Canada: Richmond’s ‘Food Street’ offers near-endless Asian options
Fans of Asian food can sample dishes from a variety of nations without any jet lag during a visit to Richmond, British Columbia, the city that’s home to Vancouver’s international airport (YVR).
Within three blocks along Richmond’s Alexandra Road -- in the suburb’s Golden Village district -- 200-plus restaurants feature styles including Cantonese, Szechuan, Korean, Malaysian and more. While many are small “holes in the wall” tucked into strip malls, the food befits the city’s residents, two-thirds of whom are of Asian descent. (A full 45% are of Chinese ancestry.)
It’s no surprise that this short street is better known by its Chinese name, “Wai Sek Kai,” which translates as “Food Street.”
Officials at Tourism Richmond suggest an itinerary that includes hopping from country to country and cuisine to cuisine with visits to several different restaurants.
Visitors can start with Hong Kong-style noodles and dumplings before crossing the street for a bowl of spicy Malaysian laksa soup. Guests can then cool off with a chilled Korean beer and pork bone stew before finishing the experience with a Taiwanese-style shaved ice dessert topped with fresh mangoes.
With three Hong Kong-inspired malls, Richmond is also a shopper’s paradise.
The city is easy to reach -- either from the airport or Vancouver itself -- using the new Canada Line rail service.
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