https://www.scmp.com/rss/8505/feed Bernice Chan is a former SCMP Culture writer who is now based in Vancouver, Canada, where she writes compelling stories about food and drink, lifestyle, wellness and the Asian diaspora. She previously co-hosted the award-winning Eat Drink Asia podcast and received a SOPA honourable mention for a video story about a Jamaican-American looking for her Chinese grandfather. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Widely known as Sam the Cooking Guy, Sam Zien is an enthusiastic proponent of sweet potatoes. He loves mashing them and seasoning with miso, butter and chopped spring onions. Or he cubes, boils and roasts the sweet potatoes, then adds a generous dollop of lemon yogurt, with sprinkles of dukkah, a mixture of chopped nuts and sesame seeds, seasoned with cumin, coriander and salt. Another way is to add sweet potatoes to quesadillas with Mexican chorizo, a highly seasoned fatty pork sausage, and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3372374/yams-vs-sweet-potatoes-difference-nutrition-and-how-cook-them https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3372374/yams-vs-sweet-potatoes-difference-nutrition-and-how-cook-them Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:06 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Opened in the 1950s, Sai Woo was a two-storey restaurant in Toronto’s Chinatown, with a traditional Chinese banquet hall on the upper floor. Designed for wedding celebrations, the space featured a canopy with two columns, a golden dragon entwined on one and a phoenix on the other. Lazy Susans sat atop the round banquet tables. Chinatown was also home to Charlie’s Meat and Seafood, a white-tiled butcher shop that opened in 1971. Inside was a glass display case filled with cuts of meat. On the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3369543/how-architect-using-art-and-technology-preserve-toronto-chinatowns-history https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3369543/how-architect-using-art-and-technology-preserve-toronto-chinatowns-history Sun, 04 Oct 2026 04:15:05 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Two overseas branches of Hong Kong’s modern Chinese restaurant Mott 32, located in Toronto and Vancouver, were crowned the best Chinese restaurants in Canada in the 17th edition of the Chinese Restaurant Awards. The awards ceremony, held in the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver on September 23, saw these restaurants top the ranked 2026 Elite 30 Canada list. Beyond recognising the country’s best Chinese restaurants, the awards also spotlighted 12 signature dishes and honoured both emerging... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3368785/chinese-restaurant-awards-2026-hong-kongs-mott-32-takes-top-spot-canada https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3368785/chinese-restaurant-awards-2026-hong-kongs-mott-32-takes-top-spot-canada Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:15:04 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan In Vancouver, people hear the music first – “The Blue Danube” by Johann Strauss II – then see a red, white and blue patterned truck pulling up shortly after. As impossible as it may seem, that can mean only one thing for people from Hong Kong – a Mister Softee truck is in town. Or is it? Although it is not the same beloved ice cream dispenser – renamed Mobile Softee in 2010 – found in Hong Kong, Watt A Truck looks remarkably similar and offers nostalgic soft-serve ice cream. “We wanted the truck... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3366377/hong-kong-ice-cream-truck-vancouver-watt-truck-brings-citys-flavours-canada https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3366377/hong-kong-ice-cream-truck-vancouver-watt-truck-brings-citys-flavours-canada Sat, 05 Sep 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan In just two years, Christophe Yu Jiulong went from speaking no French to graduating from a French programme at the largest culinary school in Canada after moving from his hometown in Chongqing, China to Montreal. Fast forward another two years and the 30-year-old is now dedicated to Flying Tables, a collective he started with 24-year-old Nora Lou Yueyue. Together in Montreal, they create gastronomic experiences that celebrate Chinese gastronomy through pop-up events. “I always feel eating food... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3363994/how-2-minded-chefs-are-celebrating-chinese-diasporic-gastronomy-montreal https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3363994/how-2-minded-chefs-are-celebrating-chinese-diasporic-gastronomy-montreal Sun, 16 Aug 2026 04:15:05 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan “When Marco Polo went to China, you know what he did? We showed him how to make chow mein noodles, we showed him how to make wontons.” An energetic Chinese man with a high forehead and gregarious smile is standing in a studio kitchen, dishing out as many puns as he is plates of wok-fried rice for a studio audience at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), in Vancouver. From 1978 to 1995, Stephen Yan garnered legions of fans in Canada, the United States and beyond, largely thanks to... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/food-drink/article/3362805/wok-yans-return-hong-kong-canadian-tv-chef-stephen-yan-resurfaces-decades-after-disappearing https://www.scmp.com/postmag/food-drink/article/3362805/wok-yans-return-hong-kong-canadian-tv-chef-stephen-yan-resurfaces-decades-after-disappearing Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:00:12 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan When chef Hideaki Sato was a child in Nagano, Japan, he was fed tofu accompanied by various vegetable condiments, such as myoga or Japanese ginger, shiso leaves, chives, ginger and leeks that were picked from the family garden. “But I was a picky eater as a kid and I didn’t like these strongly flavoured vegetables. So I always took them out,” he recalls, and ate the tofu plain. “When I was a kid, I preferred hard tofu [momen], but came to like soft tofu [kinugoshi] as I grew older.” These days,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3361185/many-types-tofu-discovering-versatile-chinese-and-japanese-staple https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3361185/many-types-tofu-discovering-versatile-chinese-and-japanese-staple Thu, 23 Jul 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Yul Kwon rises at 6am and starts his day with stretches and a fitness regimen that includes planking for 60 to 90 seconds, 50 sit-ups, 50 squats, and standing on one leg for a minute and then the other – twice. He then eats a banana and, every other day, he heads out for a 10km (6.2-mile) run. That is an impressive regular warm-up for a 90-year-old. “Health is most important, so I put priority on my daily exercise,” says the sprightly Korean-Canadian, a retired economics professor living in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3361302/hes-90-and-still-runs-half-marathons-how-retired-korean-canadian-defies-age https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3361302/hes-90-and-still-runs-half-marathons-how-retired-korean-canadian-defies-age Wed, 22 Jul 2026 03:00:11 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Ben Ernst remembers making graham cracker ice cream as a child on Whidbey Island, just north of Seattle. A wooden bucket was filled with ice and rock salt, and nestled in the middle was a steel container where cream and the ground-up graham crackers were added. A hand crank moved the dashers that pushed the creamy mixture against the cold sides of the container to chill it, eventually turning it into ice cream. “Tasting that before it hardens up – when it’s still soft and it’s finished churning,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3360088/explainer-ice-cream-gelato-sorbet-and-granita-difference-between-ice-desserts https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3360088/explainer-ice-cream-gelato-sorbet-and-granita-difference-between-ice-desserts Fri, 10 Jul 2026 20:00:12 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan For the Taiwanese community in Vancouver, Canada, finding a restaurant that truly satisfies their cravings can be a challenge. However, A.Bento stands out as a favourite. The menu is a delightful showcase of Taiwanese comfort food like crispy chicken nuggets, hearty pork ragu on rice, three-cup chicken, and the ever-popular braised beef noodles in soup with a spicy kick. Despite the authentic Taiwanese flavours at A.Bento, chef and owner Aaron Jian Zhou, 32, actually hails from Wenzhou, in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3358733/how-chef-built-one-vancouvers-most-authentic-taiwanese-restaurants https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3358733/how-chef-built-one-vancouvers-most-authentic-taiwanese-restaurants Wed, 01 Jul 2026 04:45:05 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Vancouver-based chef Robin Kort loves foraging for mushrooms. “I like the treasure hunt. It’s been sort of a lifelong passion, and because I’m a chef, my palate has led me into the forest,” she explains. “Going into the forest and picking mushrooms is super fun and exciting, because they’re just weird little creatures. And as you’re walking along, if you approach the forest from that sort of way of finding treasure, walking slowly, it’s very meditative.” She says the assortment of mushrooms in... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3356301/magic-mushrooms-unexpected-health-booster https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3356301/magic-mushrooms-unexpected-health-booster Mon, 08 Jun 2026 22:00:06 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Vietnamese-American Hong Pham and his wife Kim are passionate about good food – so much so that once they like eating something, they learn everything they can about how to make it. They have tried their hand at Vietnamese food like banh cuon (steamed rice rolls) and doi huyet (blood sausage) and have even made a durian ice cream semifreddo pie. Their latest obsession is Chinese barbecued meats such as char siu and pork belly. Their take on roast duck has got the most attention, resulting in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3354297/quest-make-perfect-peking-duck-opening-doors-vietnamese-american https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3354297/quest-make-perfect-peking-duck-opening-doors-vietnamese-american Sun, 24 May 2026 04:45:05 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan At Vancouver’s Cofu Chinatown restaurant, Japanese chef Akiko Gulkison and her sous chef prepare delectable dishes: miso-glazed aubergine with snow fungus wrapped with nori and rice, radicchio cured in between sheets of kombu, and steamed soy milk custard seasoned with reduced sake and Japanese plum. They are part of an 18-course omakase vegan menu Gulkison created, to showcase vegetables as the star of Japanese cuisine – not the traditional seafood or meat. The vision was to expose the untapped... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3353078/meet-japanese-chef-making-vegan-sushi-and-omakase-vancouvers-chinatown https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3353078/meet-japanese-chef-making-vegan-sushi-and-omakase-vancouvers-chinatown Mon, 11 May 2026 04:45:49 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Asparagus is the favourite vegetable of chef Hector Laguna’s two boys. “My kids love asparagus with a little olive oil, salt, and then we grill them for three to four minutes,” he explains, adding that’s how they eat the vegetable at home. “But at work, asparagus is fantastic. We use them in salads, we cook them, pickle them and ferment them,” says the executive chef of Botanist in Vancouver. Asparagus signals the arrival of spring and is known for its fibrous stalks and slightly bitter taste.... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3349498/how-asparagus-benefits-your-health-and-different-ways-prepare-vegetable https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3349498/how-asparagus-benefits-your-health-and-different-ways-prepare-vegetable Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:00:07 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan While many people like to eat avocados in guacamole, on toast or in salads, California rolls or smoothies, chef Ben Kiely has other ideas about how to use the fruit, known as “green gold” or “alligator pear”, which comes originally from Mexico and South America. Kiely, the head instructor at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts (PICA) in Vancouver, says avocados are great in desserts like ice creams and chocolate mousse. “There’s recipes, especially now with plant-based being so common [with... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3348743/how-chefs-are-reimagining-avocado-beyond-guacamole-vancouver-hong-kong https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3348743/how-chefs-are-reimagining-avocado-beyond-guacamole-vancouver-hong-kong Sun, 05 Apr 2026 22:00:17 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Drive about an hour north of Vancouver and you will reach Squamish. The quiet town in the Canadian province of British Columbia is known as a mecca for rock climbers and mountain bikers. One of the area’s famed natural landmarks is Shannon Falls – among the tallest waterfalls in the province – and straight across from it is the Klahanie Campground, where visitors can not only enjoy a picturesque view of the falls but also buy Hong Kong-style snacks and drinks. Unique Slow Rise Bakery serves... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3348498/how-hongkongers-bakery-giving-remote-canadian-town-taste-city https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3348498/how-hongkongers-bakery-giving-remote-canadian-town-taste-city Wed, 01 Apr 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan A New Year’s resolution in early 2021 to eat healthier had unexpected but welcome consequences for Shanghai native Jenny Yue. The resident of Vancouver, in the Canadian province of British Columbia, not only lost more than 22kg (48 pounds) but also took up bodybuilding and launched a freeze-dried-fruit business with her husband. Yue, 30, and husband Han, 32, from China’s Henan province, were working together as project managers to implement an online medical record system across British Columbia... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3346840/how-mother-lost-23kg-8-months-took-bodybuilding-and-started-food-business https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3346840/how-mother-lost-23kg-8-months-took-bodybuilding-and-started-food-business Wed, 18 Mar 2026 03:00:09 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan When the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, launched its Cantonese language programme in 2015, it was geared towards heritage speakers – second- or third-generation Chinese-Canadians who wanted to learn how to speak to their parents and grandparents in their mother tongue. By the following year, lecturer Raymond Pai, the director of the programme, observed that a third of the students were native Mandarin speakers. “Vancouver is linguistically diverse, and many students... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3346190/why-canadian-universitys-cantonese-language-course-85-cent-mandarin-speakers https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3346190/why-canadian-universitys-cantonese-language-course-85-cent-mandarin-speakers Wed, 11 Mar 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Ten years ago when dietitian and chef Renée Chan started her healthy food brand True Nosh – rebranded as Ah Nui Asian Foods a few years ago – she was determined to avoid adding sugar and instead use a natural sweetener. She turned to dates. “I wanted to be a diabetes-friendly company, as my dad had diabetes [and passed away before her high school graduation],” she explains. Chan started using dates extensively in her cooking and baking. “I mainly use Deglet Noor dates because they’re bulkier, so... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3344691/why-dates-are-healthier-sugar-can-you-tell-medjool-barhi-or-halawi-varieties https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3344691/why-dates-are-healthier-sugar-can-you-tell-medjool-barhi-or-halawi-varieties Thu, 26 Feb 2026 11:00:09 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Lunar New Year is the biggest holiday of the year for people in China, as well as for the Chinese diaspora around the world. The celebration revolves around family reunions and sitting together eating delicious food. The festive dinner is all about eating dishes that will hopefully bring wealth and happiness in the coming year. In China these include dumplings (as they look similar to oval-shaped silver ingots), a whole fish, a whole chicken, deep-fried spring rolls, lion’s head meatballs, and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3340364/our-guide-5-auspicious-foods-chinese-new-year-prawns-kumquats-and-more https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3340364/our-guide-5-auspicious-foods-chinese-new-year-prawns-kumquats-and-more Thu, 22 Jan 2026 05:00:14 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Gongfu Cafe & Bao in Ottawa, Canada, is a cosy diner with a menu featuring twists on Hong Kong-style snacks – such as French toast with rhubarb purée – along with hand-pulled milk tea and pineapple buns. The space is inspired by the no-frills, open kitchens of Hong Kong’s traditional cha chaan teng cafes. But the chef and owner is not from Hong Kong. He is not even Chinese. Tarek Hassan is a 46-year-old Egyptian-Canadian who has only visited Hong Kong once, but fell in love with Cantonese food... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3335604/hong-kong-style-cafe-receives-top-recognition-its-owner-has-been-city-just-once https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3335604/hong-kong-style-cafe-receives-top-recognition-its-owner-has-been-city-just-once Mon, 08 Dec 2025 23:15:09 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Pastry chef Steve Hodge likes to make cinnamon toast – a quick snack for his kids at home. He spreads room-temperature butter on freshly toasted bread and then sprinkles a mixture of equal parts cinnamon and sugar on top. “When it’s nice and warm, the sugar kind of melts and infuses with the cinnamon. The flavour is unreal,” observes Hodge, the owner of Vancouver-based Temper Chocolate & Pastry. For many, the smell of cinnamon evokes the flavours of autumn and winter, including apple pie,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3333541/rich-history-cinnamon-ceylon-cinnabon https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3333541/rich-history-cinnamon-ceylon-cinnabon Fri, 21 Nov 2025 23:00:16 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan When the temperature drops in Hong Kong, street hawkers appear with giant woks filled with small black pebbles and brown chestnuts. For Hongkongers, it’s a sure sign that winter has arrived. Stirring the hot pebbles to prevent the nuts from burning also makes sure the smell of the roasting nuts lures in customers who buy small paper bags filled with the hot snack. In time-honoured fashion, they then try their best to peel the hard dark brown skin off to get at the tender, meaty, starchy lump... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3333197/why-chestnut-so-versatile-used-hong-kong-street-food-french-desserts-and-pasta-sauce https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3333197/why-chestnut-so-versatile-used-hong-kong-street-food-french-desserts-and-pasta-sauce Tue, 18 Nov 2025 12:00:10 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan For MasterChef Canada season seven winner Chris Siu, opening his second cake shop in Vancouver, Canada, in August, was only one task on his to-do list. The founder of Daan Go Cake Lab also made desserts for a dinner collaboration with two other chefs, attended a festival in Vancouver’s Chinatown – where he sold a White Rabbit Creamy Candy-flavoured dessert – and demonstrated how to make Hong Kong-style milk tea. Daan Go Cake Lab, which Siu first opened on the other side of the country, in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3332440/baker-and-masterchef-canada-winner-chris-siu-his-unnatural-love-dessert https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3332440/baker-and-masterchef-canada-winner-chris-siu-his-unnatural-love-dessert Wed, 12 Nov 2025 09:15:07 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Opening any restaurant is a huge undertaking, but launching in Somerset House, an 18th-century historic building overlooking the River Thames in London, comes with its own set of challenges. “Basically, you can barely breathe in the building without asking permission,” jokes culinary entrepreneur Amy Poon, who launched Poon’s at Somerset House on November 5. Poon says that restrictions became a problem when the builders discovered dampness in the basement just over a month before the restaurant... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3331902/london-chinese-restaurant-owner-amy-poon-keeping-things-steamy-her-new-venture https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3331902/london-chinese-restaurant-owner-amy-poon-keeping-things-steamy-her-new-venture Fri, 07 Nov 2025 08:15:09 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan For most people, maple syrup is ideal for pouring over pancakes, waffles, French toast or oatmeal, but for many Canadians, it is a versatile condiment that can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. Maple syrup was first made by indigenous people in North America, and later adopted by settlers such as the ancestors of Pier-Alexis Soulière, one of the founding families of the municipality of Saint-Pierre-Baptiste in Quebec province. His family has been making the condiment for five generations... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3328346/canadas-national-condiment-surprisingly-versatile-maple-syrup https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3328346/canadas-national-condiment-surprisingly-versatile-maple-syrup Sun, 12 Oct 2025 06:00:12 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Colatura di alici – a prized fish sauce made from anchovies – has been described as edible liquid gold. Adding a few drops of it is like giving an extra umami bump to all kinds of dishes – from a simple plate of spaghetti to Caesar salad, fish, meat and even pizzas. While this amber liquid is not that easy to find, and often comes with a hefty price tag to boot, it can do wonders for your dishes. Italian food writer Cristina Rombolà explains that colatura di alici has been around for a long... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3327570/discover-colatura-di-alici-italys-fish-sauce-adding-zing-dishes-worldwide https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3327570/discover-colatura-di-alici-italys-fish-sauce-adding-zing-dishes-worldwide Sun, 05 Oct 2025 10:00:13 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Japanese-American cooking teacher and food writer Sonoko Sakai loves everything about persimmons, from admiring their appearance to eating them. “Traditionally in Japan, people would plant a persimmon tree to bring good luck. But unfortunately, people live in these high-rises now and they don’t plant trees any more in the cities,” she says, speaking to Style by video call from California. “But if you go to the countryside, it’s so beautiful to see persimmons. In the fall, the leaves turn red and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3326541/why-persimmons-are-cherished-their-versatility-and-distinct-varieties https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3326541/why-persimmons-are-cherished-their-versatility-and-distinct-varieties Sun, 28 Sep 2025 06:00:14 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Even before its official launch on August 8, The Happy Crane in San Francisco was touted by local media as the city’s biggest restaurant opening of the year. Expectations are high, but chef-owner James Yeun Leong Parry is grateful for the support. “I am proud to even have this opportunity, and excited that there are so many people that are supporting us and cheering us on, and just genuinely excited about The Happy Crane,” he says in a video call from San Francisco. The crane symbolises... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3323321/hong-kong-roots-behind-one-san-franciscos-hottest-new-restaurants-happy-crane https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3323321/hong-kong-roots-behind-one-san-franciscos-hottest-new-restaurants-happy-crane Thu, 28 Aug 2025 20:15:07 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Billy Hsueh’s favourite magic trick is the classic Think a Drink, for which the magician pours whatever drinks audience members request from a teapot. Hsueh uses his special stainless steel teapot from Taiwan and some water to conjure up drinks such as citrus sunrise cocktails, pinot noir, rosé and piña coladas. The 31-year-old’s take on the trick was so beguiling that he was one of the magicians to win a prestigious Invention Award at the 2025 Fism World Championship of Magic, held in Turin,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3322295/he-won-olympics-magic-and-impressed-penn-teller-meet-vancouvers-billy-hsueh https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3322295/he-won-olympics-magic-and-impressed-penn-teller-meet-vancouvers-billy-hsueh Tue, 19 Aug 2025 04:15:07 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan When Papa d’Amour opened earlier this year, its first three weeks proved so popular that it closed early after selling out of everything, says chef-owner Dominique Ansel. “It’s been tough on the team, but I try to keep the morale high and the good energy in the kitchen,” he says via video call from New York, where the Taiwanese-French bakery is located. This is nothing new for the inventor of the cronut, a viral croissant-doughnut hybrid that he launched at his eponymous New York bakery in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3320895/cronut-inventors-new-bakery-papa-damour-brings-asian-inspired-pastries-new-york https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3320895/cronut-inventors-new-bakery-papa-damour-brings-asian-inspired-pastries-new-york Fri, 08 Aug 2025 04:15:06 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Suyin Looui has a faint memory of visiting Oxbow Restaurant as a child. The diner was opened by her grandfather, Louie Ser Dour, in the Canadian town of Oxbow in southeast Saskatchewan, and served dishes such as chop suey and chow mein. But it was not until decades later that she thought about the restaurant again. The London-based creative producer and director was on maternity leave after having her first child and became interested in learning more about her roots. She decided that she wanted... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3320446/chinese-canadian-families-and-their-restaurants-get-their-stories-told-sons-daughters https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3320446/chinese-canadian-families-and-their-restaurants-get-their-stories-told-sons-daughters Sun, 03 Aug 2025 04:15:08 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan “If you were to take a map of Paris and draw a straight line from the Eiffel Tower to Sacré-Cœur, it cuts through the Champs-Élysées, at No 26,” says David Yeo, founder of Aqua Restaurant Group, of the rooftop vista from Aqua Kyoto Paris, “and if you lean forward to your right, we’re a stone’s throw from the Grand Palais and Petit Palais.” Aqua turns 25 this autumn, with Paris as its newest perch. The Hong Kong-founded group now runs 20 venues in five cities – nine at home – and, unusually for a... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/food-drink/article/3319411/aqua-restaurant-group-turns-25-its-founder-david-yeo-reflects https://www.scmp.com/postmag/food-drink/article/3319411/aqua-restaurant-group-turns-25-its-founder-david-yeo-reflects Sun, 03 Aug 2025 00:00:09 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Chef-owner Bardia Ilbeiggi of the modern Persian restaurant Delara in Vancouver, Canada, says there’s an Iranian myth that saffron makes people happy. “I don’t know how scientific it is, but there’s an old Iranian folk story that the more saffron you use, the happier you get,” he says. “It’s also a sign of generosity, because saffron is expensive and it’s very hard to harvest it, hence the price. But when you go to someone’s home and they serve you rice topped up with a lot of saffron, that... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3316736/many-uses-saffron-worlds-most-expensive-spice-featuring-mostly-persian-and-indian-cuisine-where-its https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3316736/many-uses-saffron-worlds-most-expensive-spice-featuring-mostly-persian-and-indian-cuisine-where-its Sun, 06 Jul 2025 06:00:12 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Most people in Hong Kong who grew up in the 1980s and ’90s would have listened to some measure of Cantopop, but they were not the only ones to do so – the Cantopop stars of that time had fans all over the world. A new exhibition at the Chinese Canadian Museum in Vancouver, Canada, highlights how migration played a major role in the far-reaching influence of these stars – some of whom also sang in Mandarin. “We actually have a whole list of 100 singers who have some kind of Canadian tie,” said... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3315177/leslie-cheung-nicholas-tse-cantopops-canadian-connections-revealed-exhibition https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3315177/leslie-cheung-nicholas-tse-cantopops-canadian-connections-revealed-exhibition Mon, 23 Jun 2025 04:15:08 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Chinatowns are often portrayed as gritty underworlds riddled with prostitution, gambling and drug trafficking. Some of this is rooted in truth, but that unfair depiction is largely the result of rampant xenophobia and cultural ignorance, especially in the West. In a series of articles, the Post explores the historical and social significance of major Chinatowns around the world and the communities that shape them. In Chinatown Vancouver: An Illustrated History, author and self-taught artist... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3314774/how-vancouvers-chinatown-rich-history-plagued-poverty-fights-survival https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3314774/how-vancouvers-chinatown-rich-history-plagued-poverty-fights-survival Wed, 18 Jun 2025 23:15:07 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan A decade ago, while he was researching his book on African-American cooks in the White House, Adrian Miller came across an intriguing title in the University of Denver library’s special-collection catalogue. The book, published in 1939, was called To a President’s Taste: Being the Reminiscences and Recipes of Lee Ping Quan, Ex-President’s Steward on the Presidential Yacht, USS Mayflower, as told to Jim Miller. “[When] I finally got to look at that book, I almost fell out of my chair. It’s a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3314311/chinese-chefs-who-served-us-presidents-and-delicious-dishes-they-cooked https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3314311/chinese-chefs-who-served-us-presidents-and-delicious-dishes-they-cooked Sat, 14 Jun 2025 23:45:06 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Every summer, chef Guillaume Galliot receives a special delivery from 10,000 kilometres away – organically grown tomatoes from his mother Myriam Deschamps’ garden in Tours, in France’s Loire Valley. He takes the juicy, sweet tomatoes and celebrates the fruit at Caprice, the three-Michelin-star French restaurant at the Four Seasons Hong Kong. “When we started nine years ago, we got the tomatoes in mid-July, but with climate change, we now get them in August,” Galliot observes. His mother grows... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3313992/seeing-red-humble-tomatos-fascinating-story-organic-gardens-france-and-thailand-michelin-starred https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3313992/seeing-red-humble-tomatos-fascinating-story-organic-gardens-france-and-thailand-michelin-starred Fri, 13 Jun 2025 00:00:11 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan After 10 years as head chef of Shang Palace, the fine-dining Chinese restaurant at the Shangri-La Paris hotel, Samuel Lee Sum felt it was time to open his own restaurant in the City of Lights. Opened in mid-February, Sensation not only refers to the five senses, but also incorporates Lee’s Chinese given name in Mandarin, sen, meaning forest. Having his name on the door motivates him to work hard to succeed, he says, adding that he likes a challenge. “Sensation is a bistronomique (a casual... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3312397/cognac-char-siu-cheese-spring-rolls-samuel-lee-sum-uses-paris-restaurant-experiment https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3312397/cognac-char-siu-cheese-spring-rolls-samuel-lee-sum-uses-paris-restaurant-experiment Mon, 02 Jun 2025 04:45:07 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan There is plenty of Asian culinary talent in Vancouver, Canada, with many chefs inspired by its abundance of fresh seafood and local produce. We highlight four rising Asian chefs: one from Thailand, one from South Korea and two from Hong Kong. 1. Nutcha Phanthoupheng, Baan Lao Baan Lao was recently named best destination restaurant by Canada’s 100 Best, and the best restaurant in Canada at the World Culinary Awards in 2024. Quite the accomplishment for Nutcha Phanthoupheng, who was a nurse and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3311951/4-asian-chefs-lighting-vancouver-thai-korean-and-hong-kong-flavours https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3311951/4-asian-chefs-lighting-vancouver-thai-korean-and-hong-kong-flavours Tue, 27 May 2025 20:15:07 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Nguyen Thi Thanh, the Vietnamese woman whose food was praised by celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain – who nicknamed her “Lunch Lady” – has died at the age of 58 in Toronto, Canada. Her death was announced by the owners of The Lunch Lady restaurant in Vancouver, Canada, on Instagram. Nguyen Thi Thanh had just arrived in Toronto, Canada, to help prepare for the opening of the Lunch Lady restaurant there on June 3 when she went into cardiac arrest and medical personnel were unable to revive her,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3311144/lunch-lady-vietnamese-street-food-chef-made-famous-antony-bourdain-dies-canada https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3311144/lunch-lady-vietnamese-street-food-chef-made-famous-antony-bourdain-dies-canada Wed, 21 May 2025 00:15:39 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan A woman sheepishly approaches the counter at Hobbs Pickles in Vancouver’s Granville Island Public Market. “I just finished the container of honey mustard pickles and need to buy another one to take home,” she says. Half an hour earlier the customer had bought two plastic containers of pickles, and while walking through the market – which is full of food stalls, from fresh fruit to savoury pies and chocolates – she had inadvertently finished one and needed to replenish her supply. Owner Chris... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3310641/pickle-your-fancy-pamela-anderson-harry-styles-and-jimmy-johns-and-zabars-hobbs-pickles-and-amo-ago https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3310641/pickle-your-fancy-pamela-anderson-harry-styles-and-jimmy-johns-and-zabars-hobbs-pickles-and-amo-ago Mon, 19 May 2025 22:00:08 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan Stephanie Wong believes it is destiny that explains why she ended up in Vancouver, Canada, opening a bakery cafe. The Hong Kong-born chef, who used to have a restaurant called Roots, in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island, is now selling sourdough and viennoiserie such as crispy croissants, salted caramel canelés and matcha strawberry madeleines to eat with coffees and matcha lattes. Named after Wong’s four-year-old Jack Russell terrier, Jack’s Spot in East Vancouver is a space with plenty of natural... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3308039/vancouver-bakery-opened-ex-hong-kong-restaurateur-who-couldnt-find-pastries-she-liked https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3308039/vancouver-bakery-opened-ex-hong-kong-restaurateur-who-couldnt-find-pastries-she-liked Sun, 11 May 2025 03:15:08 +0000 Artichokes can be intimidating, as you must remove the outer leaves of the roundish vegetables, then use a knife to pare them down to their heart, and finally use a spoon to scoop out the fibrous centre. All this needs to be done quickly while periodically soaking in lemon juice to prevent them from turning an unappetising shade of brown. The vegetable is actually a flower, originating in the Mediterranean. Once prepared, it is very versatile and can be steamed, pan-fried, deep-fried or even... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/article/3305491/art-artichoke-secret-cooking-amazing-vegetable-prized-its-versatility-and-complex-flavours-and https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/article/3305491/art-artichoke-secret-cooking-amazing-vegetable-prized-its-versatility-and-complex-flavours-and Tue, 22 Apr 2025 06:00:09 +0000 Nestled among shops selling furniture and traditional Chinese medicine in Vancouver’s Chinatown is a curious-looking storefront on Main Street. The shop sign reads “Happy Valley Turf Club”, calling to mind the Hong Kong neighbourhood of the same name that is known for its racecourse. The shop, as it turns out, is not a shop at all, but a front for a hidden speakeasy, and its doors remain firmly shut during the day. In the evening, the place comes alive, with a queue of people waiting to be let... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3306914/how-hong-kongs-hidden-bars-inspired-2-speakeasies-vancouvers-chinatown https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3306914/how-hong-kongs-hidden-bars-inspired-2-speakeasies-vancouvers-chinatown Sun, 20 Apr 2025 04:15:08 +0000 Saan Saan Cafe, a place for Hong Kong-style dishes at the edge of Vancouver’s Chinatown, feels nostalgic and contemporary at the same time. The high ceiling and pale-pink painted walls make the space feel airy, while leafy plants in Chinese ceramic pots and a dark-blue Kjeldsens butter cookie tin filled with sewing items behind the counter evoke the past. The building in which the cafe is housed has been in founder Eric Siu’s family for decades; his grandparents first settled there in 1950 with... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3304693/vancouver-cafes-gluten-free-hong-kong-dishes-offer-tastes-owners-youth-all-can-enjoy https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3304693/vancouver-cafes-gluten-free-hong-kong-dishes-offer-tastes-owners-youth-all-can-enjoy Tue, 01 Apr 2025 21:45:08 +0000 When Daria Andriienko was growing up in a small village just north of Kyiv, Ukraine, she visited her paternal grandmother’s bee farm every weekend. She vividly remembers how the taste of the honey evolved through the year. “We would always have a lot of fresh honey products depending on the season. As it starts in spring, the first blossom would be cassia honey, and then buckwheat, and then when the sunflowers start blooming, we had sunflower honey,” Andriienko says, explaining that the honey’s... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3303105/why-restaurants-are-buzzing-over-honeys-flavour-and-natural-goodness-it-headlines-dishes-simon https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3303105/why-restaurants-are-buzzing-over-honeys-flavour-and-natural-goodness-it-headlines-dishes-simon Thu, 20 Mar 2025 08:00:08 +0000 Angie Mar was eight years old when she ate “the dish that really changed my life”. Now in her forties, the Chinese-American chef still vividly remembers the bowl of rognons de veau (veal kidneys) cooked in cognac and cream that she had on her first visit to France. “It opened me up to this cuisine that I’d never had before,” Mar recalls, crediting her parents for broadening her palate. While she grew up around food, Mar did not initially intend to go into hospitality. But in 2010 she was feeling... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3301014/fried-chicken-caviar-le-burger-chef-angie-mar-making-food-she-believes https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3301014/fried-chicken-caviar-le-burger-chef-angie-mar-making-food-she-believes Tue, 04 Mar 2025 20:15:07 +0000 Umberto Bombana marked his first visit to Canada in January by preparing a special menu for an Arthritis Society Canada fundraising event held in downtown Vancouver. The chef, who is known as the “king of white truffles”, wanted to include both black and white versions of the fungus in his dinner, but a bad white truffle season posed challenges. “At this time of year, it is the end of the white truffle season and the start of the black truffle,” he said. “But this year the white truffle season... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3299250/hong-kong-truffle-kings-meal-helps-raise-almost-us1-million-arthritis-charity https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3299250/hong-kong-truffle-kings-meal-helps-raise-almost-us1-million-arthritis-charity Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:45:08 +0000 As a child, second-generation Chinese-American food writer Kevin Pang did not like mistakenly biting into slices of ginger in the food his mother prepared. “It is thick and meaty. It’s these coins that you find in braised dishes, and when you bite into it, there’s nothing pleasant about it. It burns, it’s woody, it’s fibrous, you can’t chew through it. And that was sort of my introduction to ginger,” he says in a video call from Chicago. “As a kid, with a very undeveloped palate, and when... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3295784/why-culinary-world-celebrates-ginger-beyond-chinese-food-asian-american-food-writer-kevin-pang-co https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/dining/article/3295784/why-culinary-world-celebrates-ginger-beyond-chinese-food-asian-american-food-writer-kevin-pang-co Thu, 30 Jan 2025 21:00:08 +0000