{"id":21314,"date":"2025-07-17T16:11:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T23:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/?p=21314"},"modified":"2025-07-30T17:07:04","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T00:07:04","slug":"exploring-richmonds-alexandra-road-a-cross-china-feast-with-ubc-alumni","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/exploring-richmonds-alexandra-road-a-cross-china-feast-with-ubc-alumni\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Richmond\u2019s Alexandra Road: A Cross-China Feast with UBC Alumni"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Last Wednesday, I had the pleasure of hosting a culinary tour for 20 fellow UBC alumni along the legendary Alexandra Road in Richmond\u2014one of the most iconic Chinese food streets in all of North America. Many of our guests don\u2019t often venture out here for Chinese cuisine, so I curated three very different but equally representative restaurants to showcase the depth and diversity of regional Chinese flavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stop 1: Yuan&#8217;s Garden \u2013 Jiangnan Elegance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our first stop was<strong> <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yuansgarden.com\/en\/home2\/\">Yuan&#8217;s Garden<\/a> <\/em><\/strong><em>(\u96a8\u5712<\/em>), known for its refined <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Huaiyang_cuisine\">Huaiyang cuisine<\/a>. We kicked off strong with an oversized <em>Claypot Wonton Chicken Soup<\/em>\u2014an entire aged hen simmered down to a clear, incredibly savoury broth, accompanied by sizable pork-and-vegetable-stuffed wontons. The soup alone was a showstopper. Of course, no Huaiyang experience is complete without <em>xiao long bao<\/em> (soup dumplings) and <em>sheng jian bao<\/em> (pan-fried buns), both executed with impressive finesse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the real star was the <em><strong>Eight Treasures Duck<\/strong><\/em>, a labor-intensive dish that must be pre-ordered a day in advance. The deboned duck is stuffed with sticky rice, shiitake mushrooms, chestnuts, salted egg yolk, chicken, shrimp, duck gizzard, and liver\u2014an absolute masterclass in flavour and texture. Rich, aromatic, and deeply comforting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2875-4-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2875-4-1024x816.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21317\" width=\"575\" height=\"457\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2875-4-1024x816.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2875-4-300x239.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2875-4-768x612.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2875-4-69x55.jpg 69w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2875-4-2048x1633.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2875-4-640x510.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_2875-4-750x598.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px\" \/><\/a><figcaption><em><strong>Eight Treasures Duck<\/strong><\/em> @ Yuan&#8217;s Garden \u96a8\u5712<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stop 2: Shun Feng Shun Shui \u2013 True Flavours of Shunde and Cantonese Cuisine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next up: <em>Shun Feng Shun Shui<\/em>, a new Richmond gem serving authentic Shunde cuisine. The Shrimp Cakes were unbelievably bouncy and fresh, bursting with natural sweetness. We also loved the traditional <em>Shredded Fish Soup<\/em>, so clean and delicate, it practically defines umami. Their <em>Shunde-style Fried Rice<\/em>, with seafood and preserved mustard greens, was subtle yet packed with depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then came the main event: <em><strong>Sauna Chicken with Luffa<\/strong><\/em>. This whole free-range bird, lightly steamed over luffa, or silky gourd, needed no extra seasoning\u2014just a dip in their house-made soy and chili brought out every juicy, tender bite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4642.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4642-1024x675.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21316\" width=\"580\" height=\"382\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4642-1024x675.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4642-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4642-768x506.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4642-83x55.jpg 83w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4642-1536x1012.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4642-640x422.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4642-750x494.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4642.jpg 1550w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><\/a><figcaption><em><strong>Sauna Chicken with Luffa<\/strong><\/em> @ A Bite of Shunde \u9806\u5cf0\u9806\u6c34<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stop 3: The Fish Man \u2013 Coastal Flavours, Sichuan Heat<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our final dinner stop, <em>The Fish Man<\/em>, blends Sichuan spice with bold, seafood-forward dishes. We devoured<em> Clam Stir Fry in Garlic &amp; Black Bean Sauce<\/em>, sizzling skewers, and two standout crab dishes: one fried with salted egg yolk and chewy Shanghai rice cakes, the other wok-tossed Typhoon Shelter\u2013style with chili, garlic, and spice. Their signature <em><strong>Sauerkraut Fish Soup<\/strong><\/em> made with fresh lingcod was a revelation\u2014bright, spicy, and soul-warming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4643-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4643-3-1024x936.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21320\" width=\"438\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4643-3-1024x936.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4643-3-300x274.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4643-3-768x702.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4643-3-60x55.jpg 60w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4643-3-640x585.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4643-3-750x686.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4643-3.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 438px) 100vw, 438px\" \/><\/a><figcaption><em><strong>Sauerkraut Fish Soup<\/strong><\/em> @ The Fish Man<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Sweet Finish: Daan Go Dessert Lab<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s a feast without dessert? We wrapped up the evening with adorable Asian-inspired macarons from <em>Daan Go Dessert Lab<\/em>\u2014flavours included Hong Kong milk tea, Japanese matcha, Thai tea, and Vietnamese coffee. Each one was a bite-sized delight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_3792-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"743\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_3792-1024x743.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_3792-1024x743.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_3792-300x218.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_3792-768x557.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_3792-76x55.jpg 76w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_3792-1536x1115.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_3792-2048x1487.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_3792-640x465.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_3792-750x544.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Asian-inspired macarons @ <em>Daan Go Dessert Lab<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>All of this\u2014spanning the culinary map from Shanghai to Shunde to Sichuan\u2014came to just $88 per person at cost. Was it worth it? Judging by the satisfied smiles and repeated gasps of \u201cwow,\u201d I\u2019d say absolutely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/pickydiner\/\">message me on Instagram<\/a> for the Full Alexandra Road Foodie Map!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4646-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"234\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4646-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21319\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4646-2.jpg 234w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4646-2-201x300.jpg 201w, https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IMG_4646-2-37x55.jpg 37w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 234px) 100vw, 234px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last Wednesday, I had the pleasure of hosting a culinary tour for 20 fellow UBC alumni along the legendary Alexandra Road in Richmond\u2014one of the most iconic Chinese food streets in all of North America. Many of our guests don\u2019t often venture out here for Chinese cuisine, so I curated [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21315,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[39,100,549,276,127,353],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/5AA32F1C-55D4-465A-9713-E9D9C33D503A-scaled.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21314"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21314"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21321,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21314\/revisions\/21321"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickydiners.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}