Tonight we at the historic Vancouver Club celebrating the Chinese restaurant awards at their fundraising gala.
Earlier in the month the awards shared their list of best Chinese Restaurants in Canada, and majority of which were located in Vancouver and Richmond. With the Metro Vancouver’s Dynasty Seafood Restaurant taking the number one spot.
Fast forward to tonight’s Dim Sum Gala, bringing together Vancouver’s dim sum master and new-wave chefs to prepare 18 unique dim sum bites across reception and dinner.
EXECUTIVE CHEF HON-CHEONG CHAN from Grand Hyatt Hong Kong at One Harbour Road
DiM SUM CHEF OF THE YEAR 2024 WEI LAI from Lanxuan Restaurant
RISING STAR CHEF 2024 of STEVEN CHE and Just Pizza
CHEF DE CUISINE of EDWARD CHENG from Black+Blue
EXECUTIVE CHEF JAY YIP of Fairchild Restaurant Group’s Petite Bao
Special Guest Chef JACKY LEF of Car’s Dessert
Past Dim Sum Head Chef of the Regent Hotel Hong Kong Lai Ching Heen. A Michelin two-star business.
Throughout the night we were able to witness these talented chefs craft, thanks to a televised look at their kitchen workroom within the bowels of the Vancouver Club. Each chef helped to prepare one of the small dim sum bites we would be getting for an accumulated dinner, many of which served three at a time.
This was a black-tie affair, and the evening began with a reception in the Georgian Room. Here, guests were invited to mingle and enjoy glasses of sparkling wine, tasters of Dalmore Whisky, and dim sum hors d’oeuvres.
Steven Che prepared a multi-faceted Beef Siu Mai with waterchestnut, shiso, worcestershire, and dried aged beef fat. There was so much depth and layers to this, so rich and meaty that I was satisfied with the one. Whereas I often find myself searching for more when I eat basic pork siu mai. There was also no need for chilli or soy with this one, each dumpling a self contained bite with freshness of the green crowning it.
Edward Cheng prepared a one bite Teochew crab roll. Adeep-fried roll made from a mixture of ground pork, prawns, and crab meat, wrapped in beancurd skin. Salty and sweet, crispy and juicy, this had everything going for it.
The room was a buzz with Wei Lai’s Yuji matcha wagyu bao. An elevated take on a bbq pork bun. Bold in its matcha green, and dazzling with a gold flake crown. These were soft buns filled with just as tender beef. I am not shy to admit that I had three.
From Jay Yip we got a Crispy puffed tendon chip. This was like a lean pork rind with the texture of airy and porous styrofoam.
This was paired with a collection of Dalmore whisky to sample. We worked our way through them all: Dalmore 12 year old, Dalmore Port Wood Reserve, Dalmore 2006 Vintage, and Dalmore 2009 Vintage.
And for those who liked what they tasted they could take home a bottle and have it personalized on the spot with a custom engraving right on the bottle.
When time, the staff came around to invite all the guests in to the Grand Ballroom for the gala and a seated multi-course menu. Dinner would highlight both traditional and innovative Cantonese dim sum.
The meal was complemented by The Dalmore Single Malt Whisky, premium wines from Mt. Boucherie; and artisanal cocktails crafted by North America’s 50 Best Bar No. 28, The Keefer Bar, in collaboration with The Dalmore.
The tea for the table was a Roasted Osmanthus Oolong by Aroma Tea House.
This was the 16th annual Dim Sum Gala hosted by Scotia Wealth Management. It opened Vancouver up for an international chef exchange, in order to unite generations and peoples; while showcasing the artistry of dim sum from master chef to the newer generations.
Ticket holders paired $400+ for a ticket to be seated at a table of 8 with other tastemakers. This was all in support of St. Paul’s Hospital and their hearing loss programs.
Out first course was three bites brought together. Edward Cheng’s Vegetarian goose, Jay Yip’s Shrimp toast and Jellyfish and celtuce.
The Vegetarian goose ate more like a bean curd wrap with sectioned parts for evenly chopped pieces of oyster mushroom, carrot, and black wood ear. The sweetness of the fried tofu is what comes through, q familiar sight that reminded me of a Chinese cold appetizer platter.
The Shrimp toast was crunchy, umami, and fragrant with almond, black sesame, and hawthorn.
Jellyfish and celtuce was more crispy vegetable than rubbery jellyfish. Refreshing, light, and tangy. The vegetable was higher in acidity than cucumber, and a textural cross between celery and asparagus.
This course was paired with a dram of Dalmore 15 year old. This was my first time enjoying such bold spirits with dim sum, especially given that dim sum is more traditionally served in the morning for breakfast.
Our second course was a trio of steamed dumplings by Chan Hon-Cheong. First, a Steamed shrimp dumplings with conpoy, baby spinach, and garlic. “Conpoy” is the Cantonese name for dried scallops, a preserved seafood product made from the adductor muscle of scallops. This had a gentle flavour, one that you really took the time to take in and enjoy with a nice pepperiness from the herbaceous greens and the finishing touch of the tobiko pops.
The Steamed beetroot and preserved meat dumpling had a great texture, its soft skin was especially refreshing with its tangy tomato tasting and looking wrapper.
The third bite was a vegetarian Steamed mushroom dumpling with pine mushroom, morel mushroom, and amber wood ear. With its deep woodsy flavour this was the best pairing for the Dalmore King Alexander III of this course.
From here we switched to wine from Mt. Boucherie in West Kelowna. The Original Vines Chardonnay 2020 is similar to a sleek and elegant California wine, and its grapes come from some of the oldest vines in BC, planted in 1990.
The Stuffed pacific sea cucumber from Edward Cheng was a favourite of the room. The most substantial of all our plates with Tiger Prawn, carp, pork, and a pine mushroom jus. It reminded me of a thick shrimp loaf with a lovely gummy-soft topping from the unique use of sea cucumber. Light and lovely, although I could have used a dip on the side to add longevity and continued interest.
There was a table XO sauce, however I found it fairly oily and not all that helpful in its spice or seasoning.
Wei Lai prepared a special Lobster pomegranate parcel with BC geoduck and a supreme broth poured over it table side. It was a lovely spectacle and just as delicate to eat, starting with the perfectly sliced piece of geoduck and ending with the juicy pops of the ikura.
The dumpling itself remind me of an elevated Hao Gao turned into a soup with the warming broth surrounding and flavouring it.
Here, our meal was punctuated by the opening of the ballroom’s back bar. Helmed by the Keefer Bar, once again, this was newly announced as number 28 in North America’s 50 Best Bars list.
They were mixing the Big Red Robe, in collaboration with Dalmore. The inspiration behind this was the “King of Teas”. A Manhattan style cocktail designed to centre around Dalmore’s Cigar Malt and compliment it with rich stone fruit and earthy red cardamom. A bold and warming glass finished off with a chocolatey treat.
As we sipped and took in this spirit forward, contemplative and complex cocktail with Dalmore Cigar Malt, Da Hong Pao cliff tea umeshu, and red cardamom vermouth we weee entertained by what was going on, on stage.
On top of live entertainment like traditional Chinese opera, the room enjoyed learning about the charity efforts that brought us here today. We heard how we could support them through open donations tonight.
To this effect they had VIPs passing out speciality and limited dim sum steamers. One in exchange for larger contributions, they were looking for the sum of $2,500. This was surpassed with one guest donating the full $2,500, after the goal had been reached.
For our fifth course Chan Hon-Cheong made two familiar dim sum dishes more luxurious with the use of wagyu and truffle. The first was A Pan-fried shrimp and pork dumpling with kimchi for an incredibly savoury two bites. A little on the greasy and salty side, but easily tempered by the Mt. Boucherie Summit 2019 wine pairing.
The second was a Baked wagyu beef pastries stuffed with leeks, mushrooms, and black truffle. The sesame speckled snow skin was a tad light for the truffle that overpowered. Nonetheless this was still one of my favourite bites of the night as it easily flaked apart with one bite.
Course six was by Jay Yip. The traditional rice or noodle dish to end the savoury portion of a banquet dinner, but made with many unexpected ingredients.
Steamed lotus leaf stuffed with glutinous rice, a scallop medallion, iberico ham, shitake mushroom, and preserved olives. Indulgently topped with freshly saved truffle, this took great influence from Italian cuisine, but still ate Chinese like an Italian sticky fried rice.
This was paired with a glass of Mt. Boucherie Original Vines PTG (Pinot Noir/Gamay) 2021. This was an approachable wine with plenty of acidity and citrus notes to help cut into the stronger flavours of the cured ham and brined olives above.
For our next red pairing we had Mt. Boucherie Original Vines Bordeaux blend with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. This was more rounded and merlot dominated for those who wanted a richer red to either have with the heavier elements above or to stretch with the fermented beans below, in dessert.
Chan Hon-Cheong gave us three bites for dessert the classic Chilled mango pudding which I scrapped the cup clean of. This had the perfect amount of sweetness to highlight the fruit and cream of this pudding and still be able to enjoy it with tea.
The Crispy fermented beancurd pastries with lotus paste was your sweeter bite. It had a lovely flaky texture hiding sticky centre.
And the Baked puff pastries gave us the nostalgia of ending on red bean, but with Tokachi red bean, 30 years old tangerine peel, and rose jam for an elevated take.
In closing, this was such a lovely showcase of skill and talent. These chefs took what I love about dim sum and flipped it upside down, yet I still loved what came out. All this despite none of it being what I expected. I just wish I got more than one of each morsel. To be able to try and taste the first and truly enjoy and appreciate the second. It was my honour to attend such a prestigious night for such a noble cause.
The Vancouver Club
915 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6C 1C6
