Growing up a young immigrant in Canada, ‘mosaic’ was the catch phrase my school teachers would use to define the country’s cultural landscape. Mosaic; by proudly juxtaposing different cultures, my adopted country would create an altogether new composite Canadian identity.

I’m still skeptical on the extent of it all in reality, but what’s clear is with today’s popularity of the california roll, Japadog, and ninja turtles, cultural borrowing and fusion has become rather commonplace. However, I can’t remember when it’s ever been as explicit and downright fun as Gung Haggis Fat Choy.

We even covered the event live on twitter. Missed our live tweets? You can catch up on the conversation here

The event

A portmanteau of the traditional Cantonese new year greeting and that prototypical Scottish sausage, Gung Haggis Fat Choy combines Chinese New Year with Robbie Burns Day to create a new composite celebration of song, poetry readings, and food in order to celebrate the two heritages and raise funds for various charities.

This year marked the event’s twelfth year running and, with over four hundred attendees to this year’s dinner, the costumes, bagpipes, and sing-a-longs were in full swing.

Hosted by “Toddish McWong” and Tricia Collins, the night started with a full bagpipe band, transitioned to poetry readings, both original works and those from Burns, and just kept going from there.

Audience participation was encouraged, with sing-a-longs of “When Asian/Scottish/Chirish Eyes are Smiling” – yes, “Chirish ” – and echoing along with a rap version of Burns’ “Address to the Haggis”.

The menu

The drink list consisted of a variety of Scotch whiskies and Chinese beers. Wines were available too, but understandably none from Scotland or China.

Hosted by Floata Seafood Restaurant, the menu would sound familiar to anybody who has been to a Chinese wedding banquet, with a few key differences of course:

• Appetizer plate of haggis siu mai, BBQ pork, jellyfish, and turnip cakes
• Deep-fried haggis wontons
• Mixed vegetables and winter melon soup
• Haggis lettuce wrap with diced vegetables
• Pan-fried prawns with spicy salt (shell in)
• Peking style gold coined beef
• Buddha’s Feast vegetables with deep fried tofu
• Deep fried crispy chicken
• Vegetarian fried rice
• Coconut or mango rice pudding

The Deep fried haggis wontons being a clear stand-out. In fact, I personally loved all the haggis infused dishes served this night. Yes, I know what haggis is. But I grew up eating chicken feet, tripe, and Hot vit lon / Balut (readers with tender stomachs, do not click that link).

Haggis? No problem, and really very pleasantly savoury.

‘Good food and good fun’ sums up our experiences at this year’s Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner; I’m sure we’ll be back next year.

To learn more about Gung Haggis Fat Choy: The Robbie Burns / Chinese New Year event, visit their website here.

The sessions took place at the Forum building on the PNE fairgrounds, and my intention was to sample that neighbourhood’s dining attractions…until a few people on Twitter reminded me of my New Year’s resolution to take a closer look at Chinatown.

With that in mind, I decided to pay a lunch visit to the much lauded Phnom Penh, with a quick stop in New Town Bakery for stuff to keep my appetite appeased during the 3-hour VANOC orientation.

Lunching at Phnom Penh

I’ve heard praise of Phnom Penh long before Tiny Bites existed. The first recommendation that I can recall was from a Cambodian pal during my days with AIESEC SFU.  These days, the references are numerous. It’s a Foodists favourite, an  Urbanspoon bloggers highlight, and their #78 – the Phnom Penh Deep Fried Chicken Wing – has amassed a cult following.

Far be it for me to argue with stats. The chicken was the first item I requested, which arrived in a vocal sizzle from the fryer.  Its humble presentation called to mind the squid in rock salt that graces the menus of many Chinese greasy spoons; battered, puffed, speckled with black pepper, reeking of garlic.  A look into its accompanying sauce caused dismay – the skin of black pepper suffocated the surface like lake algae in summer (not a fan of black pepper).   I stared at the dish for a minute, trying to imagine how such an average-looking item could have such a loyal following.  Even the other tables were a testament to the popularity of this dish.  Nearly every group had one, including solo diners like myself.

I ceased my contemplation and took my first bite, no sauce.  Chewed through the light batter: check. Swallowed the tender, moist interior: check. It wasn’t bad at all, but it could have easily been forgettable. For my next bite, I dipped the drumstick into the sauce. Oh. My. God.

I’m tempted to call it a revelation. The lemon tang of this dipping sauce transformed the tasty but hardly memorable chicken into something I can only describe as salt and vinegar lemon deep-fried chickeny goodness. It was a combination that I had only experienced in potato chip and cricket form, and I must say, it lends itself quite well to fowl.  After a down-to-business period of inhaling 4 wings, each dripping in sauce, this dish was cemented in my good books.

Next up was the #32 – Phnom Penh Special Jumbo Rice (B).  This enormous platter delivered BBQ lemongrass pork chop, shredded pork, 3 slices of Asian-style ham, and a fried egg.  It was listed under the section for Cambodian dishes, but it seemed exactly like the Vietnamese rice combos that I adore at Sung Huong and Pho Tan. It was in almost every way on par: presentation, quantity, flavour, inconsequential iceberg lettuce salad, side bowl of nuoc cham.  The only real difference was price. At Phnom Penh, this cost me a hefty $10.25 for a combo that is usually offered for under $8.  If there were good reason for it meriting a $2 premium over its competition, I wouldn’t be publishing this comparison, but for me, all I felt was suction from the hole in my wallet.

I thought I was done with my meal after these dishes were laid out for me, but the Phnom Penh experience carried a bonus: a small bowl of pork rib broth.  It was the perfect thing to cut through the weight of the rice combo and the delicate but still present lining of deep-fried oil on my insides after all that chicken. It left me invigorated, my appetite nearly renewed. Nearly.

This first visit was a promising one, and I’ll have to come back to try the rest of their menu (which is less menu and more encyclopedia).  It’s definitely a contender restaurant to take my in-laws when they get into town next weekend.

Take-out from New Town Bakery

Two blocks away from Phnom Penh sits a place that I once loathed: New Town Bakery. To say I hated it is not at all fair to this establishment, which truly deserves high ranking for its steamed buns, apple tarts, and other Asian baked goods.  But I can’t change how I felt as a child, having been dragged along on a weekly basis by my parents to have pork asado and bola-bola buns ad nauseum. Thankfully, my willful estrangement from New Town has enabled me to return as an avid fan. I practically ran the short distance between the restaurant and the bakery in my zeal.

Chalk it up to my diet from shopping (since I certainly wasn’t hungry at this point) – I ordered a feast for the road. 3 pork asado buns, 2 bola-bola buns, 2 pineapple buns, and a half-dozen apple tarts. My eye spotted triangles of sticky rice and Filipino frozen specialties (longganisa, tocino). These I refrained from; the bakery takes only cash and my car cannot double as a deep freezer…alas.

The abundance of this loot bag came in handy at the VANOC sessions, where cookies and wraps came only at the tail of a 3-hour evening. The apple tarts were distributed to a handful of appreciative volunteers-to-be. Taste tests of the tarts and the rest of the nibbles were positive without exception, and the box of steamed buns made for a sustaining lunch this afternoon.

I wish all my Wednesdays could be like this.

More info and visuals

Phnom Penh
244 E. Georgia Street | Chinatown
(604) 682-5777

New Town Bakery & Restaurant
158 E. Pender Street | Chinatown
(604) 681-1828