A seasonal dish so succulent, it sent my saucy spirits soaring
Mark Laba
Province
Tina Hu (left) and sister Jennifer present sweet and sour rock cod, deep fried fish and live seaweed at Ningtu Restaurant. Photograph by : Nick Procaylo, The Province
Ningtu
Where: 2130 Kingsway
Payment/reservations: Cash or Interac only, 604-438-6669
Drinks: Wine and beer
Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for dinner, closed Wednesdays
There are so many beautiful sights stirring the senses this time of year as spring lurches forward on soggy little lamb feet. Lines of blossoming cherry trees dropping their pink and white petals to blanket the ground like a gentle snowfall, flowers blooming, scenting the air with their fecundity, snow on the mountains as a backdrop to the rare warm sunny day and the sight of 20 or so live spot prawns flopping about in a cheap plastic bucket, spindly legs kicking and antennae waving about like tiny semaphore operators.
It’s the latter that truly raises my spirits and sends my soul soaring.
So it was that I met the subject of my adoration in this unassuming place out on Kingsway. Specializing in Shanghainese cuisine, the décor is nondescript but neat and clean befitting a restaurant where the focus is simply on eating. Big round tables equipped with Lazy Susans are evidence that this is a place where large groups of family and friends gather for a feast.
We were no different as we welcomed back Peaches’ brother The Parking Lot, up from North Carolina for a visit and so the troops came out in force with the Doctor, the Dentists, the City Planner, the teacher, a gaggle of children and the only people missing it seems were the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker.
As we warmed ourselves over tea the live prawns were brought out for viewing. Moments later they reappeared simply done up with ginger, onion and sugar, a secret ingredient in many Shanghai dishes and so succulent I didn’t mind having to detach the heads and pull off legs to get at the flesh. A seasonal dish, so right now they’re $22 a pound. Get ‘em while they last.
Next up was Peking duck ($24.95), that classic two-course affair of crispy quacker skin and then the meat served with both pancakes and lettuce wrap and hoisin sauce. Wonderful and had the Lazy Susan spinning at warp speed.
Following this was a glutinous schlimazel of sole done up in a homemade rice wine sauce ($9), the fish as soft and tender as a kiss on the lips from Neptune’s sister. The good-looking one I mean. This dish was a crowd-pleaser and paved the way for the more foreboding braised bean curd with big brooding mushrooms ($7.95) that could have doubled as elves’ umbrellas. But beneath their menacing nature they proved to have a delicate pungent flavour and paired with the slithery bricks of tofu truly delicious, even if a bit of a challenge for the chopsticks.
There was also a decent ginger beef that balanced the flavours of sweet and spicy like a Chinese acrobat spinning plates upside down on a one-legged stool, savoury Shanghai chow mein, some sprightly wok-tossed green veggies but the crowning glory of the evening was the great Beijing dish, Beggar’s Chicken ($32). You need to call a day in advance for preparation time wherein a whole chicken is stuffed with Chinese mushrooms, shredded pork, bamboo shoots and dried vegetables, coated in flour (in the old days it would be wrapped in clay) and baked for hours. The inside reveals a dark mass of savoury innards, the combination of flavours a transporting experience.
It’s said beggars can’t be choosers and that’s usually true but when you tag along with a couple of dentists and a doctor even a schlub like me can go from Beggar’s Chicken to Peking Duck in the space of an evening.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
A menu as long as the Great Wall of China.
RATINGS: Food: B+ Service: A Atmosphere: B
© The Vancouver Province 2008
