Best Formal Chinese 2010

The formal kitchen at Kirin (Gold) makes everything—from roasted suckling pig to complete wedding banquets—in-house. Extra points for its spotlight on the local. The King crab dinners are legendary at Sun Sui Wah (Silver), which knows no bounds in ingredients and service, particularly at the gracious Richmond location. Jade Seafood (Bronze) puts the emphasis squarely on fresh, clean flavours. “Sharply executed dim sum brings tremendous lift to classics: truffle oil in delicate mushroom dumplings; Japanese pickled ginger in a deep-fried shrimp roll.” Honourable Mentions: innovative Sea Harbour balances “Cantonese spice, savour, sharpness, and sweet;” Shanghai River charms with its double-boiled duck soup, sea-sweet stir-fried shrimp, and braised tung po pork belly.