Lamb skewers from Beijiang Restaurant

 

With the joyous ushering in of the Year of the Sheep on Feb. 19, it’s time to make a resolution to try the many fabulous lamb dishes available around Richmond (before and after Chinese New Year). Here are five delicious finds to get you started.

 

Lamb shoulder from Memory Corner

(PHOTO: TARA LEE)

1. Memory Corner

The owners of this charming café carry on the tradition of their ancestors, who, three-generations ago, ran a thriving lamb restaurant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The sliced satay lamb shoulder with pan-fried egg noodles and yu choy ($9.95) has great earthy flavour, with subtle aromatic spicing. Come back next time to warm your belly with their bone-in lamb hot pot.

Location: 6900 No. Three Rd.

 

Lamb skewers from Beijiang Restaurant

(PHOTO: TARA LEE)

2. Beijiang Restaurant

This destination for Halal Uyghur cuisine of northwestern China serves an array of lamb dishes, like stir-fried lamb with pickled cabbage ($16.99). Go for the charcoal barbecued lamb shoulder skewers ($2.50 each) that are incredibly tender, and have definite heat from their cumin and red chili pepper coating. Daisy tea balances the richness of the meat.

Location: 1075-8580 Alexandra Rd.

 

Spicy lamb noodle soup

(PHOTO: TARA LEE)

3. Lumingchun

A bowl of spicy lamb noodle soup ($7.50) at this popular Northern Chinese food court vendor (look out for a bright yellow sign) is a surefire cure for anyone with a cold, or a yearning for comfort. The pork broth, heightened by chili oil, is chock-full of handmade wide noodles, sweet potato glass noodles, black fungus, and best of all, lamb slices.

Location: 1100-3700 No. Three Rd., Yaohan Centre

 

Sliced lamb on a sizzling hot plate

(PHOTO: TARA LEE)

4. Silkway Halal Cuisine

This restaurant is distinct for its Hui (Muslim Chinese) menu that features many lamb dishes, like sliced lamb on a sizzling hot plate ($15.95). Amid elegant dark wood Chinese furnishings, you’ll find yourself especially addicted to the fried diced lamb, coated in whole and ground cumin, and chili powder. The outside is crisp, with a juicy inside.

Location: 110-8188 Saba Rd.

 

Lamb hot pot

(PHOTO: TARA LEE)
5. Sandbo Restaurant
Bring your appetite for this exceptionally hearty ($23.98) lamb hot pot that arrives bubbling in a traditional clay pot, atop a table-top gas stove. Besides generous pieces of bone-in lamb, the dish comes with pork hock, bok choy, tofu skin, bamboo shoots, Chinese mushrooms, and water chestnuts. The resulting broth is intensely flavourful.

Location: 6-6340 No. Three Rd.

Bonus recommendation: If you want to go completely lamb crazy, Chuan Ku BBQ (130-8291 Westminster Highway) offers a sumptuous barbecued lamb that you can pre-order a day in advance ($198 for half, $398 for whole).

 

Attention 365ers: What are your favourite lamb dishes in Richmond?