Taste of Northern Chinese Spice

The eatery is known for its multicoloured dumplings

Last week two acquaintances and I were going to eat dinner in a Hong Kong-style restaurant in downtown Vancouver, but when we got there, we were surprised to find it was closed! The restaurant had just changed its operating hours, but the chef-owner didn't update the website.

So we walked a couple of blocks to the Robson Public Market, where there is a well known Chinese eatery called Nine Dumplings or 九个饺子. 

Fish fillets submerged in dried chillis

I hadn't been there since the late 1980s when a high school classmate's father ran a French bakery franchise. At dinner time on a weekday the place was pretty dead, except for this northern Chinese eatery. 

The chef-owner Yue Shen wasn't there, except a middle-aged woman who seemed overwhelmed with orders. At first she told us to come back another day and then changed her mind and asked us to wait about 15 minutes for her to clear the backlog of orders she had.

We patiently waited at the last food court table available when my friend went up to order some food. Nine Dumplings is best known for its multi-coloured dumplings, dyed with natural food colouring like spinach for green, squid ink for black, and butterfly pea flower for blue. 

The dumplings are popular, but it's the other dishes my friend ordered which were next level -- 水煮鱼 shui zhu yu, or spicy boiled fish, and 凉皮, liangpi or spicy "cold noodle" salad, that are typical northern Chinese dishes.

Refreshing salad of cold noodles with cucumbers

The fish arrived in a giant bowl covered in dried chillis with Sichuan peppercorns and pieces of fish fillets that were perfectly cooked. This dish seduces you because at first it doesn't seem too spicy so you eat another piece of fish and your mouth gets a bit spicier and tingling, but after another few bites you are hooked and eat more. Soon your mouth is on fire and like watching a car crash in slow motion, you can't help but look, and in this case, your chopsticks still continue to poke around for more spicy fish.

Meanwhile the liang pi is served cold and perfect for hot summer days. The springy noodle is made from flour and water, steamed and then sliced into thick rectangles. They are combined with chilli sauce, sliced cucumber, peanuts and sesame seeds, and a few dried chillis for good measure.

The cooling effect of the noodles counteract the spiciness, making it a more balanced dish compared to the fish one. Eating these two dishes made me feel like I was back in Beijing!

The owner Yue Shen came by and chatted with us, saying he had opened a small eatery in City Square on Cambie Street. He said business there was quiet and we asked what to eat there. Salted caramel ice cream he said with a smile!

We were intrigued and will have to stop by there sometime!

Nine Dumplings

204 - 1610 Robson Street

Vancouver, BC

(778) 246 1199