By Mia Stainsby

VANCOUVER — It’s double happiness for me. First, the start of the
Chinese Restaurant Awards two years ago became my compass for
bushwhacking through the forest of Chinese restaurants in Metro
Vancouver.

That’s especially so in Richmond with the highest
number of restaurants per capita in the universe. I have no stats to
back me but all you need to do is look. There’s nothing but
restaurants, block after block after block. They are so well-loved by
the populace that you use more fuel circling parking lots than in
getting there.

The second source of my delight is the Canada
Line, which shrinks my carbon footprint guilt and my time spent in
getting to Richmond, although I confess, I sped to Jade Seafood
Restaurant in my gas-fed steed.

The restaurant won awards at this
year’s Chinese Restaurant Awards for two of their dishes: a gold for
the Mushroom Dumplings and a silver for Grandpa’s Smoked Chicken. Last
year, it won an award for its Claypot chicken.

It was a good tip.
I couldn’t try the Mushroom Dumplings because it’s a dim sum dish (I
went in the evening) but I did try Grandpa’s Smoked Chicken. I don’t
know who Grandpa is, but his chicken is sure delicious.