Vancouver’s Chinese food is declared better than Toronto’s

Vancouver’s Chinese food is declared better than Toronto’s

The offerings at a Vancouver seafood market (Photo by Dave O)

Just when we were feeling confident about Toronto’s superiority in world-class Chinese food, Condé Nast Traveler declares Vancouver the consummate source of Cantonese, Shanghainese and Szechuan fare.

The author of the piece, Mark Schatzker, is a Torontonian (who’s clearly not biased by an allegiance to his hometown) and has sampled Chinese food from across North America and China. Cuisine from the motherland doesn’t taste all that different from what can be found in Toronto or New York, he says, but the experience in Vancouver left him “trembling.” How can this be?

Schatzker’s explanation echoes a sentiment previously expressed in the Wall Street Journal: agreeable immigration policies have made Canada an ideal destination for Hong Kong expats—including many of its best chefs—after the 1997 turnover. There’s one key difference between Toronto and Vancouver, though, and that’s the latter’s “legendary seafood,” which is, apparently, the deciding factor.

At the very least, Toronto still has the Yanks beat.

Canada wins Chinese gold [Condé Nast Traveler]

• Conde Nast Traveler magazine says Vancouver has best Chinese food in world [Vancouver Sun]