Category Archives: Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner

Mia Stainsby lists Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner event in Vancouver Sun article: Best New Restaurants 2004

Vancouver food critic Mia Stainsby, listed Gung Haggis Fat Choy in her Cover story article for today's Vancouver Sun's “Queue” Arts & Entertainment summary.

In an article titled Best new restaurants 2004: Rising culinary stars showcase Vancouver's unique blend of multicultural cuisines, Mia writes: 

“Food is like edible culture.  Take a look at the best
restaurants that opened this year.  They tell us we're no longer a
city of immigrants with a disconnect between mainstream and ethnic
populations.

“Vancouver restaurants today, like the city itself, are more a
melting pot than a mosaic of many cultures.  International
cuisines have mixed and merged into a seamless whole, and like the
stitching on a baseball, there's no beginning or end to it. 
What's been happening is quite amazing and adds cosmopolitan flair to
the city.

“Ethnic restaurants are not only chameleons in the mainstream,
they're now at the forefront of ideas and trends, blurring the lines
forever, particularly Asian ones…  So-called western-style menus
are woven through and through with Asian notes and riffs.  Blended
cuisines are often referred to as 'fusion,' but it's gone beyond
self-conscious borrowings from ethnic cuisines.  It's a cuisine of
its own – Vancouver cuisine.”

Stainsby goes on to write: “And look at the success of the annual Gung Haggis Fat Choy celebrations, the food-centred fusion of Chinese New Year and Robbie Burns Day.  Haggis wun tun
symbolizes this eccentric culinary union.  Only in
Vancouver.  The main event will be dinner at Floata restaurant on
January 30 and 700 party-goers are expected
. (See www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com)”

Stainsby mentions us after introducing Shiru Bay / Chopstick Cafe's natto ice cream (a sticky mix of fermented soy beans and ice cream), and Zakkushi Chacoal Grill's ome bushi sour cocktail (Japanese vodka, soda and crushed sour plum.)

Wow – we are in great company, and we are not even a
resturant!  We even got mentioned before Clove restaurant's butter
chicken and kafta balls, Zen Fine Chinese Cuisine, Also Lounge and
Chambar.

see Mia Stainsby's December 21, 2004 article about Gung Haggis Fat Choy titled Have a taste of 2004.

New 2005 Gung Haggis Fat Choy poster!

Here is the 2005 Gung Haggis Fat Choy poster, draft only… actual poster will be printed and distributed in a day or so.

designed by Jamie Griffiths – an incredible dancer and multi-media artist + all round human being.   www.jamiegriffiths.com

Isn't it fabulous?

Ticket prices were deliberately left off – Here they are as follows:

Early Bird Rate until January 2nd $50 for Adult, $45 for Student, $35 for 12 & Under.  After Janary 2nd – Regular rate is $60 for Adult, $55 for Student, $45 for children. 

Book early for best seating… Only fully paid tables of 10 will go into the queue lineup – book an entire table for yourself and friends – or book individual seats and make 9 new best friends!

For tickets: Call Firehall Arts Centre Box Office: 604-689-0926

 

Wow! Oh Whatta Night! Gung Haggis Fat Choy 2004 Dinner Review

Every year… after Gung Haggis Fat Choy… we amaze ourselves at what just happened.  There is always such an atmosphere of wonderment, spontaniety and cross-cultural appreciation.

This year the bar was raised higher.  The production was more ambitious.  Professional musicians such as Qiu Xia He and Andre Thibault of Silk Road Music, violinist Mark Ferris – concertmaster of Vancouver Opera and Sinfonia, Joe McDonald & Brave Waves – really pushed us to a whole new level.  And the Scottish dancing… Champion highland dancers this year – teen-aged brothers, Vincent and Cameron Collins – Double Wow!

Co-hosts Margaret Gallagher and Adrienne Wong bring such a sparkle to the stage, as well as their Chinese-Irish and Chinese-French-Canadian good looks and talents!  Poetry readers Neil Gray and Ian MacLeod share their Burns favorites.

The real hero of the evening was Noah Drew – working with a mixing board that was not working properly, so the sound system was not as even as we had planned it.  It is so challenging working our program that is trying to dove-tail with the delivery of the dinner courses, and has to jump around…  Deb Martin also did a great job as front of house manager – ensuring that ticket buyers had their tickets and their proper seats…

First Reaction to Saturday's Dinner

I will write more later about the food on VanEats and more later about the dinner in general on this blog, but here are some first, brief impressions:

The food was even better this year. Haggis Wun-Tun, and haggis spring rolls were new and excellent additions (even better than on our haggis test drive)! And I loved the crab and chicken.

As always I was blown away by Brave Waves! Their new tabla player blew Barb and I away. We liked their music so much we bought another one of their CDs. At $10, it's a bargain! One of the few CDs we will buy in 2004 since I no longer buy music from record stores because I don't want to support the music business. I only buy direct from artists at concerts or events like this where you know the artist not getting ripped off by a middle man.

Here are some of my GungHaggisFatyChoy2004 Sat24Jan2004 photos.

This year's program:

Deb, Todd's girlfriend, and grace under pressure:

Highland dancing from Cameron and Vincent Collins: