Best Casual Chinese 2013

May 1, 2013

GOLD: ALVIN GARDEN

Silver: Big Chef | Bronze: Nine Dishes | Honourable Mentions: Top Shanghai Cuisine, Lin Chinese Cuisine and Tea House

Raved one judge of our Gold winner, "Alvin Garden remains a standout with blast-furnace heat that doesn't sacrifice actual flavour and cooking finesse." Further, "The tea-smoked duck is a perfect example-it's succulent and gently smoky."

Find great-value Cantonese at Big Chef (Silver), where judges noted "excellent wok chi" (the flavour and essence imparted to food by a hot wok).

At Kingsway's Nine Dishes (Bronze), fetch your own rice from the communal cooker while the kitchen takes care of the punchy, deeply spiced Northern Chinese cuisine, including house-made sausages and cumin-dusted lamb skewers.

Honourable Mentions to Top Shanghai-judges loved the red-braised pork hock-and to Lin for "excellent Shanghainese dim sum."