The Dumpling Trail in Richmond, BC

The Jade Seafood Restaurant

A DUMPLING FOR GLOWING SKIN

The Jade, founded in 2004, is an innovative Cantonese restaurant that has won numerous Chinese Restaurant Awards. Owner David Chung, who is also a real estate developer and long-time president of the BC Asian Restaurant of Café Owners Association, recommends the new Steamed Wasabi Fish Maw and Seafood Dumpling. Fish maw is the dried swim bladder of large fishes, such as sturgeon. An expensive delicacy, it’s chock full of collagen and great for the skin.

DIM SUM: EARLY BIRD SPECIALS

Dim Sum is the ultimate brunch that can be eaten for breakfast or lunch. Most restaurants open at 10 am and offer incentives for early birds. At Jade Seafood Restaurant, diners who order before 11 am receive a 20 per cent discount.

DOUBLE CHOPSTICKS

At Jade Seafood and most Cantonese banquet restaurants in Richmond, the tables are set with two pairs of chopsticks in different colours (usually black and white). One pair is meant to be used for collecting food from shared dishes; the other pair is for eating. It doesn’t matter which colour you use, as long as you’re consistent. But it’s easier if everyone around the table agrees on the same colour code.

Yuu Japanese Tapas

FOODIE FAMILY

Owner Julia Kubotani opened Yuu Japanese Tapas in 2010, the same year she had her first child. She comes from a long line of chefs, in Japan and Hong Kong, including her dad, uncle and brother-in-law. When her parents came to Canada in the early nineties, they opened the first restaurant in Richmond that served authentic Kyushu (a.k.a. tonkotsu) ramen. “People didn’t even know what ramen was back then,” says Kubotani. “Everyone thought ramen meant instant noodles.”

HOME OF THE ORIGINAL BEER RAMEN

In 2018, Yuu Japanese Tapas became Instafamous when its Beer Ramen went viral. The cold ramen, inspired by a sticky hot summer, was served in a frosty beer mug filled with dashi and a foamy head made from gelatin and broth.

Beer Ramen is still available at Yuu as a summer special. In winter, the restaurant swaps it out for Volcano Ramen, served in a sizzling stone bowl with hot broth poured over top and steamed through a funnel.

YOSHOKU CUISINE

In addition to gyoza and ramen, Yuu serves Western-influenced foods like hamburger patties in teriyaki sauce, cheesy corn and nori poutine. This fusion style of cooking is called yoshuku. It has a long history in Japan, going back to the late 19th century when isolationist policies were lifted and Western foods were promoted. The edible path to progress included red meat, which had been banned for 12 centuries.
Mukokuseki (no nationality) cuisine, is the more modern term for this common mishmash of cooking styles. Kubotani simply calls Yuu a Japanese family-style restaurant. “We have so many different varieties of cooking. I couldn’t pinpoint one. We’re always innovating and experimenting and creating new dishes to cater to our younger clientele.”

Bánh Mì Très Bon

LABOUR OF LOVE

Owner Lan Do gave up a successful corporate career in high-tech marketing and publishing to open Banh Mi Tres Bon, her first restaurant, in 2016. To prepare, she spent five months travelling across Vietnam, taking private cooking classes with top chefs and learning about regional cuisines.

DON’T MISS THE BANH KHOT

Not quite a dumpling, but just as delicious! These miniature cup-crêpes are made to order and served in a sizzling cast-iron aebleskiver pan for an elevated version of the popular street food. The rice batter is gluten-free, tinged yellow with turmeric and topped with crispy shallots and sautéed greens.

FRESH HANDMADE BAGUETTES

The banh mi sandwiches are stuffed inside fresh French baguettes that aren’t just handmade, they’re hand-kneaded. Do says this labour-intensive process – rare to find nowadays, even in Vietnam – gives the bread its crispy crust and soft, airy crumb.

R & H Chinese Food

HOW DO THEY GET THE SOUP INSIDE THE DUMPLING?

Xiao Long Bao’s are a marvel of culinary engineering. At this popular food-court gem, operated by the Sun family since 2009, you can watch the assembly in action. No, the soup is not injected. The wrappers are pleated around small porky meatballs and intensely flavoured gelatin cubes, which melt into hot liquid when steamed.

LUCKY DUMPLINGS

Jiaozi (gaau ji in Cantonese) are crescent-shaped dumplings that are said to bring good fortune. The curved shape symbolizes prosperity because it resembles sycee, gold and silver ingots that were used as an ancient form of Chinese currency. Many different types of dumplings fall under this category, including guo tie (pan-fried) and shui jiao (water-boiled). They’re all lucky and are often eaten at the Lunar New Year to bring riches in the coming year.

PRO TIP

Put 1 cup of water in a pot large enough for four cups and bring to a boil. Add frozen dumplings, stir once to prevent them from sticking and let the water return to a boil. Add another cup of cold water and bring it to a boil again. Repeat the cold-water process two more times – three times in total. This technique, known as Dian Shui (add water), keeps the dough tight and prevents the wrappers from falling apart. “That’s how my grandma cooked dumplings,” says R&H’s Michael Sun. “It’s the Chinese way.”

Suhang Restaurant

BREAKFAST FOR DINNER

Xiao long bao (soup dumplings) and sheng jian bao (pan-fried buns) are traditionally eaten for breakfast. But here in Richmond, you’ll find them on the dinner menu at most Shanghainese restaurants – Suhang included. Cantonese dim sum, on the other hand, is usually only available during the day.

LIGHT AS CLOUDS

The word wonton comes from a Chinese phrase that means “swallowing clouds.” Shanghainese wontons, which are made with thin, white wrappers, have long, silky tails and are often served floating in a milky, pork-bone broth, are the dreamiest.

STILL HUNGRY?

Try Suhang’s ambrosial dong po pork — a thick slab of belly that is slowly braised in soy sauce, rock sugar and rice wine until meltingly tender. It was a Critics’ Choice Signature Dish winner for the 2021 Chinese Restaurant Awards. In 2022, Suhang was voted Best Shanghainese Restaurant.

Silkway Halal Cuisine

HUI CHINESE

Silkway is a Chinese Muslim restaurant. Its owners are Hui Chinese, from the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in north-central China.  The Hui, representing nearly 10 million people, is one of China’s largest and most widely distributed ethnic minorities. They are the descendants of Arab traders who entered China 1,500 years ago. The Hui have intermingled with the Han (China’s ethnic majority) and thoroughly assimilated into Chinese society. Unlike the Uighurs, the Hui do not have a distinct language and predominantly speak Mandarin.

HALAL

The food at Silkway is all halal. This means: there are no pork dishes on the menu or dishes that contain pork by-products; the meat (largely lamb and chicken) comes from animals that have been fed a natural diet and slaughtered under strict Islamic guidelines; and the food is not prepared with forbidden ingredients such as alcohol, blood, animal shortening or rennet.

NORTHERN CUISINE

Silkway is a great place to explore and discover something new. The menu includes hearty, spicy dishes from all across northwestern China, including stewed goat rib, cabbage hot pots, braised Xingiang-style chicken and cumin lamb skewers.

Empire Seafood Restaurant

CLASSIC HAR GOW: THE DIM SUM LITMUS TEST

Har gow is one of the most common – and popular – dim sum dumplings. It’s also the litmus test of a good kitchen. Ideally, the har gow skin should be thin, translucent, stretchy and slightly sticky. The dumpling should be stuffed tight with filling, not saggy. The shrimp should be plump, juicy, slightly crunchy and whole (if small) or hand-chopped (if large), but never minced.

ORDER LIKE A PRO

The dim sum rule of thumb is two baskets or dishes per person and one more for the table. Four people = nine dishes. Textural variety is important in Chinese cuisine so try to include a mix of fried, baked and steamed items. For a properly balanced lunch, pare the dim sum back to one basket per person, add stir-fried greens and a main meat or seafood dish. Still hungry? Order fried noodles or rice at the end.

DON’T SAVE DESSERT FOR LAST

There is no set order to eating dim sum. The dishes come out of the kitchen as soon as they’re ready. If you prefer to finish with something sweet, hold off on ordering all those delicious egg custard tarts and brown sugar sponge cakes.

Parkhill Seafood Restaurant

PETITE AND BOUTIQUE

Parkhill (previously called Parklane) is Empire’s smaller, high-end sister restaurant. Both specialize in Cantonese cuisine, but Parkhill offers more labour-intensive, specialty dishes. At dim sum, try the signature Seafood Dumpling Trio – a colourful set of open-faced shrimp dumplings topped with scallop, crab and lobster.

GO FOR THE CHIU CHOW FUN GOR

Teochew (or Chiu Chow) cuisine is rare to find in Richmond, or anywhere in North America for that matter. Before being renovated in 2020, Parkhill Seafood was a full-fledged Teochew restaurant that served the light and brothy, seafood-rich specialties from the coastal Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong. Parkhill and its sibling restaurant, Empire Seafood, still serve Chiu Chow dumplings, sometimes called Teochew or Fun Guo. Here, it’s called Steamed Minced Pork and Peanut Dumpling.

WHERE’S THE BEEF?

Traditionally, beef has not been a big part of the non-Muslim (Han) Chinese diet.  The taboo goes back to ancient times, when oxen-pulled plows were essential to agriculture and the slaughter of cattle without government permission was a serious crime. Beef was mostly eaten by the nobility and the Muslim (Hui) Chinese population. In recent years, as the Chinese middle class has flourished, beef has become a more sought-after luxury. Parkhill offers a large variety of beef dishes on its dinner menu. At dim sum, try the pan-fried beef buns if available.

4 Stones Vegetarian Cuisine

BEST VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT

Voted Best Vegetarian Restaurant by the 2022 Chinese Restaurant Awards, 4 Stones offers Taiwanese cuisine rooted in the Buddhist tradition. In Taiwan, Buddhism and Taoism are the two major religions.

BEFORE THE BEYOND BURGER

Buddhist faux meats have existed for centuries, making the Beyond Burger look like a baby.  These plant-based meats were originally intended for people making the transition to vegetarianism. It also gives people something to offer (in place of chicken or fish) when going to the temple for special holidays. The 4 Stones’ vegan meat alternative, used in their dumplings, is made from soy protein, gluten, tofu and bean curd.

NO ALLIUMS ALLOWED

Buddhist cuisine shuns the “five pungent vegetables” (wuhun), which includes onion, garlic, scallions, shallots, leeks and chives. They are considered harmful aphrodisiacs that could inflame the carnal passions of Buddhist monks.

Dinesty Dumpling House

SOUP DUMPLINGS: TAIWANESE OR SHANGHAINESE?

Dinesty Dumpling House is a local restaurant chain that serves a mix of Shanghainese and Taiwanese dishes. Its best-selling steamed soup dumplings have a claim to fame in both regions. Although no one knows for sure where the first soup dumplings were made, it is widely believed that they originated in Nan Xiang, a country town in the outskirts of Shanghai. But their global popularity, some say, can be attributed to Taiwan’s Din Tai Fung. The Michelin-starred restaurant chain is world-renowned for its obsessively detailed xiao long bao – pleated precisely 18 times and weighing exactly 21 grams before steaming.

CORRECT WAY TO EAT XIAO LONG BAO?

1. Use your chopsticks to gently lift the dumpling by its top knot and place it on it a soup spoon.
2. The soup will be scalding hot so give it a few minutes to cool. If you absolutely can’t wait, nibble off the top or poke a hole in the side to create a release valve for the steam.
3. Drizzle a bit of black vinegar (usually served with thin strands of ginger) onto the spoon or into the top.
4. Slurp through the top or, as some prefer, put the whole dumpling in your mouth and pop it like a balloon. Your call.

FREE DUMPLINGS

Dinesty Dumpling House offers many types of dumplings, but the xiao long bao is the most popular by far. And loyalty has its rewards. Every time you order a basket of soup dumplings, you can receive a stamp on Dinesty’s dumpling points card: 10 stamps = 1 free basket.

Shine Valley Lamb Soup

We focus on Lamb, since 2014, bringing Asian taste to local markets, no matter Fry, Stir, Steam, Stew, BBQ, Boil . We cook Lamb Soup, Lamb Skewer, Lamb Head, Lamb Rack, Lamb Flank, Lamb Dumpling, Lamb Bun and more!

Max Noodle House

Traditional Style Wonton Noodle and Congee House.

Yuan’s Garden Restaurant

Famous Shanghai Xiao Long Bao and Sheng Jian Bao are really popular among customers. We provide Shanghai dim sums and traditional Shanghai cuisine to customers!

Little Karp Seafood Restaurant and Bar

Little Karp is located in Richmond BC, Canada. Relying on the abundance of the seafoods and variety of the fruits and vegetables in West Coast, we take pride in our ability to discover the most local ingredients and the unique flavours from around the world and share them with you.

Afghan Chopan Bakery & Diner

Low-key Afghan eatery focusing on a large menu of classic dishes & vegetarian options.

Nyonya House

Experience a diverse selection of authentic Malaysian cuisine, featuring favourites like roti canai, satay skewers, nasi lemak, laksa, and Hainanese chicken. Our menu also offers Malaysian milk tea, coffee, and indulgent desserts such as cendol and mango sticky rice.

CHJ Bistro

Indulge in a world of culinary delights where fresh ingredients meet skilled chefs, making every visit a memorable journey for your taste buds.