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Chinatown: Exotic Cuisine and a Vibrant Culture

Destination Vancouver

The culinary landscape of Vancouver’s Chinatown is a dynamic meeting of cultural heritage and present-day innovation. As the heart of the Chinese Canadian community, Chinatown contains many long-time shops and restaurants that are beloved for their unique food offerings. The neighbourhood is currently undergoing an exciting revival as new establishments open, many of them representing the next generation of Chinese Canadian restaurateurs.
Chinatown, bounded roughly by Taylor Street and Gore Avenue from west to east and Georgia Street and Hastings Street from south to north, was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2011. It’s the largest historical Chinatown in Canada and the third largest in North America. The neighbourhood emerged as an ethnic enclave in the 1880s as Chinese residents began congregating on Carrall Street and what was Dupont (Pender) Street. Chinese association buildings, theatres, and schools subsequently opened to serve the expanding community. Read more…

Shanghai alley street sign

Why Chinese restaurants are sites of innovation and resilience around the world

By Ann Hui, The Globe and Mail, JANUARY 31, 2022

In 1976, Cheuk Kwan had dinner at the Cin Lokantasi, or “China Restaurant,” in Istanbul. There was no pork on the menu – a staple of most Chinese cuisine. The owner, he later learned, was a Muslim-Chinese man who had fled Mao Zedong’s China, travelling through Pakistan and Iraq, before eventually settling in Turkey.

This experience led Kwan to the realization that, no matter where you are in the world, there’s a Chinese restaurant. That was the thesis behind his 2005 documentary series Chinese Restaurants, which follows the filmmaker from Israel to Kenya, and Argentina to Brazil, visiting Chinese restaurants across 13 countries. Read more…

Cheuk Kwan, author of Have You Eaten Yet?

Top 20 Vancouver Experiences That Make Awesome Gifts (#11)

By Sasha Leung, Vancouver Foodie Tours, March 8, 2022

At Vancouver Foodie Tours, we’re proud ambassadors of the city we work and play in. Which means when we’re looking for gifts, we choose Vancouver experiences over “things”. If you’re looking for a Vancouver Experience Gift, you’ve come to the right place.

Why should you give an experience instead of a physical gift? When you gift an experience, you are creating memories that can last a lifetime. And if you join them in the experience, that means more time for you to connect.

Vancouver’s diverse cultural & physical landscape makes it the ideal place to get out and explore! In this list, we’ve included some great insider tips, popular attractions, and unknown experiences. Whether you’re a local or a visitor, you’ll find something in Vancouver that will capture the occasion. Even if you’re not looking for a gift, this list gives you a lot of inventive ideas on things to do in Vancouver…Read More

Food Films And Documentaries To Binge Watch Under Quarantine

By MICHELIN Guide Taipei Editorial Team, Mar 31, 2020

These documentaries, feature films and a talk-of-the-town Japanese TV drama offer a peek into the lives and minds of the world’s top chefs and their MICHELIN-starred kitchens.

There is no need to stare blankly at your four walls if you are staying home to practice social distancing. Whether you’re a movie buff or a serious foodie, these documentaries, feature films and drama series lift the curtains on the world of fine-dining and the workings of MICHELIN-star kitchens around the world, one sumptuous scene at a time. Read more…

David Chang pays René Redzepi a visit at Noma in Copenhagen (Photo: Still from The Mind Of A Chef)

5 Questions With Chef Susur Lee On The Future Of Chinese Cuisine

By Kenneth Goh, Michelin Guide Global, Aug 12, 2019

The Toronto-based celebrity chef, who co-helms the MICHELIN Plate Chinese restaurant TungLok Heen, shares his advice for young Chinese chefs.

Whenever celebrity chef Susur Lee travels, he keeps an eye out for that one good idea to bring back to Toronto, where he runs restaurants including Lee and Kid Lee. Things that have caught his attention can span from ingredients such as long black peppercorns from Cambodia to how a deboned chicken drumstick is served like a popsicle in a street stall in Qingdao.

Speaking to The MICHELIN Guide Digital during a recent trip to Singapore, Lee says: “I need that one great idea, be it from ingredients to a dish, and I enjoy making my rendition of dishes that I see overseas when I am back in my kitchen at home.” Read more…

The steamed White Sultan Fish with Crunchy Scales is one of the revamped dishes at TungLok Heen. (Photo: TungLok Heen)

China Institute Members Event: Cook with Star Chef Lucas Sin

By China Institute, Youtube, Jun 26, 2021

Junzi Kitchen’s Lucas Sin, one of New York’s most creative chefs and entertaining online personalities, shares stories of cooking as he demonstrates how to prepare the perfect Mapo Doufu (麻婆豆腐).

This is an exclusive program for China Institute members as part of our Food & Ideas Festival 2021, Click here to watch the video.

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