Vancouver’s best Chinese restaurants According to the 2011 Chinese Restaurant Awards

Consider this the ultimate must-eat list for Chinese food fanatics.

Credit: Courtesy of the Chinese Restaurant Awards

The winning vegetarian dish: Sautéed Buddha’s Feast from Dynasty Seafood Restaurant

Above: The winning vegetarian dish, sautéed Buddha’s feast, from Vancouver’s Dynasty Seafood Restaurant at Broadway and Willow.

 

Nothing says gung hei fat choy like a feast at one of the best Chinese restaurants in Vancouver, Richmond or Burnaby

 

The Chinese Restaurant Awards come at the perfect time for those looking for delectable Chinese food to usher in the year of the Rabbit. (Chinese New Year’s eve falls on February 2 this year.) The awards break down into three general categories: Diners’ Choice, Critics’ Choice and Chef of the Year.

 

The Diners’ Choice Awards recognizes the best restaurants in each respective category, as voted by the public. Rather than ending up with a punter versus pundit result, the judges (a.k.a. the Critics) award gold for the best interpretation of a signature dish (e.g., Cantonese-style dim sum or geoduck). The critics also present gold, silver and bronze to honour the Chinese Chefs of the Year.

 

Once again, Vancouver and Richmond slugged it out for supremacy, with 19 Diners’ Awards each. But Richmond claimed the title with one more of the coveted Critics’ Choice Awards (12 to Vancouver’s 11). Burnaby came in a distant third with two Critics’ Choice Awards.

 

The quickie list: Top rated Chinese restaurants in the Lower Mainland

If you haven’t time to read through all of this because you have to get to a Chinese restaurant right now, winners in multiple categories were: Jade Seafood Restaurant, HK BBQ Master, Kirin Restaurants, Landmark Hotpot House, Rainflower Seafood Restaurant, Alvin Garden, Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant, Good Choice Restaurant and Shiang Garden Seafood Restaurant.

 

Peaceful beef roll

The winning northern and Shanghai dim sum: peaceful beef roll from Peaceful Restaurant on Broadway near Cambie in Vancouver.

 

Diners’ Choice Award categories

Click on the award category below for the winning restaurant, as well as its location and phone number.

 

1.

BBQ Shop

9.

Hong Kong–Style Milk Tea (new category)

2.

Cantonese Dim Sum Restaurant

10.

Hotpot Restaurant

3.

Casual Restaurant

11.

Modern Chinese Restaurant

4.

Chinese Bakery

12

Northern / Shanghainese Restaurant

5.

Congee/Noodle house Restaurant

13.

Service

6.

Dining Environment

14.

Taiwanese Restaurant/ BBT Café

7.

Fine Dining Restaurant

15.

Vegetarian Restaurant

8.

Hong Kong-Style Café

 

 

Critics’ Choice Award signature dishes

Click on the award category below for the winning restaurant, as well as its location and phone number.

 

1.

Alaska King Crab

14.

Food Court Dish

2.

Appetizer

15.

Geoduck

3.

Beef

16.

Lamb

4.

Chicken

17.

Lobster

5.

Chinese Barbecue

18.

Most Innovative

6.

Clams, Oysters & Scallops

19.

Noodles

7.

Congee

20.

Pork

8.

Dessert/Pastry

21.

Prawns

9.

Dim Sum: Cantonese-style

22.

Rice

10.

Dim Sum: Northern/ Shanghai-style

23.

Soupv

11.

Duck

24.

Squab

12

Dungeness Crab

25.

Vegetarian Dish

13.

Fish

 

 

Chinese Chef of the Year

Gold Tony Luk, Executive Chef, Jade Seafood Restaurant, Richmond
Silver Sam Leung, Executive Chef, Dynasty Seafood Restaurant, Vancouver
Bronze  Wing Ho, Executive Chef, Fortune House Seafood Restaurant, Burnaby

 

Winner of the geoduck category

Gold winning geoduck hotpot from Landmark Hotpot House at Cambie and King Ed in Vancouver.

                

Diners’ Choice Winners

 

BBQ Shop

HK BBQ Master

145-4651 No. 3 Rd, Richmond (604-272-6568)

 

Cantonese Dim Sum Restaurant

Jade Seafood Restaurant

8511 Alexandra Road, Richmond (604-249-0082)

 

Casual Restaurant

Ho Yuen Kee Restaurant

6236 Fraser St, Vancouver (604-324-8855)

 

Chinese Bakery

La Patisserie

8278 Granville St, Vancouver (604-269-0002)

2- 6360 No.3 Road, Richmond (604-270-3092)

 

Congee/Noodle House Restaurant

Congee Noodle House

141-143 East Broadway, Vancouver (604-879-8221)

 

Dining Environment

Kirin Restaurants

102-1166 Alberni Street, Vancouver (604-303-8833)

1163 Pinetree Way, 2/F, Coquitlam (604-944-8833)

2/F 555 W. 12th Ave., Vancouver (604-879-8038)

350 Gifford St, New Westminster (604-528-8833)

200 Three West Centre, 7900 Westminster Hwy, Richmond (604-303-8833)

 

Fine Dining Restaurant

Kirin Restaurants

102-1166 Alberni Street, Vancouver (604-303-8833)

1163 Pinetree Way, 2/F, Coquitlam (604-944-8833)

2/F 555 W. 12th Ave., Vancouver (604-879-8038)

350 Gifford St, New Westminster (604-528-8833)

200 Three West Centre, 7900 Westminster Hwy, Richmond (604-303-8833)

 

Hong Kong-Style Café

Deer Garden Signatures

2015-8580 Alexandra Road, Richmond (604-278-9229)

 

Hong KongStyle Milk Tea (new category)

Lido Restaurant

150-4231 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond (604-231-0055)

 

Hotpot Restaurant

Landmark Hotpot House

4023 Cambie St, Vancouver (604-872-2868)

 

Modern Chinese Restaurant

Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie

163 Keefer St, Vancouver (604-688-0876)

 

Northern/Shanghainese Restaurant

Dinesty Chinese Restaurant

160-8111 Ackroyd Road, Richmond (604-303-7772)

 

Service

Hakkasan Contemporary Chinese Cuisine

110-2188 no.5 Road, Richmond (604-273-9191)

 

Taiwanese Restaurant/BBT Café

Pearl Castle

1128-3779 Sexsmith Rd, Richmond (604-270-3939)

1380-4380 No. 3 Rd, Richmond (604-270-1870)

 

Vegetarian Restaurant

Bodhi Choi Heung Vegetarian Restaurant

3932 Fraser St, Vancouver (604-873-3848)

 

Alaskan Crab

Gold with distinction for Sun Sui Wah’s Alaska King Crab threeways. The restaurant has locations in Vancouver and Richmond.

 

Critics’ Choice Winners

 

Alaska King Crab (with distinction)

Restaurant: Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant

Winning dish: Alaska King Crab Three Ways

3888 Main Street, Vancouver (604-872-8822)

#102-4940 No. 3 Road, Richmond (604-273-8208)

 

Appetizer (with distinction)

Restaurant: Alvin Garden

Winning dish: Five-Spice Pork Heart

4850 Imperial Street, Burnaby (604-437-0828)

 

Beef

Restaurant: Alvin Garden

Winning dish: Beef with Pickled Green Chili

4850 Imperial Street, Burnaby (604-437-0828)

 

Chicken

Restaurant: Jade Seafood Restaurant

Winning dish: The Jade Smoked Grandpa’s Chicken

8511 Alexandra Road, Richmond (604-249-0082)

 

Chinese Barbecue (with distinction)

Restaurant: HK BBQ Master

Winning dish: Barbeque Pork

#145-4651 No. 3 Rd, Richmond (604-272-6568)

 

Clams, Oysters & Scallops           

Restaurant: Good Choice Restaurant

Winning dish: Stir-fried Scallops with Celery, Ginger and XO Sauce

6007 Fraser Street,Vancouver (604-325-9788)

                 

Congee  

Restaurant: Landmark Hotpot House

Winning dish: Cross Bridge-Style’ Seafood Congee

4023 Cambie Street, Vancouver (604-872-2868)

 

Dessert/Pastry

Restaurant: Rainflower Seafood Restaurant

Winning dish: Baked Durian Pastry

3600 No. 3 Rd, Richmond (604-278-7288)

 

Dim Sum: Cantonese-style

Restaurant: Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant

Winning dish: Steamed Bun Stuffed with Preserved Salty Egg Yolk

3711 No. 3 Road, Richmond (604-232-0816)

 

Dim Sum: Northern/Shanghai-style

Restaurant: Peaceful Restaurant

Winning dish: Peaceful Beef Rolls

532 West Broadway, Vancouver (604-879-9878)

 

Duck

Restaurant: Good Choice Restaurant

Winning dish: Soy Duck (Chiu Chow style)

6007 Fraser Street, Vancouver (604-325-9788)

 

Dungeness Crab

Restaurant: Jade Seafood Restaurant

Winning dish: Golden Dungeness Crab

8511 Alexandra Road, Richmond (604-249-0082)

 

Fish

Restaurant: Bing Sheng Restaurant

Winning dish: Steamed Tilapia with Egg

1800 Renfrew Street, Vancouver (604-215-1800)

 

Food Court Dish           

Restaurant: James Snack Sand Pot Rice, Empire Centre

Winning dish: Claypot Chicken & Sausage Rice

#1160-4600 No.3 Road, Richmond (604-716-1328)

             

Geoduck

Restaurant: Landmark Hotpot House

Winning dish: Geoduck Hot Pot

4023 Cambie Street, Vancouver (604-872-2868)

 

Lamb

Restaurant: Rainflower Seafood Restaurant

Winning dish: Lamb Rack in Chinese Wine Sauce

3600 No. 3 Rd, Richmond (604-278-7288)

 

Lobster

Restaurant: Shiang Garden Seafood Restaurant

Winning dish: Lobster with Ginger & Green Onion in Premium Soy Sauce

#2200-4540 No.3 Road, Richmond (604-273-8858)

 

Most Innovative

Restaurant: Red Star Seafood Restaurant

Winning dish: Dungess Crab with Wild Rice

8298 Granville Street, Vancouver (604-261-8389)

#2200 – 8181 Cambie Road, Richmond (604-270-3003)

 

Noodles

Restaurant: Luda Southern Dishes

Winning dish: Beef Ball & Cuttlefish Ball with Noodle in Soup

2683 East Hastings St, Vancouver (604-255-3188)

 

Pork

Restaurant: Shiang Garden Seafood Restaurant

Winning dish: Shiang’s Specialty Layer Pork

#2200-4540 No.3 Road, Richmond (604-273-8858)

 

Prawns (with distinction)

Restaurant: Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant

Winning dish: Pan-fried Prawns with Soy

3711 No. 3 Road, Richmond (604-232-0816)

 

Rice

Restaurant: Landmark Hotpot House

Winning dish: Stir-fried Glutinous Rice

4023 Cambie Street, Vancouver (604-872-2868)

 

Soup (with distinction)

Restaurant: Bamboo Grove

Winning dish: Pork Stomach & Gingko Long-boiled Soup

6920 No.3 Road, Richmond (604-278-9585)

 

Squab (with distinction)

Restaurant: Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant

Winning dish: Fried Squab

3711 No. 3 Road, Richmond (604-232-0816)

 

Vegetarian Dish

Restaurant: Dynasty Seafood Restaurant

Winning dish: Sautéed Buddha’s Feast

#108-777 West Broadway, Vancouver (604-876-8388)

 

Happy eating and gung hei fat choy!

 

N.B. Gold Awards with Distinction denote a restaurant which has won Gold in this category in the previous two years.