This weekend we were ringing in Lunar New Year in the West End. This was a four stop foodie tour, accumulating with a traditional lion dance
Our walking food tour started at Chungchun Rice Dog (1795 Robson St.) for our choice of Korean rice hot dog. It is like a corn dog with your choice of filling, coating, and sauces.
I went for a cheese filled dog for the stringiest cheesy pull possible. I had it coated and battered with deep fried potato cubes, for a crunchy shell. Once fried and dried, you have your choice of sauces to flavour. A fulsome selection to choose from that includes wet and powder dry. I had a mix of honey mustard, sweet chilli, and honey butter powder.
However you create your own, with stick for grip and cardboard sleeve as a catch-all, they make for a great and easy snack on the go.
With all the bold and salty flavours, I was happy our next stop was Unni Pastries (1773 Robson St.) for a beverage of our choice: hot or cold. I went for the strawberry matcha latte on ice. It came with three layers of colour that you mix together for a cohesive one flavour. This satiated my thirst. So if this was meant to be our appetizers so thus, the next stop was our entree.
Our full sit down meal was at the newer Yunqueen Rice Noodles (1460 Robson St.), a Chinese noodle shop, specializing in bridge crossing noodles.
As the story and tradition goes, a wife brings her husband working in the fields a fresh bowl of noodles. She bottles it piping hot, in order to keep the broth warmer for longer. Each of the ingredients are kept separate in order to maintain their freshness. Then when on location the ingredients are added into the soup to fully cook. The result is the best take out noodles feasibly possible, and we had the pleasure of having them today, at the comfort of an indoor table.
We had the option of a lighter, golden chicken broth or a richer and more peppery beef broth. Each set comes with its own proteins, but the same preserve vegetables and fungus. I got their Signature Beef Broth featuring Beef Shank & Beef Bone broth. Plus a platter of beef fillet, beef shank, fresh shrimp, fish slices, squid, chicken breast, wood ear, witches’ butter, shredded tofu skin, pickled vegetables, Chinese chives, and seasonal vegetables.
The broth came bubbling hot and you are invited to add the thinly sliced meat and julienned vegetables into it immediately. This is to ensure every raw thing gets cooked up thoroughly. The bowl is huge and the serving is enough to feed two. I enjoyed the first few sips and bites as is, but found I needed help from their self-serve sauce bar thereafter. Brightening acid from fresh tomatoes and chilli crunch, and the freshness of beansprouts and cilantro helped add longevity to the meal. Nonetheless there was so much food that we left with plenty of leftovers, that I ended up finishing across 2 meals.
Our fourth stop served as dessert. Fuwa Fuwa (1510 Robson St.) is a Japanese pancake chain. Its name aptly describes its soft and fluffy texture. We had their signature pancakes which was two rounds piled high, then topped with cream and fresh fruit. It also comes with a side of syrup for you to pour as much or as little as you want over it all. Although, I preferred it plain. Light, eggy, and delightfully cakey as is. It reminded me of angel food cake or sponge cake, but more creamy with a texture than absolutely melts.
With bellies full and bodied full of good spirits, our tour ended at Robson Public Market (1610 Robson St.). There, we took in an exciting lion dance performance to close out the celebration, and ensure a prosperous new year for all the businesses within.
