Have you ever attended a Chinese banquet?
I ate my way through multiple courses at an elaborate dinner held not long ago at the Cantonese-style Always Seafood Restaurant in Vancouver. Here are just a few of the dishes we sampled.
The “Four-Fortune Appetizer Platter” included five-spiced beef, salt-and-pepper fried squid, honey-garlic pork ribs, and a cold jellyfish salad.
The sautéed beef tenderloin with red and green peppers was served in a crispy — and edible — “nest.”
When we were served this mild fish maw soup, no one could agree on what a “fish maw” was. Apparently, it’s an air bladder that helps fish stay afloat — and gives an almost creamy texture to this delicate soup.
What’s a Chinese banquet without a big platter of crab?
An unusual menu item for a Chinese restaurant, this savory dish was braised goose in a bean sauce, served with lightly steamed broccoli.
For dessert, we had “Golden Squash with Sweet Walnuts” — delicately fried kabocha squash with candied walnuts. An unexpected finish to an excellent meal!
What’s the most elaborate dinner — Chinese or otherwise — that you’ve ever had? Please leave a comment and dish on the dishes!
And if you’d like to share your own food adventures (and some link love), join the WanderFood Wednesday blog carnival. Here’s how:
- Post a food photo on your site.
- Add a brief description about the photo and include a link to WanderFood Wednesday.
- Add your blog name and post title to the “Mr. Linky” form below, with a link directly to your post (not to your main blog). That’s it!
[mrlinky owner=wanderfood postid=26Jun2012 meme=2888]
If you go…
Most of the dishes we tried are available on the regular dinner menu at Always Seafood Restaurant, 4298 Main St., Vancouver, BC, 604-876-6110. And you can always phone ahead to request a particular dish.
Always Seafood hosted this dinner for members of the media. And special thanks to Chinese food expert Stephanie Yuen for organizing the event.
Tasty Travels!
Carolyn
Photo credits:
All photos © Carolyn B. Heller