Friday, April 19, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
A BRIEF TRIP to Vancouver, B.C., was a voyage of discovery for this first-timer.
Vancouver, once a quiet city with little growth, is now a lively metropolis with a burgeoning international business community and a skyline of skyscrapers that increases daily. Major office buildings and high-rise residences are going up on every block downtown.
Vancouver is a beautiful city that takes pride in its cleanliness and its commitment to preserving the environment. The bathroom in our hotel room included a recycling basket, but no instructions on what to put in it. Still, it was a nice idea.
With Tola and Marcia Chin, and Tola's sister Helen How, who lives in Vancouver, as my guides, more ground was covered than I could possibly have done on my own.
One day was spent in Victoria, a three-hour trip by car and ferry. The drive to the ferry is pleasant but not pretty. We were surprised to see homes, little more than shacks, with junk and broken-down cars heaped in the front yards. It was a shocking sight after the splendor of the city.
B.C. Ferries, a provincial government-operated service, offers a minimum of eight sailings a day from each departure point. Each ferry can take on hundreds of cars. Once the car is parked, passengers are free to enjoy the brief cruise on one of the promenade decks or in the dining room. The cost is about $16.50 (American) each way for the car and driver, plus $3.60 for each passenger.
Part of Victoria's charm is in its size. You can easily walk the shopping areas and see points of interest in half a day. Afternoon tea at the venerable Empress Hotel is not to be missed. The lounge where tea is served at 12:30, 2, 3 and 5 p.m. is pure Old English elegance and history.
A full tea, with gracious service, includes fresh seasonal fruit; a choice of sherries; toasted crumpets dripping with butter; scones with strawberry jam and cream (not clotted); assorted tea sandwiches; a generous assortment of pastries and pots and pots of the Empress blend tea. It is a fine value at just $14. Don't worry about figuring the exchange. Charge meals to a credit card and the proper amount will appear on the monthly statement.
We arrived back in Vancouver in time to visit the Asian shopping malls located in the almost all-Asian Richmond section of the city. Each is filled with speciality shops and food stalls of every description. One booth offered Singapore-style beef, pork and chicken jerky, which is softer and sliced thicker than the usual jerky. The flavor is delicious.
We also experienced a tea-tasting in a shop devoted to tea and tea accessories. Thimble-sized cups of the teas we wanted to taste were brewed and offered. By the 10th cup we were able to discern the differences in the flavor and quality of each tea. Like wine-tasting, tea-tasting is an art developed over a long period of time. Tea experts spend their lifetime developing the skills to become an authority.
Our last day was devoted to more sightseeing and eating. We started our day with a Shanghainese breakfast in a small restaurant that didn't even have a sign. Soybean soup, sweet and savory; crispy, long Chinese crullers and sweet sesame buns -- the crullers and buns were seamed to be broken apart so the intricate design of the dough could be exposed -- then the pieces were wrapped around each other and eaten; the best-ever turnip cake; spicy sizzling dumplings; short and flaky scallion buns; and Shanghai-style chow mein were interesting and delectable.
We watched in amazement at the way the server cleared the tables. This busy restaurant has no time for the usual cleanup. Tables are covered with plastic cloths. Once the diners leave the ends of the cloth are gathered together and the table is cleared in one fell swoop.
Then we were off to Granville Island, underneath the south end of the Granville Street Bridge. The island, which is really a peninsula, was a filled-in mud flat that was once home to the city's industrial center. As the city grew and the businesses moved away it became a crumbling eyesore filled with derelict warehouses and falling-down boat houses.
Thanks to the foresight of two local businessmen who saw the potential of the area and began developing it in the '70s, and eventual participation by the federal government, Granville Island is now a captivating collection of art and craft shops, art schools, galleries, theaters, book shops, restaurants, and food stalls. The center is open daily, but many of the shops, including the wonderful farmer's market, are closed on Monday.
Of course, Tola had saved the best meal for the last. The two Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurants in Vancouver are a division of a Hong Kong chain known for the quality of its fresh seafood and the house speciality, roasted squab prepared with a secret recipe. The Richmond location where we dined is the newest. One whole side of the spacious dining room is devoted to tanks filled with various fishes and seafood. Cantonese food never tasted better.
Our menu, chosen by Tola, was outstanding. First came the succulent, tender squab, then chicken soup with bamboo shoots and Chinese greens and pieces of the white pith found inside the bamboo stalks. It was soft, yet crunchy, with a delicious taste all its own. All of the seafood was brought live to our table for Tola's approval. The homely but delicious geoduck clam was quickly steamed so it wouldn't toughen and served with a light vinegar sauce; fresh crab with a garlicky ginger sauce was excellent; sugar snap leaves, green and crisp were memorable; Portuguese rice was topped with a curry of chicken, shrimp and scallops; taro duck was a creative presentation of deboned duck -- between the skin and the meat was a layer of savory taro dressing.
Truly the piece de resistance was the ultimate house speciality -- live Alaskan king crab with garlic sauce. The aroma as it arrived at the table was magnificent. This exquisite repast was completed with a smooth, refreshing mango pudding made of the pureed fruit thickened with agar agar.
Our trip ended with a smooth flight home and a silent promise to return to Vancouver for tea on the croquet lawn of Point Ellice House in Victoria and a visit to Ann Hathaways Cottage and all of the other delightful offerings still to be experienced.
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