Best Fortune

For all of the different types of Chinese cuisine, Sichuan is one of my favourites.  The combination of spice and spices along with meat and noodle dishes, it is something that is much more impactful than say, Cantonese food.  However, due to the influx of immigrants from Hong Kong specifically, that is the most prevalent Chinese cuisine in the Lower Mainland.  So when there is another option for Sichuan eats (and really any Northern or Uygher restaurants), I'm there with bells on.  So I dug out those bells when Jackie and I were invited to try out Best Fortune on Alexandra Road.

We were here mainly to try their Deluxe Sichuan Set Menu that offers 5-courses for $88.00.  There are options for each course.  The 2 choices for the first course included the classic Big Plate of Mouth-Watering Chicken (yes, that is what the description said, big plate...).  Indeed, it was a big mound of tender poached chicken that featured tender meat and gelatinized skin.  Naturally, the chicken was only a blank canvas for the sauce.  About that sauce, it was definitely spicy, a bit nutty and smoky.  There was enough seasoning to add more than just spice, so in general, it was good!

The other option is the Spicy Beef & Tripe.  This featured thinly-sliced beef shank that had been stewed until tender and chilled.  The tripe has also been cooked until it was buttery soft.  Then it was tossed in a chili oil mix that also had some soy and plenty of garlic.  This was a good version of this dish as the textures of the tripe and beef were on point while the flavours were spicy, but not to the point we couldn't taste anything else.

For the second course, there were 2 options, with first being the Green Peppercorn & Sauerkraut Fish.  This featured some glass noodles underneath and a wealth of sliced fish (looked like snakefish?), pickled mustard greens, seaweed and bean curd skin.  Loved the texture of the fish as it was almost crunchy, but that initial texture gave way to flakiness.  The broth was tangy with numbing spice from the peppercorns.

 

If you didn't want the fish, you could choose the Sichuan Boiled Beef.  This is another classic dish that featured sliced beef atop bean sprouts in a spicy broth.  There was a considerable amount of tender buttery beef within the large bowl.  They had been tenderized perfectly where the meat texture was still present.  In terms of flavour, there was the same smoky nuttiness from the chili oil.  It wasn't so spicy that we couldn't taste anything else which meant there was balance.

The third course had 2 choices that would go well with rice.  The first being the Spicy Blood Tofu & Tripe Stew.  It was a pretty large bowl of food that featured large strips of mung bean noodle underneath with some bean sprouts and other veggies.  There was a mix of luncheon meat, intestines, pork's blood cubes and bible tripe.  This all sat in a spicy broth that was rather flavourful and a bit smoky from all the chili oil.

 

The other option was the Braised Bean Curd in Mapo Sauce (aka Mapo Tofu).  Unlike the Cantonese version, this one was much more robust, spicy and deep-flavoured.  They used medium-firm tofu here and it stood up well to the cooking process.  Each cube of tofu took on the flavours of the starch-thickened sauce.  It was a bit spicy, a bit sweet and plenty savoury.  The ground pork added some meaty texture.

Moving onto the fourth course (which was the vegetable dish), the first option was the Dry Pot Cauliflower.  This was essentially stir-fried Taiwanese cauliflower with an array of spices including Sichuan peppercorns.  There was plenty of caramelization and aroma as well as a noticed numbing spice.  The cauliflower was cooked-through but had a nice crunch.

The alternative option from the cauliflower was the Specialty Eggplant Stir Fry.  I absolutely loved this dish since they coated the pieces of eggplant with starch first and deep fried it.  So that ensured each piece was cooked-through and was sealed with a crispy starch coating.  The result was that the eggplant didn't get soggy and melt while help soaking up the delicious black bean-based sauce.  It had a bit of spice as well.

For the fifth course, we had 3 noodle options including Noodles with Peas, Minced Pork Noodle and Sour & Spicy Yam Noodles.  So the 2 noodles were essentially a form of Ja Jeun Mein where you would mix up the components with the boiled white noodles.  For the first one, the chickpeas were soft but still intact while the ground pork was plenty spicy.  With peanuts and sesame seeds, there was plenty of nuttiness too.  The second noodle was similar except it had some mustard greens.  Hence, there was a bit more tanginess.  The yam noodles had a nice chewiness to them and there was plenty of heat to go with the sourness.  If I had to choose, the minced pork noodle would be the best bet.  Overall, the 5-course set meal for $88.00 is a steal considering how much food you are getting as well as it being delicious.  Love that there are choices for most courses, so you can get almost exactly what you want.  The spice level here is right up my alley being hot yet we can still taste the other components and flavours.  If you only have 2 people, you can get the first two courses for $39.00 and it includes rice and pop.  Hard to find cheap eats these days, but this would be it. Definitely a revisit for me sometime down the road.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Well-priced set meal
- Good spice, but not overwhelming
- Large portion size

The Bad:
- One of the employees was away, so there was only one person handling the entire restaurant. Even if they had the other person, service would be stretched. She did a good job though and never got frustrated
- Parking at the back can be chaotic

 

Chongqing (Surrey)

Since Chongqing on Scott Road is near my work, I've been there many many times since it opened almost a decade ago.  However, I haven't blogged about it since 2016 and hey, it is always good to get an update.  I'm sure things have changed since then!  Sorry, I used an old pic of the front because I was too lazy to cross the street...  Anyways, nothing outwardly has changed but they do have rice noodle rolls on the menu now (they didn't before).

On the note about the Rice Noodle Roll, we did order the shrimp version and it came out fully-stuffed.  Usually, there are empty pockets of just rice noodle, but this one has shrimp in almost every bite.  Hence, it ate very hearty and was quite the good value.  Texturally, the shrimp had a good meaty snap and was well-seasoned.  As for the rice noodle, it was on the medium-thick side but was not dense and still had some elasticity.

Sticking with shrimp, we had the usual Ha Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumpling) which featured a fairly thin dumpling skin.  It was rather wet, so it was a touch soft.  However, there was still elasticity and some chew to them.  Inside, the shrimp filling was quite good.  It was very moist (hence the wet dumpling) and had a nice sweetness.  In terms of texture, the shrimp had a buttery snap and was rather light.

So of course we had to get the ying with the yang in the Siu Mai (Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumpling) as well.  These were also solid with a moist buttery texture.  The pork was classic bouncy with equally rebound textured shrimp.  Dumplings were also well-seasoned so it didn't taste "porky".  On top, there was a dollop of raw tobiko which made it more appealing.

If we didn't get enough shrimp already, we also had the Shrimp Spring Rolls.  As you can see, they added a layer of nori in between the shrimp and the wheat wrapper.  This enabled the wrapper to be extra crispy because the nori sealed the moisture in.  Also, the slight seaweed flavour added extra umami.  As for the shrimp filling, there was lots of it and the sweet buttery snap was definitely there.

Normally, the Deep Fried Taro Dumplings look like footballs, but some places add a swan's head to create a "bird".  Well, they are cute and sure why not have something more aesthetically-pleasing right?  However, those head/neck things were not tasty.  On the other hand, the dumplings themselves were good with soft creamy mashed taro (love that lard!) with a tender and properly seasoned pork filling.

One of my favourite dishes is the Bean Curd Skin Rolls.  They consist of a fried bean curd sheet outer wrap with a ground pork filling.  I found the one here to be good with a chewy bean curd skin while the filling featured pork that had a good rebound.  It was mixed with some veggies and the filling was not too heavy.  The starch-thickened and watered-down oyster sauce provided enough flavour, but the peppers on top added a weird aftertaste.

So we got the usual BBQ Pork Buns just because it is something we always order?   I got lazy and didn't open one up for the picture, but you can see the filling peaking through.  It was good with lean BBQ pork that was not too saucy.  However, there was still the usual sweet elements with a bit of savouriness.  The bun itself was soft and fluffy and stayed as such even after sitting around.

One of the best dishes of the meal was the Steamed Pork Spareribs.  As you can see, there was a bevy of meaty rib pieces (with minimal fat) that were overflowing out of the sauce plate.  The rib pieces were tender with a rebound chew.  Seasoning was on point with enough salty garlickiness without going overboard.  There was pumpkin underneath to soak up all the flavours.

Yep, another favourite of ours is the XO Daikon Radish Cake and this was done right.  Each cube was fried enough to be crispy on the outside while the inside was soft without falling apart.  Beyond the inherent seasoning in the radish cake, the amount of XO in the wok-fry was sufficient to add both spice and brininess.  They did this without making the dish greasy, even though the pieces were deep fried. 

We got the Singapore Fried Noodles as a larger dish and indeed it was overflowing on the plate.  There was a sufficient amount of ingredients to be found including peppers, onions, BBQ pork and shrimp.  This was wok-fried properly as the noodles were chewy and not clumped together.  There was caramelization of flavours and the curry provided some spice.  Veggies were still vibrant and crisp.

Inexplicably, the Steamed Beef Meatballs came last.  They were fairly large and sat in broth.  They were a bit firmer than what I personally would've liked, but that didn't make or break the dish.  The whipped meat was still tender and of course was bouncy.  They kept the greens to a minimum so it didn't overwhelm the flavour profile.  So as you can tell, the Dim Sum service was solid.  Yes, Chongqing is mainly a Szechuan spot, but they manage to do proper Cantonese Dim Sum. Pretty good given its location and good all around for GVRD.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Reasonable-pricing
- Spacious dining room

The Bad:
- Parking lot is a bonus, but the spaces are super narrow

Szechuan Delicious

Quite awhile ago, I had visited the original location of Szechuan Delicious out on #3 Road across from Richmond Centre.  I remember vividly the excellent Szechuan Boiled Fish and looked forward to having it again.  Well, I never made it back out there.  In fact, they have already relocated to the former Shanghai Morning spot right next to Claypot Hot Pot & BBQ.  Considering the high price of eating out these days, it was a complete shock to see rock-bottom prices on their menu.

Their Szechuan Boiled Fish was only $19.95 and the portion size was quite generous.  This was very good with tender slices of what I figured was ling cod in a mildly spicy oil broth.  There was a touch of smokiness accented by numbing heat of the Szechuan peppercorns.  As hot as the dried red chilis appeared, we all know they are not really that spicy.  Underneath, there was some bean sprouts, but really, this was mostly fish.

Another classic Szechuan dish is the Mouth-Watering Chicken.  Yes, that is a literal translation of the dish.  This was also quite good with tender pieces of chicken.  They used dark meat pieces with nicely gelatinized skin.  As for the mix of chili oil, black vinegar and soy, it was balanced where the spice was not overpowering where the rest of the flavours came through.  Of course there was some numbing from the peppercorns and nuttiness from the sesame seeds.

Another typical dish at any Szechuan restaurant is the Deep Fried Chicken with Dry Chili Peppers (aka Mala Chicken).  Again, do not assume this dish is super spicy due to the peppers.  There is a kick for sure, but the numbing of the peppercorns are more impactful than the dry chilis.  In this version, I found it a bit underseasoned, while the dish was a bit of earthy due to the cumin.  I found the pieces of chicken a bit dry as well (drier than usual).

We got a couple of noodle dishes starting with the Tan Tan Noodle.  So judging by the picture, this didn't look like much, but it ate a lot better than its appearance.  There was a good sauce-to-noodle ratio.  The noodle itself was al dente but soft enough to chew.  It was clumpy, but of course, after mixing it with the sauce, it was slippery.  As for the sauce, it was nutty and aromatic.  There was a medium spice level and it had enough savouriness accented by sweetness.

The other noodle dish was the Spicy Cold Noodle.  Naturally, this had a similar flavour profile to the mouth-watering chicken except we thought that there was more vinegar.  Hence, this was tangier and ate somewhat lighter due to this.  Again, there was a certain smoky chili oil background flavour to go with the savouriness and slight sweetness.  The noodles were cold enough and had a nice chew to them.

We decided to get some veggies for our last dish which was the Cabbage with Chili Peppers.  Yes, this was a humble dish, but done right.  The cabbage was cooked through, yet still had a nice crunch to it.  It was mildly seasoned where it wasn't too salty nor sweet, but some spice did come through.  Overall, the food at Szechuan Delicious is solid and shockingly low-priced.  Considering the food quality as well as the decent portion sizes, I would say this is a top choice for cheap eats in the city.

The Good:

- Decent eats

- Low prices

- Fair portion sizes

The Bad:

- Places is a bit run-down

- Note: cash only

Liuyishou Hot Pot

For the last 5 years or so, the hot pot scene in Vancouver has both expanded and changed significantly.  At one point, we found the usual Cantonese-style with mild-tasting broth and the typical meats.  However, we have seen an increasing number Szechuan-style hot pot restaurants.  Prices have gone up while the soup bases have become spicier.  We've also seen more deluxe ingredients such as wagyu beef and various forms of live seafood become the norm.  Moreover, when once upon a time where the only condiments available were soy sauce and satay sauce, we now have several options found at self-serve sauce bars.   An example of such an establishment is Liushiyou Hot Pot on Kingsway in Burnaby.

The first thing I noticed upon walking into Liuyishou was the enormous and impressive Sauce Bar.  In addition to the usual soy, sesame sauce, satay and hot sauces, there were some interesting ones such as preserved bean curd, mushroom paste and spiced vinegar.  Atop of the bar was a selection of small appies/snacks and also fruit for dessert.  For comparison, most other hot pot joints only offer up a few options that included soy, vinegar, hot sauce and satay sauce.

Starting February 26th to March 2nd, Liuyishou celebrates Hot Pot Week by offering up a Chinese New Year's special menu presented by Vancouver Gourmet Tours.  This deal includes specialty hotpot soup base, sauce bar with 20+ options, unlimited appetizer dishes and fresh fruit.  A selection of 20+ choices of hotpot ingredients including: premium meats & seafood, handmade meatballs, chongqing specialty food, vegetable platter, mixed mushroom platter, handmade noodles or golden mantou buns, Chongqing classic dessert and Red Truck Craft Beer (Greater Vancouver locations only) or non-alcoholic specialty beverage.  All this can be had for $68 for 2 people and $120 for 4 (plus Eventbrite fees).  The spicy butter cow and Wagyu beef (rectangle plate) are an extra charge.

I was invited along with others to sample this special meal and it didn't disappoint.  First off, the spicy half of the hot pot was nicely balanced with an aromatic heat.  It wasn't "burn-your-tongue" hot but I'm personally not a fan of that anyways.   As for the non-spicy broth, it was flavourful without being salty.  One of the best items was the Hand-Made Shrimp Paste.  Buttery, bouncy and sweet, this was head and shoulders above the frozen type and one of the best fresh meatballs I've had in awhile.  Another highlight was the House Special Green Bean Starch Noodles.  They didn't look like much on the plate, but once cooked through (took awhile), they were slippery and chewy with an appealing mouth-feel.  Not to be outdone, the Marbled Beef was tender, buttery and extra-tasty when cooked in the spicy broth.  With the aromatic fat coating each slice of beef, it was indeed a sinful treat.  All-in-all, a pretty good introduction to Liuyishou and with the special menu, you could get to try it for a reasonable price as well.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Big sauce bar
- Quality ingredients
- Flavourful broth

The Bad:
- Can be pricier than the AYCE options (but the quality is better too)

Kung Fu Fish

Yes, I chuckled a bit when I first heard about Kung Fu Fish.  The name can easily be mistaken for something found at a mall food court serving up North American Chinese fare.  However, that couldn't be further from the truth.  In fact, with over 51 locations worldwide, they served up grilled deep-water fish that comes with a kick (get it?  kick???).  They already have 2 stores in the Toronto area and the first one to venture in the British Columbia is of course located in Richmond, specifically Aberdeen Centre.  I was invited along with Diana for a small ChineseBites dinner to give the place a try where we had all of the available fish options.

Prior to that, we started with some appies including the Kungfu Peanuts.  Initially, I wasn't super excited to order this but in reality, they were pretty tasty.  Freshly fried and then wok-tossed with red chilis, green onion, salt and Szechuan peppercorns, the peanuts exhibited a progressive heat.  There was a roasted aroma that gave way to some spice and finally a touch of numbing from the peppercorns.  Loved the warm crunch of the nuts as the temperature activated the flavours.  Next, the Bobo Chicken turned out to be a familiar dish in the mouth-watering chicken.  Despite the visuals, it was not that spicy.  Rather, there was an aromatic nuttiness accented by a small amount of heat.  The free-range chicken was tender and gelatinized including the skin.

Then we had a trio of dishes including the Garlic Grilled Scallops, Garlic Grilled Prawns and Garlic Grilled Eggplant.  Yes, there was a theme here and when they put garlic into the menu description, they weren't messing around.  Let's just say one should bring mouthwash.  In terms of texture, the scallops were buttery with a nice rebound while the prawns were unexpectedly tender and buttery.  I was expecting more chew, but I enjoyed the sweet delicate prawns.  The eggplant was also tender and very soft.  It was completely covered in garlic.  Our last small dish was the Kung Fu Sausage which was sliced razor thin.  These were meaty and fairly lean with a caramelized sweetness and considerable spiciness.

Onto the main event, I tackled the Madam Halibut in Szechuan peppercorn soup base with  lobster ball, glass noodles, sprouts and squid rings.  For $59.90, we got 5 slices of halibut that was slightly over 2lbs in total.  Personally, that is a reasonable price for the amount of fish.  Of course, the additional ingredients were a surcharge of $3.99 for non-meat items and $4.99 for meat items.  The fish was soft and flaky with slightly crispy skin.  It wasn't as spicy as it appeared, but there was definitely a kick from the peppercorns.  This portion could easily feed 3-4 people dependent on how many appies are ordered.

Next, I sampled some of the Professor Swai (Basa) in pickled cabbage soup base with fish balls, quail eggs, imitation crab stick, rice cake and lotus root.  This was the least costly being only $39.90 for 3 large fillets.  Say what you want about Basa, but this was prepared expertly being soft, flaky and almost buttery.  Since Basa can be lacking in flavour, the pickled cabbage was a good match since it added a salty sourness.  I was pretty impressed with the infusion of flavours where it penetrated not only the fish, but the other ingredients as well including the rice cake.

The last option was our absolute favourite being the Top Secret Sea Cod in Chopped Chili soup base with bean curd skin, konjak, luncheon meat and fish tofu.  There was 6 slices of fish that equated to over 2lbs.  This was the priciest at $89.90, but seeing how it was black cod and being the tastiest, it was worth it.  The butteriness of the fish really came through with a robust flavour that stood up well to the soup base.  It wasn't spicy though.  Instead it was well-balanced with a certain umaminess. Overall, I enjoyed the offerings from Kung Fu Fish and although the pricing is on the higher side, it can feed many people.  Starting tomorrow on Feb 7th to the 12th, they are offering a Free Signature Fish Pot (up to $70.00 and with a group of 4) at both lunch and dinner to the first 8 tables.  Otherwise, everyone else can enjoy 10% off.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- On point execution
- Large portions
- Impactful and balanced flavours

The Bad:
- Even though the portion size does justify the price, some might be scared off at the initial sticker shock
- Personally, I thought the prices were fair, but maybe one free ingredient would've been nice

Mr. Chili

For the longest time, there was this decrepit-looking sushi restaurant on Hastings near Boundary.  I never did visit the place, even though there was an Entertainment coupon year after year.  Then all of a sudden, it closed and a Szechuan restaurant took its place.  However, it wasn't any ordinary traditional-style Chinese restaurant.  Rather, they did extensive renovations to make the place chic, clean and inviting.  Despite some mixed reviews, I took a chance with a Groupon and invited Emily, Diana and Amy to join me.

Although the menu is fairly limited, we were able to find some items that interested us.  We were pleasantly surprised with our first dish in the Mouth-Watering Chicken.  Despite being a relatively small portion, the flavours were very good.  The tender and juicy dark meat was full-flavoured and captured the natural essence of chicken.  There was an impactful amount of spice that was not overwhelming.  With a similar chili oil kick, the Spicy Pig Ears were also decent.  A touch on the softer side, the pig ears were also rather flavourful with a lingering spiciness. 

Continuing on the same theme, the Hot & Sour Potato Vermicelli was bathed in a broth that included a considerable amount of chili oil and roasted peanuts.  I found the noodles to be slippery and still slightly chewy.  The spice level was just right much like the previous 2 dishes.  It was potent and lingered while not crazy spicy.  The peanuts added a nice crunch and robust texture to the dish.  At first, the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup didn't look that interesting, but once again, it was decently flavourful.  The broth had a soy slant, but there was some meatiness as well as spice.  The noodles were slippery and al dente while the beef shank was sufficiently tender and flavourful, but more on the chewier side. 

Probably our favourite dish of the meal, the Curry Beef Brisket was bathed in a creamy coconut curry that was thick and rich.  It was on the fattier side, but that was probably what made it aromatic and full-bodied.  The chunks of beef brisket were fairly tender and not that fatty.  I found that chunks of potato too big and also underdone while the carrots suffered the same fate.  We had to get some rice to go with this as the sauce was just that tasty.  The Numbing Fish with Tofu arrived with a layer of Szechuan peppercorns.  This version wasn't inundated with chili oil, so the natural sweetness of the buttery fish came through.  The flavours were more clean and only a bit of numbing from the peppercorns. 

One dish that was total dud happened to be our one veggie option being the Stir-Fried Green Beans.  Even though it was subjected to a proper oil-blanching, the beans themselves were old and past their prime.  Hence, they were chewy and dry.  On the positive side, there was plenty of wok heat and enough seasoning.  The little nuggets of ground pork were not dry and had some spice.  Although rather greasy, the Kung Pao Shrimp were tasty.  In addition to the usual sweet and tangy notes, the chilis and peppercorns added the right kick needed to balance off the dish.  After dining on a good variety of the menu, we all agreed that Mr. Chili was better than anticipated.  Naturally, some dishes were better than others and the prices were not cheap, but the place does the job where there is little competition nearby.

The Good:
- Decent service
- Some good dishes
- Clean and nicely renovated

The Bad:
- On the pricier side
- A bit hit and miss
- The tables do not offer much leg room