Where to get the best Lop Cheung - Chinese Cured Meats

[Degustation]

I would like to get a nice selection of Chinese cured meats for a someone in Montreal who is a former Chinese chef. He is very particular abut the quality of Chinese foodstuffs and I would like to get him something that may not be readily available in Mtl and is of very good quality.

Some things may include: lap cheung (Chinese sausage), guan cheung (pork and liver sausage), lap yuk (chinese bacon), lap op (dry-cured duck legs).

Am willing to go anywhere downtown or near the Pacific Mall / Hwy 7 area.

Recommendations for good Chinese roasted duck or pork would be great as well. I'm planning a trip to Montreal the second week of Oct. and I would like to bring a nice selection of items. Any other suggestions for special savoury Chinese foods would also be great

I used to buy Asian cookies and pastries from T&T as gifts but he's now borderline diabetic and I need to change my approach.

Thanks.

[sweetie]

There is a place called Royal in the plaza at Hwy 7 and Kennedy (faces Kennedy, close to the road). They have a wide selection of the "dried meats". I like the quality, the price is a little bit more then regular super market brands though ( Royal is also available in a lot of supermarkets). If your friend is a chef, might he like dried seafood stuff too? or dried mushroom....conpoy..sea cuccumbers...

[Degustation]

Thanks for the Royal info.

I agree, dried mushrooms, conpoy and sea cucumbers would be good. However, I'm often at a loss as to which brands are of the highest quality, since I don't often buy these items. Any suggestions?

[sweetie]

That's a tough one, it can be a little tricky to get the best value for your money when you are not use to buying the seafood stuff. If you have time look around a little, compare prices. If not maybe go to one of the big name stores (like sing hing...sorry don't know the english name) if you go to the bigger stores you might pay a little more but the chances of getting ripped off is slimmer. Anyone have a suggestion for fool proof dried seafood place? Good luck.

[Degustation]

Thanks sweetie.

Yes, my concern is not only being ripped off but showing up with foodie gift items that aren't of good quality and presenting them to someone who really knows his stuff.

Something like being duped with Laura Secord type chocolates and thinking they are as good as Soma chocolates...and then offering them as a gift to a chocolate connoisseur...hmm not a pretty sight.

[Degustation]

I was in the area last night and went to the plaza that is on the west side of Kennedy just south of Hwy 7. However, I'm not sure if I was in the right plaza or maybe I got mixed up with the description about the Royal store facing Kennedy? At any rate I couldn't find the store. Any clarification?

If I don't have time to go back there, I'm assuming that T&T may have some Royal products?

[sweetie]

Sorry my directions are kind of vague. But they do have it at T&T, usually in packages and hanging from strings.

[red dragon]

I personally like chinese sausage from the company Wing WIng .. it's what I grew up on. You can find the brand at any chinese supermarket. I don't like some brands that have a sweet taste to it, but that's just me. I look for a nice red color with not much fat marbling, but if you do like the fat, then look for more marbling. My father owns (and still does) a chinese/canadian restaurant and he still uses Wing Wing brand.

As for roasted meats, I like the location in First Markham Place (on hwy 7 between woodbine and warden). It's in the food court and I'm sorry I don't know the name, but there are two places that sell the meats and this one has a pig on their sign, so you should be able to distinguish it by that. Also, their pictures/menu is much more detailed. Hope this helps.

I know when my Dad comes to Toronto, he loads up on items to take back with him ...

Some other items he purchases are the oyster sauce from Lee Kum Kee (make sure it's the one with a picture of a woman and I think a boy on a boat and she's standing with a paddle) and preserved bean curd (glass bottle).

[Degustation]

Thanks for your reply.

I agree Lee Kum Kee is the best oyster sauce and the one that this former chef uses. As well, he always tells me to buy Koon Chun hoisin sauce and shrimp sauce. They really do taste better than other brands; I think due to the fact that there are less fillers in the product.

It also seems that fresh green produce is more abundant here in Toronto than Montreal. At least that's what he said the last time he visited.

[chocabot]

red dragon's first markham bbq resto is "Zhong's BBQ". It is the best.

[Degustation]

Some other hounds have mentioned that they think the roast pork or duck at Shark Fin City in Pacific Mall is very good.

Do you know how it compares with Zhong's BBQ?

[chocabot]

I'm sorry i don't. I've been wanting to try based on the reviews here, but haven't had the chance