For Immediate Release
For high resolution promotion images of the program, please contact rae@chineserestaurantawards.com
Over 15 restaurants are celebrated in three distinct categories, including
the esteemed Critics’ Choice Signature Dish Awards and the influencer-led Social Media Choice Awards
Vancouver, Canada, March 7, 2017—The plates and chopsticks have been licked clean and the votes have been tallied. Following months of clandestine tastings of the best regional Chinese and Taiwanese dishes that Metro Vancouver has to offer, the Chinese Restaurant Awards has determined its list of winners for 2017.
The recipients were announced at the Chinese Restaurant Awards ceremony at the River Rock Show Theatre in Richmond this afternoon (March 7), where over 270 chefs, industry staff, and restaurateurs gathered to hear the results. Emceed by CBC Vancouver’s Lien Yeung and Fairchild TV/Radio host William Ho Wood Kuen, the gala also recognized the winners of the Diners’ Choice Awards, which were unveiled in January after more than 38,000 public votes were cast.
In addition, the ninth annual event toasted Emma Choo, the Vancouver-based social-media influencer recently crowned the first-ever #TasteHKG ambassador in a competition presented by the Chinese Restaurant Awards and the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
Eighteen restaurants—some newcomers, others returning champs—were celebrated in the three categories outlined below. The complete winners’ list is copied after. This year’s results were reviewed by Jacqueline Lai, CPA, the Chinese Restaurant Awards’ auditor.
Critics’ Choice Signature Dish Awards
10 must-taste regional Chinese dishes recommended by professional food critics
The Critics’ Choice Signature Dish Awards are the Chinese Restaurant Awards’ most revered and longest-running category of prizes. Since 2009, a group of discerning food critics has put their taste buds to the test, visiting a myriad of restaurants to uncover the dishes that best represent—and push the boundaries of— regional Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine.
This year’s all-star panel of professional food critics consisted of Stephen Wong, cofounder of the Chinese Restaurant Awards; Alexandra Gill, British Columbia food critic for The Globe and Mail; Iris Yim, founder of GourmetVancouver.com; and Brandon Matthews and Lee Man, contributors for Vancouver magazine.
After six months of anonymous tastings done both individually and as a group, the judges recognized nine restaurants in 10 separate dish categories that include best pork belly bao, best spicy garlic Dungeness crab over sticky rice, and best spicy wontons.
Social Media Choice Awards (judging panel’s comments available on the webpage)
Five hidden-gem restaurants recommended by social-media elites
Launched in 2015 as the Food Bloggers’ Choice Awards, the Social Media Choice Awards acknowledge the power of online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in showcasing and popularizing the latest trends in regional Chinese and Taiwanese fare.
This year, four Metro Vancouver–based social-media influencers were tasked with compiling a list of must-try “hidden gem” restaurants specializing in regional Chinese and Taiwanese cooking. The panel consisted of Chloe Wang, founder of Vandiary.com; Leila Kwok, food and lifestyle photographer; Jesse Tsao, founder of Myvanlife.com; and Melly Woo, founder of Mellywoo.com.
After three months of exploring and unearthing numberless dishes and restaurants around Metro Vancouver, the group has decided to present the 2017 Social Media Choice Awards to five under-the-radar establishments.
Special Awards of the Year
The Chinese Master Chefs Award, presented by Alberta Canola Producer, recognizes outstanding chefs skilled in the creation of regional Chinese dishes. It was awarded to two executive chefs that have led their respective establishments to strong showings at the Chinese Restaurant Awards in recent years.
Both chefs will also be inducted into the Chinese Master Chefs’ hall of fame, which was founded by the Chinese Restaurant Awards in 2013 to honour trailblazing chefs in the Chinese culinary community.
The Rémy Martin Centaure De Diamant Restaurant of the Year Award, presented by Rémy Martin, salutes a restaurant that has consistently been recognized by the Chinese Restaurant Awards since its inception in 2008. The winning establishment has earned nine Critics’ Choice Signature Dish Awards in the past six years, becoming the restaurant with the most signature dishes won in the Chinese Restaurant Awards’ history.
The Inspiration Award, presented by the Underwater Harvesters Association, celebrates a chef who has exhibited remarkable technique and originality in the preparation of B.C. geoduck. The winning chef produced a Chinese-influenced Chilled Chowder with B.C. Geoduck for the Chinese Restaurant Awards ceremony.
The Hennessy 2016 Top Cognac Service and Sales Award is bestowed upon a restaurant that has demonstrated exceptional customer service and top Henessey Cognac sales for the 2016 fiscal year. Sponsored by Hennessy, the prize strengthens the value of premium dining experiences in Chinese gastronomy.
The inaugural Ocean Wise Sustainable Seafood Award is presented to a restaurant that shows a commitment to and excellence in crafting regional Chinese or Taiwanese dishes using sustainably sourced seafood. The winning eatery leads Ocean Wise’s newest restaurant partner and is known to highlight Taiwanese flavours with inventive flair.
Complete winners’ list for 2017 Chinese Restaurant Awards – Metro Vancouver
Critics’ Choice Signature Dish Awards
10 awards in total | *first time winners
1. STEAMED SAVORY CUSTARD WITH SEAFOOD
The Jade Seafood Restaurant
8511 Alexandra Road, Richmond
(604) 249-0082
2. SPICY GARLIC DUNGENESS CRAB OVER STICKY RICE
Dynasty Seafood Restaurant
#108–777 West Broadway, Vancouver
(604) 876-8388
3. STEAMED PORK BELLY WITH PRESERVED VEGETABLE AND SALTY LEMON
Chef Tony Seafood Restaurant
#101–4600 No. 3 Road, Richmond
(604) 279-0083
4. CHEF’S SPECIAL STUFFED DUCK
Golden Paramount Seafood Restaurant
8071 Park Road, Richmond
(604) 278-0873
5. PORK BELLY BAO
Heritage Asian Eatery*
1108 West Pender Street Vancouver
(778) 737-1108
6. STEWED BEEF BRISKET WITH RICE ROLL IN HOT POT
Yue Delicacy Restaurant
8077 Alexandra Road, Richmond
(604) 233-1219
7. ROASTED LAMB LEG
Hao’s Lamb Restaurant*
11800–8799 McKim Way, Richmond
(604) 270-6632
8. DRY SILVER FISH WITH SPICY SALT
Landmark Hotpot House
4023 Cambie Street, Vancouver
(604) 872-2868
9. BAKED MINCED PORK PIE WITH BLACK PEPPER
Dynasty Seafood Restaurant
#108–777 West Broadway, Vancouver
(604) 876-8388
10. SPICY WONTONS
Shanghai Station*
Empire Centre, #1395–4540 No. 3 Road, Richmond
(604) 306-2328
Social Media Choice Awards
Five awards in total
1. Chao Shou Wang
Crystal Mall, #2113–4500 Kingsway, Burnaby
(778) 371-5033
2. Flower & Horse in Spring
1741 Robson Street, Vancouver
(778) 379-6198
3. G8 Taiwanese Kitchen
8335 Oak Street, Vancouver
(604) 266-8718
4. Memory Corner
6900 No. 3 Road, Richmond
(604) 284-5434
5. Shanghai Goodies
Parker Place, #136–4231 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond
(604) 232-1227
Special Awards of the Year
FIVE awards in total
1. CHINESE MASTER CHEFS AWARDS, PRESENTED BY ALBERTA CANOLA PRODUCERS COMMISSION
Executive Chef Leung Yiu Tong
Hoi Tong Chinese Seafood Restaurant
#155–8191 Westminster Highway, Richmond
(604) 276-9229
Executive Chef Sam Leung
Dynasty Seafood Restaurant
#108–777 West Broadway, Vancouver
(604) 876-8388
2. CENTAURE DE DIAMANT RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR, PRESENTED BY RÉMY MARTIN
Dynasty Seafood Restaurant
#108–777 West Broadway, Vancouver
(604) 876-8388
3. INSPIRATION AWARD, PRESENTED BY THE UNDERWATER HARVESTERS ASSOCIATION
Executive Chef Alex Chen
Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar
845 Burrard Street, Vancouver
(604) 642-2900
4. TOP COGNAC SERVICE AND SALES AWARD, PRESENTED BY HENNESSY
Peninsula (Oakridge) Seafood Restaurant
650 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver
(604) 428-9999
5. OCEAN WISE SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD AWARD
Maji Restaurant
#1180–8391 Alexandra Road, Richmond
(604) 270-3100
The Chinese Restaurant Awards wishes to thank the following sponsors: Alberta Canola Producers Commission, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hong Kong Airlines, Kerry Hotel Hong Kong, River Rock Casino Resort, Remy Martin, Hennessy, Heineken, Mission Hill Winery, Fraser Valley Specialty Poultry, Underwater Harvesters Association, Lee Kum Kee Canada, Ocean Wise, CBC Vancouver, A Bite of Vancouver, and Dawenfantuan/Van-Food.
ABOUT THE CHINESE RESTAURANT AWARDS
Founded in 2008 by Craig Stowe and Stephen Wong, the Chinese Restaurant Awards is the longest running Chinese culinary event in the world. Culminating in an annual gala that celebrates the best chefs, restaurants, and dishes in Metro Vancouver’s Chinese and Taiwanese food scenes, the awards aim to raise public awareness of the quality and nuances of Chinese cuisine and to create a platform for cross-cultural cooking-based exchange. Today, the Chinese Restaurant Awards is considered the region’s authority on authentic and contemporary Chinese fare, offering local and visiting foodies a definitive guide of must-try ethnic eats. In 2013 and 2014, the Greater Toronto Area—another major hub for Chinese food—was selected to be part of the awards. Extending its international reach, the event partnered with the Hong Kong Tourism Board in 2017 to present the first-ever #TasteHKG, a competition that offered one Canadian social-media food influencer a once-in-a-lifetime gastronomic trip to Hong Kong.
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Media contact: Rae Kung rae@ChineseRestaurantAwards.com
