by Rebekah Hammond – Richmond Review
Chinese food lovers scour the city for restaurants that cook their
favorite dish perfectly and those signature dishes are being recognized
at this year’s HSBC Chinese Restaurant Awards.
While regular foodies often rave about the atmosphere and
overall flavours of their favorite restaurants, Chinese food
connoisseurs seek out certain restaurants for certain dishes.
“They’ll go far and wide to search out a place that serves the
best fried chicken if they’re feeling like chicken or where the best
Dungeness crab is served,” said Nancy Wong, event promoter. “So these
places become famous for their signature dishes.”
The HSBC Chinese Restaurant Awards, an invitation-only event,
is Jan. 18 at River Rock Casino Resort. Awards include 25 Critics’
Choice Signature Dishes, Chinese Chef of the Year, 15 Diners’ Choice
awards and the Best Wine and Spirit Service.
The event promises not just to be about winning but, of course, good food and entertainment as well.
The city’s top Chinese chefs and industry-workers will be able
to sample some of the award-winning dishes and, following the awards
ceremony, be entertained by a renowned specialist in Imperial-style
cooking.
“Instead of stand-up comics or music performers, we’ve brought in chef Tony Wu from Beijing,” said Wong.
Wu, winner of several international Chinese culinary awards,
is an artist in the kitchen “that will leave you gasping in disbelief,”
according to the event’s invitation.
Wu can create 16,000 delicate strands of dragon beard noodles
in two minutes, carve roses from fruit in one minute and toss paper-thin
Chinese pancakes.
