It is commonly acknowledged by most locals that ‘ Deluxe ‘ is amongst the top few elite and prestigious high-end Chinese dining establishments in all of Vancouver. Tonight, on the cusp of our departure tomorrow, my wife’s best friend of 50+ years insisted on treating us to a farewell dinner at this gastronomic institution.
With the help and input from chefs and management, a pre-arranged menu was conceived ahead of time. All we had to do upon arrival was to sit and wait for the onslaught of yummy fare to be delivered to our table! And man! What a delightful feast it turned out to be!
Our meal started off with a most interesting and unexpected amuse bouche - a huge plate of unassuming, lip smacking, gorgeously pickled sweet and savory Turnip cubes. How can something that simple be so addictive and delectable?!
Next came a crispy skin, ‘ double step preparation, hand-held oil poached ‘ free range chicken dish. Prepared in two stages, the well seasoned bird, using a blend of exotic herbs and spices was first par-fried using regular boiling hot oil then finished off with a dose of hot Truffle Oil! An Intriguing combination of East meet West aroma and flavor!
To follow up was one of Rosy’s favorite Cantonese dishes - “ Deep fried whole LIVE Thai Goby fish in premium top soya sauce accented with julienne ginger and scallions “. Whilst the ladies concentrated on the light, sweet and delicate flesh, my laser focus aim was on all the crispy crunchy parts….head ( with glorious pieces of huge cheeks ), fins and tails! So f#%&&ing good!!
Next came another of the stars of the evening. A new chef’s creation of “ Baked LIVE Dungeness Crab with a creamy, honey mustard topping “! Wow! What a stunning dish! The umami sweet crab meat and tamale of this 3 pound+ monster paired perfectly with the charming, mildly tangy and sweet sauce. A match made in heaven, land, ocean or whatever?! A winner that will no doubt portrait regularly on their menu.
To test out the ‘ wok-hay ‘ skill of the kitchen, our hostess specially ordered two dishes. First, a simple yet out-of-this-world killer dish of “Stirred fry BC Clams in black bean sauce and hot chili “! Last time I tasted a clam dish that darn good was years ago at an outdoor Hong Kong ‘ Dai-Pai-Dong ‘! The bi-valves prepared in a huge wok over a propane burner that sounded like the Concorde taking off! Next came a ‘ Stirred fry flowering chives with house cured salted pork belly ‘ dish. Humble yet flavorful, the dish exudes a wonderful smoky aroma and the meat, appealing chewy texture! Another winner!
Last of all, amongst fan-fare came our evening’s signature, creme de la creme dish. A hot pot casserole featuring priced ingredients that included Fish Maw, Sea Cucumber, Deer tendons, giant Shitake mushroom and white leeks braised long and slow in house-made Abalone sauce. Wow! What a heavenly, impressive and tasty dish!
Though it was nobody’s birthday, for fun, our host ordered some fluffy, light and spongy Chinese Birthday ‘bao‘ with red bean paste filling to go with the complimentary house dessert of ‘ Black sesame filled Mochi dessert soup ‘!
Super-contented, happy and full! Apart from thanking our hostess for her kind hospitality, I wanted to yell out…….” I don’t want to go back to Toronto ”!
