Best Casual Chinese Dining: Ho Yuen Kee

Gold winner Ho Yuen Kee is a boisterous, family-oriented restaurant where the décor is “the lovechild of Miami Vice and baroque.” The late-night menu features small-plate dishes of well-executed wok cooking. Said one judge: “Deep-fried silverfish served with chilies and garlic chips is the best I’ve tasted in Vancouver.” Don’t miss: the house-specialty dessert of steamed-to-order soft tofu with sweet ginger syrup. At Chen’s Shanghai Kitchen (Silver), space is at a premium (there’s a constant line-up), but a shared table sees top-notch food: xiao long bao (soup buns) burst with clean, rich broth and are easily, the best in Vancouver, while black sesame pastries are also exemplary—far above any other Chinese dessert the judges sampled. Golden Szechuan (Bronze) serves dishes with bright flavours enhanced by the piney, citrusy bite of Sichuan peppercorns. Dishes range from the accessible to incredibly authentic (chili-boiled beef, a rich, piquant stew with bright spice and tremendous depth of flavour). Boiled pork belly with spicy dipping sauce is served cold with cucumber to quench the spice. HKYK (Hong Kong Ying Kee) serves the Asian equivalent of fondue, a rainy day friend, while Dai Tung (Honourable Mention) rides on the merits of its signature “wind sand” organic free-range chicken, “served cold poached, sweet and succulent.”

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