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Here to sacrifice our waistlines for you, the Chopstick Fest crew is hitting up Chuan Chu Ren Jia! … so thankful for English description of what they serve. But even so, I wouldn’t necessarily stop here if I was driving by. It’s not exactly sketch, but you just wouldn’t expect a restaurant like this in Burnaby along Kingsway. That’s the great thing about Chopstick Fest though: experiencing new dishes at great restaurants.

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Some of us were running a little bit late, so the early birds had the sit and stare at the dishes as came one after the other. Talk about food blogger etiquette… Hungry, I decided to sneak some broth into my bowl because it would be hard to tell in a photograph that it’s been partially eaten. Thankfully, the rest of our party arrived just as I scooped one spoon.

This was a simple pork bone soup with some seaweed. It was very light in flavour – a nice way to warm up our stomachs for the rest of the dishes. Sorta like jogging before a sprint.

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The Clear Noodles in Chilli Sauce was a little difficult to eat since the noodles broke upon chopstick clampage.

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Next up, Sautéed Free Range Chicken with Chilli :) Most of the chilli seeds were removed, so it’s not as hot as it looks. The chicken was served chilled so the meat was smooth and had more of a chew to it.

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Similar to the chicken, the Sautéed Pork with Chilli Pepper had a little bit of heat. Simply made, and went great with white rice.

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I felt like I was teleported to the Richmond Night Market when the Grilled Lamb with Cumin was served. Except the meat wasn’t on a stick. It had the right amount of cumin, unlike many of the stands at the night market.

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HIIIIIYAH! The Kung Pao Chicken used the waxy type of chilli that tends to numb your tongue. I avoided gnawing of those peppers, but the flavour was still present and pleasant. Again, not overly heaty.

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Finally, the last dish was the Braised Fish with Hot Sauce. The fish was well-cooked, not dry. Don’t let it sit too long because it’ll toughen up and soak up more salt. Like many of the other dishes, there was a good level of spice. And I think that’s what I enjoyed most about this restaurant. Many Szechaun restaurants go over the top inferno, but this place gives just enough to make you sweat a little without setting your mouth on fire.

To learn more about Chopstick Fest that’s starting October 15th, check out www.chopstickfest.com. Think Dine Out Vancouver, but showcasing Chinese cuisine.

Disclaimer: the meal was complementary, but all opinions are my own.

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