It’s Thanksgiving Sunday night, and what should we have for dinner?
I just had some friends over for dinner the night before so I didn’t feel like cooking a whole turkey for just me and my mom. I was in the mood for some upscale Chinese, so I turned to Sing Dao Daily for ideas. The restaurant ad section of the paper usually lists good deals from all tiers of Chinese restaurants in Vancouver and Richmond.
Shi Art at Richmond Centre got my attention. They had specials such as the Live Lobster ($21/lb), Soy Sauce Chicken ($20/half), and the Sea Cucumber Hotpot ($28.80), but only available in the combination of at least one of the dishes on their regular menu. To be honest, none of them sounds very cheap but if you know this place well, these are okay deals. This upscale Chinese restaurant prepares most of their dishes with quality ingredients, local or imported, and they are known for showing creativity on some of the items, but some of the items might seem like overpriced afterthoughts. Basically, you just need to know what to order.
We wanted to do the live lobster which is usually $88 on their menu, but we decided to try the Sea Cucumber Hotpot instead. And for the other dish on their regular, I picked the Black Truffle Chicken ($28.80). It was a take on the classic Cantonese dish, the Emperor Chicken, a variation of “White Cut” Chicken but with topped with a scallion soy sauce. The black truffle sauce is incorporated and it works beautifully here with the sauce and the finely chopped scallion. The earthiness and intense aroma from the truffle brought out the sweetness of the fresh free range chicken. The chicken was perfectly cooked too, exhibiting tight crunchy skin and slightly bouncy texture on the meat.
As for the Sea Cucumber Hotpot ($28.80) for the special and $36.80 on the menu). The chunks of sea cucumber were slow cooked to a perfectly soft, bouncy and succulent texture. Knowing I was chewing and indulging myself with pure collagen, it felt satisfactory. The mu’er and shiitake mushrooms in the hotpot, just like the sea cucumber, were the sponges that had absorbed the flavours of the sauce, tasting of a mix of soy, yellow wine, hoisin and oyster sauce, with a hint of sweetness from leek and onion.
At the end of dinner, they always serve the complimentary desserts, which usually include the Red Bean Soup and 2 type of house-made cookies. I also want to mention that their service is excellent. They have at least 6 or 7 people running in the front attentively.
Final Thought
Shi Art might not be the most popular upscale Chinese restaurant in Richmond and their dinner menu is quite pricey. However, they have some great dishes that hit the spot with creativity and great flavour. I highly recommend taking the advantage of their recent specials such as the live lobster and the sea cucumber hotpot. (Make sure to call them first to find out) As for their the regular menu, I have discovered the Black Truffle Chicken and it is one of the most memorable Chinese dishes for me in 2018.
$$$
rating: [wp-review id=”15460″]
Shi Art
Address: 6551 No 3 Rd, Richmond, BC V6Y 2B6
(604) 279-8998
100718
