ChiuChow Seafood Restaurant

"Oh another Chinese restaurant", is a phrase I hear often when we see "another Chinese restaurant" open up in the GVRD.  Well, the people who say and think this aren't completely wrong because there are indeed an overwhelming amount of Chinese restaurants.  However, if we dive deeper into what "type" of Chinese restaurant it is, then it becomes a bit more clear.  So where Regal Mansion used to stand, it has now been replaced by ChiuChow Seafood Restaurant.  For those who aren't familiar, Chiu Chow is a specific cuisine in China.  It is famous for using a braising broth that gets replenished but never replaced.  They braise many different items in this broth including the most popular - Chiu Chow Duck.

We were here to try that dish as well as many others.  So we went ahead and ordered Chiu Chow Marinated Meat Platter consisting of pork belly, pig's ear, pig intestine, fried tofu and egg.  As you can see, this didn't include the duck.  I really think they should have an option on the menu that includes the duck (just charge more).  Anyways, there wasn't anything inherently bad about this dish, but I found the braising stock to be a little light in flavour.  Sure, I got the usual soy, sugar and some elements of shaoxing wine, yet the spices didn't come through as much as I would've liked.  Still, the components of the dish were texturally on point though and I did appreciate the egg wasn't overdone.

Instead of duck, we ended up with the Marinated Goose atop more marinated deep-fried tofu.  Again, I would say this was "alright".  The goose was a bit on the dry side, but still sufficiently tender.  Loved the buttery soft tofu on the bottom.  However, the goose itself was flavoured like the previous dish (predictably).  Hence, it tasted okay, but hardly anything to rave about.  At least we could dunk it into the white vinegar and garlic on the side for more impact.

 

At least the marinated meats and tofu were decent, the Stir-Fried Beef & Gai Lan was not very good.  The major issue was that the gai lan was completely overcooked.  It was soft and lifeless without its signature crunch and vibrancy.  On the bright side, the beef was tenderized enough, yet at the same time, was in little bits rather than big slices.  As much as there was plenty of satay sauce, it wasn't particularly flavourful.

 

Now the absolute worst dish of the bunch as the Steamed Flathead Mullet with Salted Lemon.  Sure, we knew this was not a fresh fish and also that mullets are usually firmer in texture.  However, this fish was so tough, we couldn't chew it.  My daughter took one bite and refused to eat anymore.  I took one bite and refused to eat anymore!  It also was very fishy-tasting and the preserved lemon didn't help even though it was good on its own.  The only good thing about the dish was the milt on the side.  Interestingly, one of the managers saw that the fish was barely eaten proceeded to clear off the table and didn't even ask us why.  Oh well...

Let's get into the good news about the meal with the Roasted Chicken with Glutinous Rice (1/2 portion).  This was excellent with crispy, well-rendered fried skin.  Underneath, the chicken meat was juicy and tender.  On the very bottom layer, the glutinous rice was soft, yet still appealingly chewy.  The seasoning on this dish was on point and it didn't even require the accompanying sauce on the side.

Another solid dish was the Pork Ribs in Chiu Chow Plum Sauce.  On looks alone, this looked super delicious.  Well, it really was delicious as the sauce was tangy and sweet.  Not only was the plum flavour prominent, the use of black vinegar added even more impact.  Also, there was just enough sauce to coat each piece, so the dish wasn't too goopy.  Finally, the ribs were fried beautifully with a uniformly crispy exterior while the meat was tender with a bouncy chew.

Last dish was the Pan-Fried Scallop & Salted Duck Yolk Prawns.  This was a fairly on point dish featuring stir-fried snap peas, celery and carrots that were crunchy, yet cooked through.  Seasoning on that was balanced and flavourful.  The ample amount of scallops were buttery soft while the prawns were fried perfectly and coated with an aromatic and nutty duck yolk sauce.  So overall, this was quite the hit and miss meal.  Yet at the same time, considering the price point and class of restaurant, we were expecting a bit more.  It is sad though since we don't have a lot of options for Chiu Chow cuisine here in Vancouver.

The Good:

- When a dish was good, it was really good

- Service was decent

- Nice dining space

The Bad:

- When the dish was bad, it was really bad

- Service was decent, but the manager did not care if we didn't even touch the fish (and didn't pack it to go)

Seaport City

For awhile there, especially during the pandemic (I guess it isn't really over, but you get the idea), there was a lack of new restaurants.  Business was tough and opening a new spot would've been probably not the best idea.  This also true for Chinese restaurants as many of the existing ones were struggling to survive.  Now that things are seemingly better, we find a few new spots popping up here and there including the brand-spanking new Seaport City.  It takes over the old Milestone's location above Whole Foods on Cambie at 8th.  They serve up Cantonese-style dim sum but for dinner they offer a rarity in Vancouver - Chiu Chow cuisine.  We ended up trying their Dim Sum service first.

With designated parking spots below and a dedicated elevator straight to the restaurant, Seaport City does offer up a convenient setup.  After looking over their menu, we ordered some items including the Crispy Prawn Rice Noodle Rolls. As you can see in the picture, the rice noodle was a tad too thick.  However, it was quite soft and delicate.  There was an absence of elasticity though.  Inside, the crispiness of the coating was a nice textural contrast to the overly soft rice noodle.  The prawns were meaty and cooked just right with a fresh snap.

For some reason, they did not specify the type of Spring Rolls on the menu.  So I'm happy to report they were the garlic shrimp variety.  I much prefer this over the pork and/or vegetarian one.  These were prepared well with a crunchy wrapper that was not overly greasy.  Inside, the shrimp were well-seasoned and nicely textured being moist with a rebound.

It seemed like we go all the shrimp/prawn items first and that continued with the Ha Gau (Steamed Prawn Dumplings).  Like the rice noodle roll, the dumpling skin on these were on the thicker side and slightly gummy.  They weren't terrible, but it definitely lags behind the better versions in town.  With that being said, there was some good elasticity though.  Inside, the prawn filling was good though with large buttery bouncy pieces.

One thing we do not see very often on Dim Sum menus these days is the Taro Cake (usually daikon radish cake instead).  They had it here and we were more than happy to order it.  However, it wasn't very good though. There was far too many pieces of dry taro and not enough pudding cake.  Hence the whole thing was powdery and mealy.  We had a hard time eating it without drinking lots of tea.

Coincidentally, the next item to show up was the Wu Gock (Deep Fried Taro Dumplings).  3 shrimp, then 2 taro dishes, interesting.  Anyways, these were good with a thin creamy layer of taro (love that lard in there..) with a crunchy exterior.  Beyond the lard and the deep-fry, the dumpling wasn't actually that greasy. Inside, the minced pork filling was tender and moist.  It could've used a bit more seasoning though.

Funnily enough, the Steamed Chicken Feet also had a base of taro underneath.  3 taro dishes in a row!  I digress...  This was actually very good with plump chicken feet that were larger than most I've had recently.  Hence, there was plenty of tender skin and cartilage.  Sauce was good too where it was the right viscosity, therefore clinging onto each foot perfectly.  It was sweet and garlicky with a light kick.

Staying with the offal theme, whenever it is on the menu, I always go for the Steamed Beef Tendon and Tripe.  This was also quite good with sliced tendon that was was soft, yet not completely melting away.  The big pieces of honeycomb tripe were also tender with an appealing chewiness.  Once again, the sauce was a nice consistency and quite similar to the one with the chicken feet being sweet and savoury with a slight kick.

Another one of my favourites is the Bean Curd Wraps and the one here was just alright.  I thought the bean curd skin was a little soft and lacked the fried chewiness that is the hallmark of this dish.  However, the biggest issue was the lack of filling as each roll ate very loose and did not have much substance.  It felt like we were eating only bean curd skin.  For the small amount of filling inside, it was tender though.

Now to one of the best dishes, the Steamed Pork Spareribs were excellent.  Practically all of the pieces were meaty and the desirable rib portions.  Very little cartilage and fat which meant more of the dish that could be eaten.  Now this may have been the luck of the draw though.  The texture of the meat was perfectly bouncy and tender.  Flavours were on point with plenty of garlic, slight pepperiness and savouriness.

Continuing on with good dishes, the Steamed Beef Meatballs were textbook.  That meant that the meatballs were fluffy and airy while still having some meat texture left.  I've made these before and the way you must process the meat, in order it to be perfect, rides the fine line of being too chewy or too mushy.  This was perfect.  In terms of seasoning, it was pretty mild as usual with some sweetness and bitterness from the tangerine peel.  It is intentional though, because you would typically dip it into Worcestershire anyways.

Although the Scallop & Shrimp Siu Mai looked extremely pale and unappetizing, they were actually quite good.  Maybe they should've put some tobiko, carrot and/or salted egg yolk on the top for colour.  In terms of texture, these were a bit lighter than usual due to the ingredients.  The scallop and shrimp did have textural contrast, but the result was fluffy and airy.  I personally loved the taste as they were sweet and seafoody.

 

For our bigger item, we went for the Stir-Fried Udon with Chicken and Egg.  This was a massive portion size of chewy udon that was moist from the perfect amount of sauce/oil.  There was equal parts of ingredients from the texturally appealing wok fried egg to the shredded dark meat chicken.  Crunchy cabbage and carrots rounded out the textures.  Flavourwise, it was mild, but still had enough for some background sweetness.

On the topic of sweet, we had the Salted Egg Yolk Bun which came in a shade of purple.  I assume there was some taro in the bun for it to be that colour.  As for its texture, the bun was fluffy with a somewhat firmer exterior.  It held in the liquid egg yolk center beautifully for it to be leaking out once cracked open.  That liquid gold was sweet with the unmistakable saltiness of the egg yolk.  As usual, it got a bit messy since for the picture, I split it open.

 

For the next item, I wouldn't necessarily classify it as a dessert, but we ordered it as such anyways.  The Baked BBQ Pastries were one of the best things we ate.  The pastry itself was flaky and buttery while not being heavy.  Inside, the lean pork filling was predictably sweet (so it is a dessert then?) with just enough savoury elements.  The addition of lemon really helped perk things up.

Lastly, we had the Deep Fried Egg Fritters with honey.  This was a fairly large portion of crispy and airy egg dough fritters.  They were not greasy at all and had just enough honey for effect without making them too sweet.  Some shaved almond completed the dish.  Overall, we didn't mind the Dim Sum at Seaport City where the dining room was spacious and well-appointed.  Service was quite good and the free parking downstairs made things convenient.  I realize that we went during their soft opening, but some dishes could use some tweaks.  But they were fairly minor issues.

The Good:

- Decent eats

- Attentive service

- Nice dining space

The Bad:

- Parking is free, but only for 2 hours, should be longer

- There is no real place to wait for a table (unless you wait downstairs in the parking lot), so it gets a bit crowded near the elevator and entrance

Chiuchow Garden Restaurant (Infinitus Plaza)

Dim sum again???  Yah, too much of a good thing right?  Since we were in Hong Kong, it is as common as finding bacon & eggs in Vancouver.  Well, it really wasn't our idea this time, rather it was Viv's great-aunt's idea.  Hey, when they are treating, they are allowed to make all the decisions!  We ended up meeting her at Chiuchow Garden near the Sheung Wan MTR station.  This was a perfect meeting place due to convenience.

We had the basics including the Ha Gau (Shrimp Dumpling) and Siu Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumplings).  Although on the smaller side, the ha gau were pretty decent featuring a medium-thick dumpling skin which was chewy and elastic.  The filling consisted mostly of larger chunks of shrimp which were meaty with only a light snap.  Mixed into it was bamboo shoots which were mild-tasting, but there was definitely an aftertaste.  As for the siu mai, they were pretty good with bouncy pork and a noticeable amount of shrimp and shiitake.  It was well-seasoned with a balanced amount of sweet and saltiness.

Although the BBQ Pork Buns didn't looked like the blistered steamed version, it still ate like one.  However, there was much more bun than filling.  Due to the shape of the bun, it was more on the denser side.  As for the filling, it was mostly lean pork that was bathed in a sweet glaze that could've used more savouriness.  We also go the Sticky Rice Buns which were not actually buns at all.  Rather, they were encased with a thin wheat wrapper.  This was a good thing as it meant the starchiness was kept to a minimum.  Inside, the sticky rice was chewy and nutty with enough seasoning including the preserved sausage.

Normally, my son would be turned off at the thought of Spring Rolls without shrimp, but he didn't mind these ones consisting of pork only.  However, I found the pork a bit mealy and dry.  It was also rather mild-tasting and in need of the Worchestershire sauce on the side.  I liked the outside though as it was crunchy and not greasy.  We had to order the Chiu Chow Duck (due to the type of cuisine) and it was not bad.  The duck was fairly tender and mild-tasting while the skin was a bit fatty.  It did have a decent braising liquid which was sweet and lightly salty.  I particularly enjoyed the fried tofu underneath where it soaked up the braising liquid.

Two more usual Dim Sum dishes were the Phoenix Talons (Chicken Feet) and Steamed Pork Spareribs.  Garlicky and aggressively seasoned, the chicken feet were plump and featured a well-fried skin.  Underneath, the cartilage was just a touch firm while the tendons were soft.  I really enjoyed the spareribs as they were super garlicky and well-seasoned.  Texturally, they were on point with a meaty chew while having the desired rebound.  Most pieces were meaty and the rib portions.  Underneath, the taro helped soak up all the flavours.

Featuring a semi-thick rice noodle, the Donut Rice Noodle Roll was okay.  I found the spread of green onions to be inconsistent where one piece was inundated. The texture of the noodle was soft but a bit floury while the donut was on the denser side and not crispy.  Overall, we found the Dim Sum service at Chiuchow Garden to be decent and certainly serviceable.  Sure, it was chosen due to convenience, but we went away satisfied.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Super spacious

The Bad:
- Service was okay but hard to flag down
- Expensive