My Gourmet Map of Richmond

住在 Portland 的友人 Laurence 要我推薦列治文的中菜美食清單，好讓他老人家三不五時經常專程來列市吃中式美食。
老實說，我在列治文居住了近二十年，對此間餐飲美食，當然有個人的一系列心頭好。為方便 Laurence 遠來覓食，人生路不熟，且以 Canada Line 列市的起始站 Brighouse、Lansdowne 及 Aberdeen 三站順序來作分界，把我的「心水」一一傾囊相授。

My friend Laurence loves Chinese food. He lives in Portland, but often drives all the way up to Richmond to try out different Chinese dishes from different restaurants.
Richmond has been home for my family for 20 years, one of the reasons we love this neighborhood is because the Chinese food here is superp! When Laurence asked for suggestions as to where to eat good Chinese food, I immediately thought of the restaurants along the Canada Line in Richmond, starting from Brighouse Station and stretching north towards Aberdeen station.

BRIGHOUSE STATION

左圖 : 百珍樓的油炮象拔蚌; 右圖 : 茄子肉碎老虎蝦。
Left : fried geoduck from Bamboo Grove Seafood Restaurant;
right : stir-fried tiger prawns with minced pork and eggplant.

列治文最是繁忙 No.3 Road，而 Brighouse 站更位處列市中心旺區中的旺區，也是很多酒樓食肆匯聚之區，知名者如麒麟海鮮酒家 ( Kirin Restaurant )、王府井京川粵名菜 ( DBA Imperial Court ) 。但論吃南粵風味，我倒有兩、三家袖裏藏珍，一為百珍樓海鮮酒家 ( Bamboo Grove Seafood Restaurant )，最欣賞的是大廚的爆炒技巧和鑊氣，每款小菜鹹甜調味精準，「掛芡」效果亦佳，胡椒白果豬肚湯、茄子肉碎老虎蝦、糖醋排骨百試不厭；其店內藏酒之精亦可一書，其酒單備有多款法、意貴價佳釀，中式 fine dining 而且 wine pairing，百珍樓在此間中式食肆中絕對可以稱冠。

Everybody knows that No. 3 Road in Richmond is always very busy and Brighouse Station is located at the busiest part of the road. There are quite a number of famous Chinese restaurants in this area including Kirin Restaurant and DBA Imperial Court , to me, if you love Southern Cantonese dishes, I do know of a few hidden gems. One of those is the Bamboo Grove Seafood Restaurant. I particularly enjoy how the chef stir-fried different dishes with high heat to bring out the “wok chi” that tastes so good on the palette. He is a magician in balancing the sweetness and saltiness of all dishes, and is also skillful in making all sorts of gravies. Pork stomach (don’t be a wimp!) & ginko soup, stir-fried tiger prawns with minced pork and eggplant, sweet and sour pork rib are the three dishes that you will fall in love with. Bamboo Grove has a great collection of good wine, including a number of rather expensive French and Italian ones. This restaurant is well-known for its fine dining and wine pairing.

左圖 : 海棠海鮮酒家的梅菜芯扣腩肉; 右圖 : 龍穿鳳翼。
Left : Hoi Tong Chinese Seafood Restaurant—
pork belly with pickled vegetable and soy sauce; right : long wearing phoenix wing.

海棠海鮮酒家 ( Hoi Tong Chinese Seafood Restaurant ) 的老牌師傅梁耀棠 ( Leung Yiu Tong ) 精於廣東順德菜，現時幾已絕跡市面的懷舊菜，如大良炒鮮奶、涼瓜煎蛋餅、龍穿鳳翼、梅菜芯豬腩肉等，偏偏只有在海棠才能吃得到，而且做得精緻細膩又絕不油膩，完全體現南粵菜系清而不淡，粗糧細作的巧妙神髓。

Chef Leung Yiu Tong of Hoi Tong Chinese Seafood Restaurant is a master in preparing traditional Shunde cuisine from Canton. Dishes like Daliang fried milk, bitter melon omelette, long wearing phoenix wing, pork belly with pickled vegetable and soy sauce can only be found in restaurants like Hoi Tong Chinese Seafood Restaurant. Chef Leung fully demonstrates the subtlety of South Canton cuisine, an his dishes are a step above the greasy fare typical to some South Canton restaurants.

白玉蘭各款江滬點心
Chen’s Shanghai Kitchen Assorted Dim-sum.

想吃上海點心？我會去白玉蘭 ( Chen’s Shanghai Kitchen ) ，一面聽其店內經常播放的意大利歌劇，一面吃其滾燙熱辣生煎包。另一家聚 ( Dinesty Chinese Restaurant ) 的小籠包多年來亦保持水準。
不過是兩、三年前的事吧了，當溫哥華開始有為數不少的中國移民湧入時，也曾著實刺激溫市的中餐飲食，非粵系館子如雨後春筍，如上海食肆、台式外省菜館、兼賣大江南北菜的館子等先後開業。但其中也有不少先後結業的，此中原委，服務欠佳者有之，水準參次者有之，故步自封者有之，其中，大小通吃京川滬粵一覽包者更是一絕，試問能有多少個十八般廚藝瓣瓣通天曉的伙頭大將軍？要是做得不倫不類，要掏腰包的消費者個個都是眼睛雪亮的。

If you are a fan of the Shanghai Dim-sum, go to Chen’s Shanghai Kitchen, you can listen to the Italian Opera songs while having their fried dumplings; you can also go the Dinesty Chinese Restaurant to try out their Shanghai style juicy dumplings.
About 2 or 3 years ago, immigrants from Mainland China swamped into Vancouver, bringing different Chinese cuisines from different parts of China; all sorts of restaurants emerged simultaneously bringing life and challenge into this once Cantonese-dominated restaurant business. When things started to settle down, lots of restaurants with bad service and sub-standard dishes had to close down. Food lovers are continuously developing more discerning tastes and have discovered that “Chinese” is not one but many different cuisines. Since there is a growing abundance of choices within the Chinese restaurant scene, and knowing that foodies will find the best restaurants, only the chefs that produce high quality regional specialties will survive.

列治文公眾市場新疆美食的羊肉湯麵
Xinjiang mutton soup noodle in Richmond Public Market.

反而在列市各大小 food court 中苦心經營的地方風味，如列治文公眾市場 ( Richmond Public Market ) food court 的西安小吃、新疆美食、重慶冒菜等都有捧場客。

To dine out in a restaurant is good, but you have to admit that the food courts in Richmond are providing both varieties and affordable dishes to everyone. The Richmond Public Market is one of those, you can find very delicious local dishes from Xinjiang, Xian and Chongqing.

怡園大廚在整治皇帝蟹，先在蟹腹切一刀，流出「蟹血」，再斬件炮製。
The chef from Excelsior Restaurant is demonstrating how to deal with a king crab.

港式茶餐廳的兼容並蓄，包羅萬有而又經濟實惠讓人大開眼界。平常日子，愛到怡園粉麵茶餐廳 ( Excelsior Restaurant ) 來碗墨魚丸麵為求飽肚。想打牙祭？他們的皇帝蟹四食、炒紅雞魚球都超乎大酒樓出品。
喜相逢茶餐廳 ( Happy Date Restaurant ) 價錢實惠，小炒夠鑊氣，家常小菜如椒鹽白飯魚、豆角蛋餅、老火湯都甚有水準；其隔壁是超級市場，客人可以現買游水海鮮到店內請大廚代為烹調，甚諳港式茶餐廳靈活變通之道。

Traditional Hong Kong style cafes have almost everything, more importantly, the different dishes are very affordable to the public. You can treat yourself with a cuttlefish meat ball with noodle from the Excelsior Restaurant on ordinary days. If you are in the mood to eat something better, they can also provide you with king crab 4 ways and stir-fried red snapper that are comparable to top restaurant standards.
Another Hong Kong style cafe worth mentioning is Happy Date Restaurant. Their prices are affordable and it has good “wok chi” too. Family dishes like white bait with salt and pepper, fried beans omelette and long-boiled soup are very delicious. Right by the restaurant is a Chinese style supermarket that sells live fish where customers can pick their choice of fish and, for a small fee, have it prepared by the chef at Happy Date.

LANSDOWNE STATION

龍皇鮑翅海鮮酒家各款精美粵式點心
Delicious dim-sum from Neptune Seafood Restaurant.

龍皇鮑翅海鮮酒家 ( Neptune Seafood Restaurant ) 是我愛去吃中式點心的酒樓之一。我常讚道 : 中菜之中，粵廚可說是最肯花心思發揮創意的了，觀乎此間點心師傅出品可證此言非虛。這裏的龍蝦餃、金網脆卷腸粉、松茸珍菌千葉酥、京蔥砂鍋生煎包都有口碑。

Neptune Seafood Restaurant is one of the best Chinese dim-sum around. To me, the Cantonese style chefs are both talented and very devote in creating new dim-sums. I strongly recommend you try the lobster dumplings, rice rolls with boiled crispy radish, baked matsutake mushroom with black truffle and, last but not least, Shanghai style pan-fried pork buns.

左圖 : 明家的半肥瘦叉燒; 中圖及右圖 : 香港仔燒臘燒腩肉。
Left : BBQ pork from H.K.B.B.Q.Master;
middle & right : roasted pork belly from Parker Place Aberdeen Fresh Meat & BBQ.

吃中式美食，除了嘗點心、小炒之外，不能不試的還有粵式燒味，叉燒、燒肉、燒鴨等都是我們懶得下廚時的上佳「斬料」選擇。不過，我較為挑剔，叉燒指定要吃明家燒臘專家 ( H.K.B.B.Q.Master ) 的半肥瘦出品，燒肉則非百家店香港仔燒臘 ( Parker Place Aberdeen Fresh Meat & BBQ ) 的燒腩肉莫屬。由於他們的燒肉是整隻豬燒製，故肉汁較多，瘦肉部份也不會太乾身。平日買菜時段總見排隊的長龍，過年過節更是請早惠顧，不過，管他長日見人龍，只要好吃，等又何妨。

Chinese cuisine is not only about dim-sum and set dishes. Lots of Chinese families love to order roast meat and poultry to get away from cooking or to supplement other dishes during special occasions. Try some Cantonese style BBQ pork, roast pork, roast duck or other delicious roasts. As for a picky person like me, I prefer the half-fat and half-lean BBQ pork from H.K.B.B.Q.Master. For roasted pork belly, try Parker Place Aberdeen Fresh Meat & BBQ, where they roast their pig whole to lock in the juices. Be ready to wait at both these popular shops as there is a long line up nearly everyday.

左圖 : 名都陳皮骨及炸脆奶; 右圖 : 荷葉籠仔三絲蒸陳村粉。
Left : pork rib & deep fried milk from Vivacity Restaurant;
right : steamed traditional rice noodle.

有人說，列治文 Alexandra Road 是本地的「食街」，以其短短三數街段，居然有如斯眾多食肆，一家接一家地開著，火鍋店、海鮮大酒家、台式茶室、雲吞麵店、上海小館、潮州菜館等各自各精采，光是那股熱鬧勁，已成為市內觀光一景。
坐落於「食街」有三家店是我的推薦：名都海鮮酒家 ( Vivacity Restaurant ) 的早茶午市順德名點荷葉籠仔三絲蒸陳村粉味道清爽，口感煙韌；招牌蠔豉皮蛋瘦肉粥質感綿滑，材料充足; 豬腳薑風味濃郁，是店內必試三寶。

Alexandra Road is regarded as the “food street” in Richmond. Within these three blocks, you can find hot-pot joints, seafood restaurants, Taiwanese cafes, wonton noodle houses and Shanghainese fare, to name a few.
Here are some restaurants on Alexandra Road that food lovers gotta try. Vivacity Restaurant is great for their steamed traditional rice noodle, dried oyster & preserved egg congee or the pig knuckles & egg in Chinese vinegar. These three dishes bring people back again and again.

大可以飯店的火鍋選料精良
Big Chef Restaurant hot pot comes with the best food you can find in the market.

「食街」中段的大可以飯店 ( Big Chef Restaurant ) 一味黃金蟹吃出真味，該店其實以吃火鍋為主打，雪花肥牛、自製肉丸品質上優。另一招牌菜鹽花神戶肥牛粒 ，是我吃過最好吃的中式炒牛肉。

A second one is Big Chef Restaurant, with its excellent pan fried crab with salted egg yolk. Their salted Kobe steak bites are the best Chinese style stir-fried beef I have ever had. The Big Chef Restaurant is a hot pot restaurant, so you should also try the Kobe beef and self made meat balls – delicious!

左圖 : 玉庭軒頭抽珍菌炒蟹; 右圖 : 鹽焗雞。
Left:sauteed BC Dungeness crabs & mixed mushroom from The Jade Seafood Restaurant;
right: roasted rock salt chicken in hot pot.

「食街」之寶玉庭軒海鮮酒家 ( The Jade Seafood Restaurant ) 的點心、小炒各有捧場客，如金沙蟹、頭抽珍菌炒蟹、鹽焗雞、香菇餃等。不過，我作為一個消費者，覺得他們每日下午由 5pm – 7:30pm 推出的「家常便飯」，任選三款菜式加靚湯，足四位用只 $48 才是超值好食，大酒樓出品，小館子價錢，物超所值。

The Jade Seafood Restaurant on “food street” is well known for their dim-sum and for dishes like pan fried Dungeness crab with salted egg yolk, sauteed BC Dungeness crabs & mixed mushroom, roasted rock salt chicken in hot pot and mushroom dumplings. My recommendation is their home-style dishes offered during between 5:00 and 7.30pm. For only $48, 4 people can get their fill on a choice of any 3 dishes from their menu plus a soup.

ABERDEEN STATION

Portland 人向以最多 food cart 又平又靚而自傲，不過，看過我們列治文的 food court 後，相信你們只有欽羨的份兒。列治文最多選擇的三大 food court 聚集在 Aberdeen Station 一帶，分別為時代坊 ( Aberdeen Centre )、八佰伴中心 ( Yahon Centre ) 及百家店 ( Parker Place )。

Portland is well known for its more than 400 food carts scattered everywhere in the city, but wait until you try the good food in our food courts in Richmond. The 3 major food courts in Richmond are Aberdeen Centre, Yahon Centre and Parker Place. All 3 provide a variety of delicious yet very affordable food.

左圖 : ﹕時代坊 food court 地方舒適; 右圖 : 時代坊 food court 萬寶茶餐的焗豬扒飯。
Left : food court in Aberdeen Centre;
right : baked pork chop with rice from Mambo Cafe in Aberdeen Centre food court.

以地方舒適、環境優雅而論，時代坊 food court 絕對可以稱冠，臨窗可眺望遠景，比不少餐廳都更有優美景觀。食物方面，有人鍾情百家店 food court，而我則愛八佰伴中心的越式豬扒包及韓式石頭飯 ( 雖則這兩款都不是中式菜 )，加上帝國中心的占士叻 ( James Snack Sandpot Rice ) 即吃即製煲仔飯及老火湯，十元八塊已有一頓豐足的家常美食，其隔壁的蔡家手撕雞亦是超乎 food court 水準，你說，這些又便宜又質優的美食，不是比諸 Portland 的 food cart 更勝嗎？本地除了麗晶廣場 ( Crystal Mall ) 的 food court 可以比擬之外，其他市中心或西區 food court 水準都是瞠乎其後的。

The food court in Aberdeen Centre has the best view one can find, and it is comfortable to dine in. As for food, some may favour the food court in Parker Place, as for myself, I love the Vietnam-style pork chop bun and the Korean bibimbap (which is obviously not Chinese dish) in Yahon Centre. I also like the James Snack Sandpot Rice in the Empire Centre food court. Their freshly made hot pots and soups cost roughly $10 and they are just gorgeous. Their immediate neighbour Choi House Special Chicken is selling top quality shredded chicken dishes as well. In my opinion, only the food court in Burnaby – the Crystal Mall – can compete with the food courts mentioned here.

左圖 : 海港大酒樓生炸妙齡鴿; 右圖 : 鮑魚鴨掌。
Left : roasted young squab from Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant;
right : abalone with duck web.

Aberdeen 站附近還有一家高級中式酒樓要介紹，相信不少人都知道海港大酒樓 ( Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant ) 以吃鮑魚、生炸妙齡鴿、豉油皇煎游水蝦而馳名，然其午市的走地雞炆米卻是我的至愛，蔥爆遼參亦有水準。

There is one high class Chinese Restaurant close to the Aberdeen Station that is worth mentioning. It is the Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant. Most people know this restaurant for their abalone, their roasted young squab and the sauteed spot prawns with soya sauce. As for myself, I also love their rice noodle with free range chicken and pan fried spiked sea cucumber with green scallion.

滿有港式街坊茶餐廳風味的麗都茶餐廳
Very traditional Hong Kong style cafe — Lido Restaurant

一杯茶香奶滑的港式奶茶，是港式飲食文化的靈魂所在。麗都茶餐廳 ( Lido Restaurant ) 的奶茶配冰火「菠蘿油」或蛋撻，完全可以讓港人回味在香港下午「三點三」躲在「蛇竇」嘆下午茶的老好日子。其緊鄰麗晶餅店還可以買到以蛋白做的蛋撻，雖則蛋味比諸一般蛋撻稍遜，但對「三高」人士來說，是既照顧了健康又滿足了口腹。

Lido Restaurant has the best Hong Kong style milk tea on offer. It goes so well with their pineapple bun with butter or egg tart. This little cafe reminds me of my good old days in Hong Kong, when I was enjoying the 3.15pm tea break.
Their neighour, the Regent Bakery sells egg tart made from egg white. It might not be as delicious as the regular egg tart, but it meets the needs of those who are more health-conscious.

左圖 : 任選任配魚湯米線; 右圖 : 魚湯米線的好配搭﹕煎牛舌。
Left : fish soup noodle;
right : A good match with fish soup noodle—fried cow tongue.

近日，魚湯米線成為了潮流熱賣，無論是專賣店還是大小茶餐廳都必備魚湯米線，以魚骨熬成奶白香濃的基本湯底，食客可以任選湯底口味、粉麵及配菜，健康有營選擇多。
看來，Laurence 沒呆上一、兩個星期，是沒法吃遍此間美食的。

Recently, fish noodle soup house have become a focus for food lovers. You can find them everywhere! At this health-conscious spot you can also mix and match with different foods.
Poor Laurence, I think he needs more than a week to try everything out.

列治文必試中式食肆
Richmond must try Chinese Restaurants

海鮮酒家類 (restaurant)
百珍樓海鮮酒家
Bamboo Grove Seafood Restaurant
6920 No. 3 Road, Richmond
604-278-9585
必試菜式 : 茄子肉碎老虎蝦、胡椒白果豬肚湯、糖醋排骨。
Must try dishes : pork stomach & ginko soup, stir-fried tiger prawns with minced pork and eggplant, sweet and sour pork rib.

海棠海鮮酒家
Hoi Tong Chinese Seafood Restaurant
#160-8191 Westminster Hwy., Richmond
604-276-9229
必試菜式 : 大良炒鮮奶、苦瓜煎蛋餅、梅菜蕊扣腩肉。
Must try dishes : Daliang fried milk, bitter melon omelette and pork belly with pickled vegetable & soy sauce.

龍皇鮑翅海鮮酒家
Neptune Seafood Restaurant
#100-8171 Ackroyed Rd., Richmond
604-207-9888
必試點心 : 京蔥砂鍋生煎包、金網脆卷腸粉、松茸珍菌千葉酥。
Must try dim-sum : Shanghai style pan-fried pork buns, rice rolls with boiled crispy radish and baked matsutake mushroom with black truffle.

玉庭軒海鮮酒家
The Jade Seafood Restaurant
8511 Alexandra Road, Richmond
604-249-0082
www.jaderestaurant.ca
必試點心及菜式 : 香菇餃、鹽焗雞、頭抽珍菌炒蟹。
Must try dim-sum and dishes : mushroom dumpling, roast rock salt chicken in hot pot and sauteed BC Dungeness crab & mixed mushroom。

名都海鮮酒家
Vivacity Restaurant
#110-8351 Alexandra Road, Richmond
604-279-1513
必試菜式 : 蠔豉皮蛋瘦肉、荷葉籠仔三絲蒸陳村粉、豬腳薑。
Must try dishes : steamed traditional rice noodle, dried oyster & preserved egg congee and pig knuckles & egg in Chinese vinegar.

大可以飯店
Big Chef Restaurant
#1060-8580 Alexandra Road, Richmond
604-207-0386
必試菜式 : 火鍋及雪花肥牛、黃金蟹、鹽花神戶肥牛粒、砵酒焗生蠔。
Must try dishes : pan fried crab with salted egg yolk, salted Kobe steak bites, Kobe beef & hot pot and oven roasted oysters with hot pot.

海港大酒樓
Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
3711 No. 3 Road, Richmond
604-232-0816
必試菜式及點心 : 生炸妙齡鴿、豉油皇煎游水蝦、蔥爆遼參、流沙包。
Must try dishes and dim-sum : roasted young squab, sauteed spot prawns with soy sauce, pan fried spike sea cucumber with green scallion and steamed bun stuffed with preserved salty egg yolk.

茶餐廳類 (cafe)
怡園粉麵茶餐廳
Excelsior Restaurant
#6-6340 No. 3 Road, Richmond
604-278-2616
必試菜式 : 生炒紅雞魚、墨魚丸麵、豉油雞。
Must try dishes : stir-fried red snapper, cuttlefish meat ball with noodle and soy sauce chicken。

喜相逢茶餐廳
8035 Park Road,Richmond
604-275-3308
必試家常小菜 : 椒鹽白飯魚、老火湯.
Must try dishes : white bait with salt & pepper and long-boiled soup.

麗都茶餐廳
Lido Restaurant
#150-4231 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond
604-231-0055
必試小吃 : 奶茶、蛋撻、菠蘿油。
Must try snacks：milk tea, egg tart and pineapple bun with butter。