Alexandra Road’s a treasure trove of Richmond restaurants

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Over 200 restaurants are tucked along a mere three-block stretch of Alexandra Road in Richmond. That’s according to Tourism Richmond’s Stacey Chyau, who says the plazas between Number 3 Road and Garden City Road are packed with culinary finds.

If you don’t know where to start, here’s a sampling of restaurants with some unique dishes. The photos were taken on a media tour led by Chyau and Foodie Tour'sMichelle Ng. All the restaurants are less than 10 minutes’ walk from the Canada Line’s Lansdowne Station.



Cattle Café

1020-8580 Alexandra Road

This Hong Kong-style café is known for its eel sandwich.

Carolyn Ali photo

It’s the same kind of eel that you get at Japanese restaurants: tender, grilled, and painted with a sweet soy sauce. It comes sandwiched between the ever-popular thick slices of white bread. Not bad, but you’ve gotta be an eel fan. It’s a steal at $5.75, including fries and coffee or tea.

Carolyn Ali photo

The Baked Seafood with Creamy Sauce on Rice ($8.95) has a broader appeal. The huge dish had luscious chunks of tender squid, shrimp, crab sticks, and creamy rice. Yum.

Carolyn Ali photo
I loved the Malaysian laksa, a rich coconut-milk based seafood soup ($7.25). It had a serious kick, and a great depth of flavour that is lacking in many laksas (pardon the alliteration).

Carolyn Ali photo
For dessert, break off a piece of a made-to-order bubble waffle. Looks like it should be in an anime comic, eh?

Nan Chuu Japanese Izakaya

1160-8391 Alexandra Road

604-276-8391

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This izakaya is owned by the same folk as Robson Street’s popular Gyoza King restaurant. If you’re ready to branch out from gyoza and ebi-mayo, it’s got plenty of traditional robata yakitori on offer.

Carolyn Ali photo

My pick is the chicken skin, which is super-crispy, super-salty, and super-good with beer. Two varieties: teriyaki-sauce or plain salt. It won’t win any health awards, but you won’t care after a couple Kirin.

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More adventurous eaters can branch out to chicken hearts, which basically taste like liver. Gizzards (not shown) are even more of an acquired taste, with their pop-crunch.

Carolyn Ali photo

Tongue, however, is easy to appreciate. It’s meltingly tender in a soy marinade. Tongue is seriously underrated in general, so if you have the opportunity to try it, give it a chance. (I've had an outstandingly delicious one at Tom Douglas’s Dahlia Lounge in Seattle.)

Look for more Richmond eats in blogs to come.

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