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Home > Chinese cuisine

Chinese cuisine

Hot Dining: Local Under-the-Radar Asian Restaurants

Spicy tuna prawn rolls (front), seared salmon sashimi (middle) and alpha rolls (back), at Alpha Global Sushi. Photo by KK Law

Uncover some of the city’s best eating at a myriad of unsung Asian rooms. Alpha Global Sushi sports fresh rolls, inventive izakaya and smart drinks in a cozy laidback setting. Robson’s Gyoza King eschews sushi for affordable home-style fare such as piping-hot prawn gyoza (dumplings), bowls of steaming ramen, robata and more. Fast but not fancy, Lin makes for a perfect quick bite of northern Chinese, including the celebrated handmade soup-filled Shanghai pork dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)—vowed by serious XLB hounds to be the best this side of the Pacific.—Tim Pawsey

Hot Dining: Pink Pearl’s Return to East Vancouver

Clockwise from front left: BBQ pork pastries, soup dumplings and pan-friend dumplings at Pink Pearl. Photo by KK Law

Hail a cab and head east of Chinatown to Pink Pearl, an institution since 1981 and one of the area’s few remaining large-scale dim sum rooms. Settle into the often busy, capacious interior for traditional bamboo steamers filled with shrimp dumplings, spare ribs in black bean sauce, Shanghai pork buns, shrimp balls, sticky rice and pot stickers. Dim sum carts wheeled tableside make choosing easy.—Tim Pawsey

Hot Dining: Worldly Cuisine on Denman Street

Poncho’s photo by KK Law

The road to English Bay is lined with a variety of tempting tastes from every corner of the culinary world. Feast on authentic Mexican fare in friendly surroundings at Poncho’s (pictured); head upstairs to Kadoya Japanese Restaurant for some of the city’s most inventive sushi, or next door to Won More for spicy Szechuan; taste quintessential West Coast fare at legendary, long-running Raincity Grill; savour serious bistro cuisine at Le Parisien; or hang with the locals at funky Central Bistro.—Tim Pawsey

Hot Dining: Cool Chinese Cuisine at Chinois

Chinois Restaurant photo by KK Law

Yaletown’s newly minted Chinois, a cozy brick room that brims with funky, vibrant art, blends classic Chinese fare with smartly sourced local ingredients. Faves from the glass-walled kitchen range from barbecued pork, roast duck and kung-pao chicken to steamed sablefish and jumbo prawns with candied walnuts.—Tim Pawsey

Hot Dining: Wild Rice Comes to New Westminster

Wild Rice in New Westminster. Photo by KK Law

Hop on the SkyTrain to explore Westminster Quay on the Fraser River, and check out modern Chinese specialist Wild Rice, which recently opened this second location, overlooking the water. On the menu: creative plates such as seared Ocean Wise albacore tuna with ginger shallot daikon and black vinegar reduction, or, more traditional, Chinese barbecued Sloping Hill pork on rice. For more cutting-edge Asian tastes and seductive cross-cultural cocktails, drop by Xi Shi Lounge in downtown’s Shangri-La Hotel.—Tim Pawsey

Hot Dining: Going for the Gold

Pan-fried prawns with soy, at Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant. Photo copyright 2010 HSBC Chinese Restaurant Awards

This year’s HSBC Chinese Restaurant Awards (www.chineserestaurantawards.com) dished out six Gold Awards of Distinction. Looking to taste the best of the best? Grab a cab to Sun Sui Wah for Alaska king crab three ways, or hop on the Canada Line SkyTrain to Sea Harbour Seafood to sample pan-fried prawns with soy. Other Distinction winners: Richmond’s BBQ Master and Bamboo Grove, and Burnaby’s Alvin Garden.—Tim Pawsey

Hot Dining: Old Meets New

Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie. Photo by KK Law

Recently named one of the top 10 new restaurants in Canada by enRoute magazine, Bao Bei lives up to its reputation. Set in a lovingly refurbished setting, this modern Chinese brasserie boasts a cool menu and even cooler decor. The small plates convey a decidedly novel Asian influence, such as the combination of stir-fried squid and pork belly or fresh clams with ginger and scallions. A well-stocked bar filled with creative concoctions and smartly chosen wines completes the picture.—Tim Pawsey