook page)
