Canada Line connects adventurous eaters to dining mecca of Richmond

Tim Pawsey,
Special to Vancouver Courier

The
Hired Belly is busy pondering the foodie newsmakers of 2009. Daniel
Boulud, Rob Feenie, Robert Belcham, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and
Robert Clark could all be serious contenders. But how about this one:
The Canada Line?

We’re serious. Could it be that Vancouver’s
gleaming new train will finally forge the link to the not-so-distant
(but as yet untapped) goodie bag that is Richmond dining?

Hopping
on the new train at the Roundhouse is a breeze. In a scant 25 minutes,
worlds change. It’s like landing in Kowloon–minus the 14-hour flight.
And the beauty from a foodie perspective is that you have a smorgasbord
of incredible flavours at your fingertips.

Yes, we know: Richmond’s flourishing Chinese scene is nothing new.
But ever since T&T opened downtown, saving time (and protecting our
safe driving discount) has meant fewer trips, making this dining mecca
easy to overlook.

Then again, maybe it was too much work to
decide where to go for the best congee, barbecued pork, Shanghai
noodles or dumplings. In a city with plenty of contenders, it could be
tough on both belly and budget.

Enter the Chinese Restaurant
Awards, which made their debut last year. And thanks to an avalanche of
savvy sponsors, they’ve been greatly expanded for 2010. The
just-revealed HSBC Diners’ Choice Awards precede the Critics’ Choice
Signature Dish Awards, to be announced following the 2010 Olympics.

No surprise perhaps, but many (just over half) of the Diners’ Choice winners are found south of the Fraser.

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