The Place Restaurant is a loose translation of ‘lo di fung’ which is a Chinese slang for ‘the usual spot’. When you and your old friends make dinner plans and you’re not sure where to go so instead you guys go to your ‘usual spot’; that is what The Place is about. The restaurant wants to give that homey feel where you can enjoy traditional no fuss Shanghai food.
The Place is located around the Marpole area and its unassuming exterior is a striking contrast to its interior. The striking contrast is literal…the plain outside hides a room of odd wall colour combo of orange and deep plum. I’m sure there’s some sort of Feng Shui explanation to it…I think. It seems quite popular with the locals and patrons as the sole waitress during lunch acted as host…and as everyone’s mom. She knew people’s names and smiled while she served.
Most people measure the quality of a Shanghai restaurant by its Xiao Long Baos…I go for the drunken chicken as another quality indicator.
I consider a good drunken (or also known as wine) chicken based on the tenderness of the pieces and how buzz I could get off of it (jk!). In some way it’s true though..if it’s made properly, you can taste the slight alcohol. This boozy dish got good grades from me.
The steam shredded buns are also a favourite of mine’s. I loved eating those as a child and still do. You can order the steamed and deep fried version but I usually opt for the healthy steamed version. I think it’s the way the dough gets folded which results in the bun having this ’shred’ texture..you could easily peel strips of the bun and dip it in condensed milk.
While checking out the menu, I noticed diners around us ordering this fried noodle like dish. When we asked the waitress what it was, it’s actually a ‘cake’
On the menu, it’s labeled as ‘hand-make cake’. It looked like a savoury pancake when it was brought to our table. As we picked it at it, it came apart like noodles but the texture was doughy just like the shredded bun. It’s quite the peculiar baffling dish but addictive at the same time. We also ordered the beef brisket noodle soup. The soup base was similar to that of a dan dan noodles but less thick and spicy.
And then came the star dish, the xiao long bao
It is THE soupiest xiao long bao in the city. The meat filling isn’t as tender as the ones from Lin’s but it’s way juicier. It seemed like half a cup was in each dumpling.
The Place is one of those hidden ‘hole in the wall’ gems that hasn’t hit the blogging mainstream yet. Its old fashion cooking is soothing to the stomach and the restaurant’s quiet ‘matriarch’ makes you feel at home.
The Place Restaurant
8028 Granville St
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Comments ( 3 )
[...] been frequenting other similar restaurants that have cropped up over the years like Lin Chinese, The Place, or the neighborhoring Peaceful Restaurant. And since it’s gotten popular, the quality of the [...]
Sha Lin Noodle House Restaurant - Fairview South Cambie, Vancouver, BC | Senses Inspired added these pithy words on Oct 05 10 at 11:47 pm[...] thought was ‘Honey, I Shrunk The Dumplings’. I’ve been spoiled by Lin Chinese and The Place, so I was disappointed when I saw this small version arrived at our table. It was not particularly [...]
Dinesty Chinese Restaurant - Richmond, BC | Senses Inspired added these pithy words on Jan 03 11 at 11:34 amGreat blog, great photos. Kudos!
I really like the dan dan mian at The Place. Nice toasty dark sesame paste base. Give it a try if next time you are there.
fmed added these pithy words on
Sep 18 10 at
7:10 pm
