BRIEF:
GO
CANNERY: IANCOOK/GETTY IMAGES
AWEEKEND IN:
Richmond,
British
Columbia
On theoutskirtsofVancouver
liesanunexpectedyetdelightful
ODETOASIANCULTURE
.
CLOCKWISEFROMLEFT:
EnjoyAsian
delights likeDol SotBeeBimBahbat
JangMo Jib. Visit thehistoricGulf
ofGeorgiaCannery,whichnow serves
as amuseum. Havea refreshingmatcha
ice-cream frappe from theZephyr Tea
HouseCafé. Barterwithemployees at the
StevestonFishMarket for the freshest
seafoodor, if youdon’twant to cook,
head toPajo’s for tasty fish-and-chips.
DO:
In the late 1800s, Steveston Village, along
the Fraser River, was the center of Richmond’s
fish-cannery activity (at onepoint, therewere 15
canneries here). One of those facilities, the
Gulf
ofGeorgiaCannery
, built in 1894, has been con-
verted to a national museum to honor theWest
Coast’s fishing industry. Steveston also has a ter-
rific fishmarket (barter for fresh salmon, crab,
halibut … even sea urchins, right on the wharf)
and the tastiest fish-and-chips thissideof theU.K.
Somesay
Pajo’s
is thebest;othersprefer
Sockeye
CityGrill
. Eitherway, you can’t gowrong.
SHOP:
Step inside the
Aberdeen Centre
and
you’ll feel as if you’ve been transported toHong
Kong (it’s named after the Chinese city’s Aber-
deenHarbour). There’s a largeDaiso, anoutpost
of theAsianbargain-storechain thatcarriesmore
than 50,000 goodies — from fake eyelashes to
Japanese floralwrappingpaper—withmost items
priced at $2. Little shops hawk Singapore-style
beef jerky and Japanese zisha teapots, and sev-
eral stores sell herbal cure-alls for whatever ails
you. Additionally,
Parker Place
mall is worth a
visit; look near the food court for the stall selling
boxesofdragon’s-beardcandy, aconcoctionsimi-
lar to cotton candywithapeanut cluster inside.
DRINK:
Bubble tea— a frappe of black or green
tea, fruit syrupand ice servedover sweet, chewy
pearls of tapioca (known as “boba”) that taste
faintly likecaramel-flavoredgelatin— is toTaiwan
what Starbucks coffee is toSeattle. So it’s no sur-
prise that Richmond is home to the
Zephyr Tea
HouseCafé
,which servesmore than60varieties
of tea and frappes. Try the almondmilk or the
matcha ice-cream frappe.
STAY:
If you’re staying in downtown Vancouver,
theCanadaLine rapid-transit systemgetsyou to
Richmond in about 25minutes (get off at Aber-
deenStation; adaypass forunlimited transit is$9).
But forconvenience, youcan’tbeat the
Radisson
Hotel Vancouver Airport
, directly across the
street from theAberdeenCentreandat theedge
ofRichmond’s four-blockculinarycomplexcalled
theGoldenVillage,which featuresmore than200
Asian restaurants.
Find contact information for all of
theplacesmentioned in this storyon
aa.com/americanway
;
keyword search
Richmond
.
I
FYOU’REOBSESSEDwith authenticAsian
food, you could search for luscious soup
dumplings in Shanghai, scour hawker stalls
in Hong Kong for fish balls and haunt hole-in-
the-wall dives in Singapore looking for the best
hand-pulled noodles. Or you could head toRich-
mond, British Columbia, Vancouver’s bustling
multicultural littlesister that,withmore than400
Asian restaurants, is likegoingonagourmet tour
ofAsia.Withapopulation that is65percentAsian,
Richmond is a seamless blend of two cultures—
andagastronomic surprise.
EAT:
TherearedozensofchoicesalongAlexandra
Road, a three-block-long strip known as “Food
Street.” Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Taiwan-
ese,Shanghainese,HongKong-style— it’sallhere.
JangMoJib
,which isKorean for “mother-in-law’s
house,” serves classicKoreandishes likeBool Go
GeewithBeeBimBahb—warm rice toppedwith
veggies, sliced beef, chili paste and a fried egg.
Nearby,
Shanghai River
will satisfy your craving
forxiao longbao, those juicyporkdumplings that
pop inyourmouth, anddimsum.
LidoRestaurant
is a Hong Kong–style café in a strip mall with
fresh-from-the-ovenpineapplebuns (order them
with butter) that, alongwithmilky tea, make for
theperfect breakfast.
34
JUNE 01, 2013
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
