Restaurants
Jiangsu and Zhejiang cooking on Alexandra Road, a regional style far less common in Richmond than Cantonese. Xiao long bao and sheng jian bao are the signatures, alongside the braised, slightly sweeter dishes of eastern China.
Anyone who has only eaten Cantonese in Richmond has seen a fraction of the city's Chinese cooking. Jiangsu and Zhejiang kitchens are a thin seam here, under a Cantonese default with a strong northern and Sichuan presence layered on top. The regional signature is worth knowing before you order: braises that lean slightly sweeter, a lighter hand with chilli than the place two doors down, and dumplings treated as a serious course rather than a side.
That last point deserves explaining, because two things get confused constantly. One dumpling is steamed, thin-skinned and full of soup. The other is pan-fried until the base goes crisp and chewy. Same basic idea, completely different eating experience, and the fried ones are worth starting on while the crust is still doing its job.
The address sits on Alexandra Road, one block east of No. 3 Road, behind the Aberdeen and Yaohan end of the Golden Village. That single block packs in more kitchens than anywhere else in Metro Vancouver. Street parking becomes a competitive sport by early evening, and the mall structures a few minutes away solve the problem for the cost of a short walk.
The strip turns over quickly, which is the price of that density. Units change hands, signage changes, and a recommendation two years old is not reliable on this street. It is worth confirming a place is still trading before you promise anyone dinner there. The upside is that you are never committed to a first choice, since three alternatives sit within fifty metres of any door on the block.
In the Golden Village neighbourhood of Richmond.
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Other restaurants and nearby businesses in the Richmond directory.
A wonton noodle and congee house on the Alexandra Road restaurant strip. Shrimp wontons in clear broth, beef brisket noodles and slow-cooked congee are the staples. Fast, inexpensive, and a reliable stop when you want something light and hot.
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Upscale Cantonese seafood house inside Empire Centre on No. 3 Road. Known for elaborate, modern-looking dim sum, live tank seafood and Peking duck. One of the standard Richmond picks for banquets and big weekend family lunches.
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Cantonese restaurant tucked into an Alexandra Road strip, quieter than the big banquet halls nearby. Dim sum is the draw at lunch: steamed dumplings, rice rolls and taro puffs made to order, with plenty of seafood on the dinner menu.
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A tiny Cantonese barbecue counter in the Superstore plaza on No. 3 Road, long regarded as one of the best in the region. Char siu, crackling-skin roast pork and soy chicken are chopped to order over rice. Small space, quick queue, and it sells out early.
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A big, busy Cantonese dining room on the third floor of Aberdeen Centre, best known for made-to-order dim sum at lunch. Locals queue on weekends for har gow, rice rolls and egg tarts, then shop downstairs. Dinner shifts to seafood and banquet dishes.
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A small Malaysian takeout on No. 3 Road turning out laksa, nasi lemak, chicken rice and roti. It runs mainly on pickup and delivery with limited seating. Portions are generous, prices are low, and the sambal carries real heat.
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From the blog
Longer reads from the editor, with the places worth a detour linked inside them.
The Night Market's final season is the loud story. The quieter one: free admission at the Cannery ends Monday, Britannia keeps summer hours through Sunday, and Steveston does sunsets better than anyone.
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Nothing on Alexandra Road is a secret. It is just in a strip mall with bad signage and no patio, which is why visitors never find it. Here is how I actually use Richmond's plazas and food courts, which specialists are worth the drive, and when not to bother.
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The West Dyke Trail is about five and a half kilometres of flat gravel between Terra Nova Rural Park and Garry Point, and I ride it most mornings. Here is what is actually at the north end, which way to walk so the wind is on your side, and why winter is the better season for it.
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