Tasting Plates YVR, presented by Vancouver Foodster, is always a fun tasting adventure that features a different area within the Metro Vancouver. When I heard there was one for Richmond, I jumped at the opportunity – I was definitely interested in exploring new restaurants in the city I grew up and lived in.

After picking up our Tasting Plates passports, we walked over to The American Grille at the Vancouver Airport Marriott. The American Grille, featuring West Coast fare and wild BC seafood, served up a beautiful pan-seared halibut, with a tuna ceviche in a pastry cup. Loved the halibut – with the mango and pineapple salsa, it was like a summer party in my mouth!

At Harold’s Bistro & Bar of Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel, Chef  Tim Vu presented a delicate Crab Cake with a refreshing chipotle aioli and corn salsa. Named after a customer who has dined with them for over 35 years, Harold’s Bistro & Bar’s menu selections comes from all over the world, including classic Canadian & American favourites, Asian influences, and East Indian delicacies.

Venturing a little further in Richmond, we drove over to Cocoru, a brand new Korean restaurant on Alexandra Rd, specializing in beer and chicken.

From left to right: Snowfall Chicken, Pa-Dak, and Yangnyeom Chicken.  I quite enjoyed this Tasting Plate as it presented a delicious variety of their fried chicken.

Snowfall chicken was probably my favourite – a deep fried chicken with Bechamel sauce and Grana Padano cheese on top. The chicken had a fantastic crunchy exterior with every bite, and with the creamy cheese on top? Just the best combination.

Pa-Dak was served with sliced green onion on top. I quite enjoyed this one as it really showed off Cocoru’s chicken in the simplest form, without any fancy toppings or sauces. Yangnyeom Chicken features a sweet and spicy traditional Korean Yangnyeom sauce – boy, this one had a kick to it!

 

The menu at The Apron of Westin Wall Centre always has beautiful presentation and flavours. For Tasting Plates, they presented an Albacore Tuna Poke, with an avocado crema and ponzu pearls on a housemade black sesame rice cracker. Alongside it, a housemade Ricotta Tortelli on a braised lamb shank with a mint pea puree.

The Apron also presented us with their signature colour-changing Wall Vesper, with Long Table Distillery’s Vodka and Gin infused with Dok Anchan Tea, Triple Sec, and lemon juice. Aside from being

Finally, the last stop of our tasting adventure was Pizza Garden on No. 3 Rd, part of the new Aberdeen Square by the skytrain station. They have a few locations throughout the Lower Mainland, offering wood stone-fired Neapolitan pizzas. We had the option of choosing two slices from their selection, so we picked a classic pepperoni, and a tasty Margherita.

If you’re ever by Aberdeen, stop by Pizza Garden to meet some super friendly and helpful people who really love what they do. If not.. they offer delivery too!

Tasting Plates, no matter which city, leaves me feeling full and satisfied, both in belly and mind. Not only have I eaten enough to make my stomach happy, I also have learned of a few more places to visit the next time I’m looking for eats in Richmond.

The next Tasting Plates adventure features East Village on May 18 – get your tickets here!