Nowadays, Cantonese restaurants equipped with huge aquariums that are stocked with live seafood have become a common sight in the vibrant Richmond Hill/Markham Chinese culinary landscape. Nestled behind Richlane Mall, inside a secluded open-air strip plaza, atop of a small knoll, houses another such establishment.
Tonight’s dinner gathering, organized by another family member, is a follow-up to last week’s going-away party. This time, the quality and caliber of food has been substantially elevated! For tonight, the meal will feature a Big Kahuna…Live Alaskan Red King Crab prepared multiple ways! As for the wines?! Since IMHO, Riesling and Crab together are part of the Creator’s plan, a fine bottle of German off-dry masterpiece to pair with the star is a requisite. In addition to another bottle of elusive perfume and style 2014 Chateau Lafite, a reliable Zenato Amarone was also added to the mix for pairing with the meat dishes.
Our party of eight went through the following courses with gusto and avidity:
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9 pounds Alaskan King Crab prepared 3 ways.
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Steamed legs with caramelized minced garlic on a bed of rice vermicelli
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Wok fried body with Maggi Sauce
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Steamed egg custard Chawanmushi with crab brains
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Whole Cantonese Roasted Duck, ‘ Pei-Pa Style ‘
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Stirred fry Chinese Cauliflower with wind dried preserved meats
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Braised Tofu with mixed mushrooms and Chinese Greens
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Fried Pork Spare ribs with Preserved Olive Tapenade Glaze
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Stirred fry beef with Chinese Kale ( Gai-Lan )
Complimentary desserts of Red bean dessert soup, Cherry flavored jello and Almond Cookies.
Overall, the lovingly prepared food coupled with the superb friendly service created a highly satisfactory dinner experience. Standard of the cooking IMO ranked amongst some of GTA’s best. During the past week, I had the good fortune to savor some extremely well executed Cantonese fare, first from StarChiva and now at Oriental Bistro. Indeed, I am grateful and blessed to live within such close proximity to some of GTA finest Chinese cuisine establishm
