Gold Medal Noodles at Luda Southern Dishes Chinese Restaurant
Posted on 05/24/2011
Address: 2683 E Hastings St, Vancouver
Having been to Luda twice before without my camera and having not yet tried the HSBC Chinese Restaurant Awards 2011 Critic's Choice Signature Dish in "Noodles" category, I figured a Thursday evening dinner and blog post was in order. So I strapped on the camera and walked with my honey the four blocks from home to Luda, a recent entry into the Southern Chinese cuisine Vancouver (East Hastings) eating scene.
The signboard for Luda is a magnificently crafted bit of signage (too bad its stuck under Pattison's bigass display) that advertises in a most tempting fashion what appears to be their signature dish: Hainanese Chicken. I have tried this dish twice on earlier visits and keep thinking to myself how different Hong Kong style Hainanese Chicken is from that of Singapore.
The biggest difference I am sure anyone would find between HK and S'pore chicken rice is in the rice itself. Singaporean (never actually tried it there unfortunately) and Malaysian (tried it in Malacca as rice balls version) Hainanese Chicken Rice literally puts the taste of the chicken in the rice in the form of chicken oil. Luna's chicken rice contains no chicken oil as it is the Hong Kong style dish. Those wanting the Singaporean/Malaysian one better look elsewhere such as Curry House at Yaohan Centre.
I am surprised that in this part of Vancouver, a restauranteur would go to the effort (and expense) into making the look of this establishment something almost upscale. Having said that, this section of East Hastings now boasts Le Petite Saigon and Bo Laksa King -- two restaurants that are holding food quality to a higher standard in these parts.
The impressive visual display continues inside this HK eatery. This traditional? Chinese signboard advertises various dishes. The tasteful decor lends an appealing ambiance that I find always compliments the dining experience.
Having seen these HSBC Chinese food awards placed in various restaurants around town, I have already decided to include them in blog posts by default. Therefore Beef Ball & Cuttle Fish Ball with Noodle Soup was a no-brainer.
The place was virtually empty on a Thursday evening around 8:30, although that is probably not at all a reflection on the food but rather the eating habits of East Van'ers. I would guess that restaurants such as this in Richmond keep somewhat busy even on weeknights? Perhaps warmer weather coming will induce hungry patrons to eat out more who knows?
Beef Ball & Cuttle Fish Ball with Noodle in Soup $6.95
I can see what the critics were getting at in their award of gold honors to this simple noodle soup. The quality of noodles is EXCELLENT. Perfectly cooked, tasting almost like homemade and a healthy amount of the long, long noodles sit surrounded by a very delicious broth with a hint of cilantro and other delicate spices. The meat balls are standard I'd say, but the noodles and soup are certainly top quality for these parts.
Salted Fish with Bean Sprout $13.98
I have never actually eaten this dish at a restaurant, so there is nothing to compare to. I have had it at Uncle D's house, but he puts in fried, crispy bits of salt fish, usually salmon, rather than here where the salt fish is certainly the same as the dried, salted mackerel seen hanging from spice shops in Chinatown. I was impressed with the preparation and flavour of this beansprout dish, but the price seemed a bit steep. Although thinking back, it does seem that all the ingredients are of very good quality here, and if the salt fish is the supreme quality one which is likely from the taste (at $70 per salt fish in Chinatown) then it would be worth considering the cost of raw materials when analyzing the prices here.
Kidney and Liver Congee $5.50
The best congee of my life was had two years ago in Macau. I found Piu Kei by accident while taking an early morning sightseeing stroll and ended up eating breakfast there for every morning of our three day stay. I can't recall if it was the consistency of the porridge, the types of ingredients (pig blood, fish stomack slice), or just the fact that we were in Asia, but that congee will forever remain my Platonic ideal for this dish.
How good can congee be one might ask? I'm sure the quality of rice plays a large part or the length of cooking time, I'm not an expert on congee, but there has got to be an objective standard under which all iterations fall beneath. Luda's congee is good in terms of what I have eaten in Vancouver or Richmond. The portion of meat is what would be expected and there are spring onions thrown in for extra flavour.
My wife likes kidney and liver, so this is the one we ordered. The meat was not overdone, which is too common with cuts such as these. Overall, I was pleased with their congee and would recommend it to others.
As a restaurant, I think Luda is something of a winner and is likely to stick around for a good long time. They make what I call "real Chinese food" -- not at all watered down for the Western palette. One thing for sure though is they have to be careful of charging fine dining prices in an area such as this -- never mind the fact that their food is nostalgic Hong Kong fare targeted to expat Hong Konger's with seemingly more free cash for dining than the rest of Canadian society. This and a lack of parking could drive prospective customers away. Having said that...
Long live Luda Southern Chinese Dishes!