Latest news with #CantoneseCuisine
RNZ News
12-08-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Chinese restaurant in liquidation after 31 years
Dragonboat Restaurant has been serving Cantonese cuisine on Auckland's Elliott Street since 1994. Photo: RNZ / Yiting Lin A prominent Chinese restaurant in Auckland's CBD was placed into liquidation last month after owing at least $1.4 million to creditors. Opened in 1994, Dragonboat Restaurant on Elliott Street served a wide range of Cantonese dishes, including yum cha and barbecue items. Reasons behind its insolvency included the Covid-19 pandemic's impact on the hospitality industry and poor economic conditions, business director Guochao Cui said in the liquidators' report. Higher trading and compliance costs, as well as arrears with the landlord also played a part, Cui said. The liquidators' report , prepared by Reynolds and Associates Ltd, showed the company owed unsecured non-preferential creditors - including Inland Revenue, the landlord and suppliers - a total worth nearly $1.4 million. In addition, preferential creditors - including employees - were owed more than $138,000. Assets available for unsecured preferential creditors, including vehicle, property and equipment, totalled a little more than $41,000 so far, according to the report. Dragonboat Restaurant has been serving Cantonese cuisine on Auckland's Elliott Street since 1994. Photo: RNZ / Yiting Lin Earlier this year, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown used the restaurant for a social media campaign to call for submissions on the city's annual plan. In the video, Brown encouraged people to hand in their submissions in an exchange for a "succulent Chinese meal". Cui told RNZ the business could wrap up some time this week. "It's so bad, [I'm] so disappointed," Cui said, adding that he would miss serving customers.
South China Morning Post
11-07-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
How to cook with coriander, the herb you either love or hate, in 3 recipe ideas
Fresh coriander, which before moving to Hong Kong I had always known by its Chinese name, yuhn sai, or its Spanish name, cilantro, is one of those flavours you either love or hate. Advertisement I know some people who feel nauseated if a dish has even the slightest amount of this pungent herb. I love it, and buy it by the handful from the wet markets. Many vegetable vendors throw in a few stems for free if you buy enough from them. Although it is also called Chinese parsley, coriander cannot be used in place of the more subtle curly leafed or Italian parsleys. The flavour is too distinctive. It perks up the flavour of fish pastes, which you can buy from the wet market: chop up lots of coriander and mix it into the paste before cooking. 1. Cantonese steamed fish Coriander is an absolute necessity in traditional Cantonese steamed fish. Photo: Shutterstock Fresh coriander is an absolute necessity in traditional Cantonese steamed fish.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Legendary Hong Kong opens 188-seater cha chaan teng in the East with 14 exclusive dishes
Legendary Hong Kong has 2 outlets situated in the West — one at Jurong Point and another 'classics' concept over at Rochester Park — not very fair for the rest of us, is it? 10 years have passed since the opening of their flagship branch, and finally, a new one is landing in Tampines Mall at the end of July. Easties now have another reason to flaunt their food offerings (envious!). Brace yourselves, ladies and gentlemen, as this will be the largest outlet yet. It boasts 188 seats, with a nostalgic cha chaan teng theme, complete with retro tiles and booth seats. This restaurant is led by Executive Chef Loke, a master of Cantonese cuisine with over 30 years of experience. He was also the founding chef when Legendary Hong Kong first opened its doors. Rest assured you're in good hands as he places great emphasis on using only the finest ingredients flown in directly from Hong Kong. This way, guests can enjoy a recreated HK dine-in experience that stays true to its identity. Given that this is a new branch, are there any dishes that will be unique to this outlet alone? Yes! There are 14 exclusive items to get giddy over! Here's a little teaser on what you can expect. Xiao long bao fans can marvel over the XL-sized Big Soup Dumplings, packed with twice the amount of meat and broth for double the indulgence. Kids will love the red Lychee Prawn Balls— they're crispy, packed with succulent prawns, and perfect for dipping into creamy mayo. You can also enjoy the Pandan Rice Rolls with Crispy Prawn Rolls or taste the nuttiness of the Golden Sesame Ball. If you're craving those curry fish balls from your Hong Kong vacay, the HK Style Curry Fish Ball Noodles might just hit the spot. Seeking carbs to go with your appetisers? Give the Original HK Fried Noodles and Fried Rice with Chicken & Diced Yam a go! Done with the savoury, now for something sweet? The Peanut Swiss Roll and Himalayan Pink Salt Swiss Roll are soft, spongy treats worth saving room for. To celebrate their upcoming new outlet at Tampines Mall, Legendary Hong Kong is giving away 1 pair of Cathay Pacific tickets to Hong Kong! To stand a chance, simply follow them on Instagram and like their post. Also, tag 3 friends you'd bring along with you (unlimited entries with different tags for more chances). The giveaway will end on 31 Jul 2025 at 11.59pm, and the lucky winner will be announced on their socials on 1 Aug 2025. All the best! *This post is brought to you in partnership with Legendary Hong Kong. Neptune Hong Kong Dim Sum: 20 types of steamy treats worth waking up extra early for The post Legendary Hong Kong opens 188-seater cha chaan teng in the East with 14 exclusive dishes appeared first on
South China Morning Post
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
How a Cantonese-American chef in New York uses MSG to celebrate his culture
On his left upper arm, Cantonese-American chef Calvin Eng has a tattoo that pays tribute to his upbringing and his identity as a chef. It is a heart with a banner bearing the letters MSG – the abbreviation of flavour enhancer monosodium glutamate – and it shows just how dedicated he is to the ingredient that has drawn controversy for decades. Now, Eng has gone one step further in declaring his love for MSG by including it in the name of his debut cookbook, Salt Sugar MSG: Recipes and Stories from a Cantonese American Home, which he wrote with his fiancée Phoebe Melnick. The book's title is a nod to what Eng considers to be the trinity of seasonings in Cantonese food ingredients, which are part of what he believes makes the cuisine special. Roasted mushroom lo mai fan (sticky rice) is one of the recipes in Salt Sugar MSG. Photo: Alex Lau While the book, published in March, can be regarded as an extension of his restaurant Bonnie's – a Cantonese-American establishment in New York's Brooklyn borough – it stands on its own as a collection of recipes meant to be made easily at home. It also reflects how the couple wrote it while raising their young son, Levi. The idea for the book dates back to December 2021, when Bonnie's had just opened. While the restaurant was able to feed up to around 200 people a night, Eng wanted to extend the reach of Cantonese-American food further, to people outside New York. Writing a book was his way of doing this.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ah Yi Lao Huo Tang: $5 double-boiled Chinese soup to cleanse the palate and soul
When the guilt of last week's fried food galore creeps up on me, I start looking for traditional healthy meals. That's when I found Ah Yi Lao Huo Tang (阿懿老火汤) at Pasir Ris Central Food Centre. I'm talking boiled dishes, minimal seasoning and natural flavours. Double-boiled soup, also known as dun in Cantonese, involves submerging a specially crafted ceramic pot in a larger pot of boiling water. This results in the gentle extraction of the flavours of the ingredients within for a delicate, light broth. The time required to fully cook double-boiled soup is 5 to 6 hours. I can't imagine when the owners of Ah Yi Lao Huo Tang start cooking since they open at 11.30am. When I got there at 10.45am, the boilers were already bubbling behind the half-open shutters. There were 9 types of soup featured on the menu, leaving me spoilt for choice. I was also impressed by the affordability of these soups, as 4 out of the 9 items cost just S$5. The 2 most expensive dishes are only S$7.50, and you can even get half a black chicken for S$6.50 with the Herbal Black Chicken Soup. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of ingredients packed inside the Lotus Root Peanut Pork Ribs Soup (S$5). In the ceramic pot were 5 thick slices of lotus root, a generous handful of peanuts and 3 chunks of pork ribs. For the S$5 price point, I'd say that this was certainly a steal! The soup had this milky translucency due to the pork ribs, much like bone broth. The peanuts and lotus root gave it a subtle sweetness that lingered on my tongue. Yet, with all these contrasting flavours, the soup managed to have depth without being overly seasoned. Just look at that pork rib. You can barely see the tip of the large bone because of all that meat. Now that's what I call chunky! While the meat itself wasn't as soft as I'd like it to be, it still pulled apart easily and was by no means tough. Glistening in the soup, the pork has absorbed all that sweetness and combined it with its own umami. Let me tell you, this was an absolute delight with the White Rice (S$0.50). As a child, I wasn't a fan of boiled lotus root. Was it because I had never had Ah Yi Lao Huo Tang's soup yet? Probably. The lotus root was cooked to fork-tenderness, breaking apart with a light push of my chopsticks. It had this gentle nuttiness to it, a mellow partner to the rich pork. As I picked it up, I could see the silk-like strands of sap which contribute to the lotus root's smooth mouthfeel. 6 must-try stalls at newest Singapura Heritage food hall in Pasir Ris If you were drawn in by the Lotus Root Peanut Pork Ribs Soup, you'll like this Fujianese delight. The Buddha Jumps Over the Wall (S$7.50) presents 3 slices of abalone as wide as 3 of my fingers. Together with 4 long rolls of fish maw, juicy shiitake mushrooms, 2 hunks of chicken and a whole chicken drumstick, I'd jump over a wall for that too. The best way to describe fish maw is probably tau pok's atas brother. Made from the dried swim bladder of large fish like sturgeon, fish maw is rich in collagen and protein. Its structure resembles that of tau pok, with little pockets of air that collect the soup and unleash it on your tastebuds with every munch. Because fish maw is also included in shark fin soup, this bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall had a similar fragrance. I felt extra boujie as I sipped it like a rich tai tai, much to the amusement of my mum. I've been really into mushrooms lately, mostly because of the juiciness of their flesh and how well they absorb flavour. And the shiitake mushroom in this bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall? Impeccable. Biting down releases the slight smokiness of the mushroom alongside the clean sweetness of the abalone-enriched broth. Call me a commoner for saying this but the chicken was the actual highlight of this soup. The meat was so tender that it slid off the bone in 1 swipe. I was caught off guard by how succulent and moist it was, without any bits of meat caught on the cartilage. When you're just about done decimating these gorgeous ingredients, pour in your leftover rice. Trust me on this one, because you end up with this soupy goodness that reminds me of dashi-style ochazuke. You'll have this savoury, crisp broth bursting with seafood flavour and rendered chicken fat seeping into individual grains of rice. If you get the golden Pumpkin Rice (S$0.80) in there? Oh my god. You'll be coming back every day. The gentle warmth of Ah Yi Lao Huo Tang's double-boiled soup just flows right into your bones. If you eat it on a slightly cloudy morning, you'll be experiencing peak comfort food energy. Honestly, I wouldn't mind coming down to Pasir Ris just for a bowl of this as a slow weekend brunch. The delicate flavours of meats and vegetables meld together in a concoction of delicious nostalgia. Also, these bowls of soup were filling and so affordable. If you're not planning a trip right now, what are you even doing? Expected damage: S$5 – S$8 per pax New The Cathay food court's handmade noodles, Teochew fish soup, fried wok goodies & more The post Ah Yi Lao Huo Tang: $5 double-boiled Chinese soup to cleanse the palate and soul appeared first on
