Cooking: Stir-fried Beef with Crispy Youtiao

We went out for congee one weekend morning, and when we finished, there were a few pieces of youtiao remaining (the yeasted savory deep fried bread dough shaped as long puffy strips). Pondering what to do with them, I decided to make this dish. Stir-fried beef with crispy youtiao. The ginger and scallions provide aroma,…

Restaurant review: Daisy Garden Kitchen

Daisy Garden closed in 2015 following a fire, but reopened in the spring of 2022. It’s next door to the New Town Bakery in Chinatown (and apparently shares the same owner), and it’s basically an old style chinese barbeque and wonton place. This review represents two different visits over several weeks. The front of the…

Cooking: Yangzhou Fried Rice

Yangzhou chow faan (揚州炒飯) is the “classic” version that most people think of when they hear the term “fried rice”, and it is generally regarded as the original fried rice dish. In the centuries since it’s inception, the dish migrated both within china, and across much of east asia, and south east asia. Each time,…

Restaurant review: Happy Hong Kong Restaurant

After reading other reviews about a new restaurant in Richmond’s Abercorn Inn (on Bridgport Road, across from the Costco), called the Happy Hong Kong Restaurant, we decided to check it out. We arrived just after noon and the restaurant was near full. We got one of the last of available tables. Like many “hong kong…