Executive Chef | Lin Chinese Cuisine
I talked with Lin Zhang in his kitchen while he was cooking with the help of Stephanie Yuen who assisted with the translations.
Where do you look for Inspiration to Create New Dishes?
A lot of this is based on trends, these days people are looking for healthy food with less oil. Customer feedback is very important and encouraged, I like to use as many local ingredients as I can find and I look to nostalgic dishes.
Do Your New Dishes Change by the Season?
Yes as most of the produce grown here is seasonal I rely on what I can make such as creating a dish with pea shoots.
What are the Basic Dim Sum Dishes in Northern style?
The dumplings and cold plates.
How long does it take your Dim Sum Chef Madame Yu Miao to create the steamed Dumplings?
She prepares the dough first which takes some time, then hand fills and steams the dumplings takes 6-7 minutes. She often makes 700-1000 dumplings by hand each day.
What dishes do you not think people in Vancouver would eat in your restaurant?
Braised Pork hawk
What kind of food do you like to eat when eating outside of your restaurant?
I look in the newspapers to see which Chinese restaurants have new items, I spend a lot of time in the markets when I am off work.
At Home What are the Top Ingredients we would find in your Kitchen?
Light soy sauce and bean paste.
What would you like people to discover when coming to your restaurant for a Dim Sum Experience?
I would like people to try the traditional Shanghainese dishes such as the 8 Treasure Rice off our desserts menu for example.
How do you work with Local Ingredients?
90% are local ingredients.
How would you describe your 8 Treasure Rice that you created?
Classic dish made with skill and passion and full of regional culture. These days the chef can present all the home made ingredients in this dish.
By: Richard Wolak
Translator: Stephanie Yuen