The Chinese Restaurant Awards in Canada recently celebrated its 15th anniversary with a gala dinner, held for 100 guests at the Michelin-recommended Chang’An Restaurant in downtown Vancouver.
The evening showcased the talents of three Chinese chefs with different backgrounds and skill sets who have made their mark in Vancouver.
Alex Chen is originally from Malaysia, grew up in Vancouver and trained in French culinary techniques; Li Bo came to Canada from China’s Jilin province and has a love of seafood; and Leo Wang Zong-gui was born in Sichuan province, but honed his skills cooking dishes from China’s central city of Xi’an.
They served creative canapés such as golden oysters grilled over charcoal, and black cod “char siu” with red fermented bean curd mayonnaise in a charcoal steamed bun; and dishes including charcoal-grilled lobster with chilli oil sauce and handmade wide noodles.
For Lee Man, chair of the Chinese Restaurant Awards judging panel, Wang – head chef at Chang’An Restaurant – served one of the night’s stand-out dishes, a spicy sour soup with sea cucumber and fish maw.
