A Wok Around Chinatown: Culinary and Cultural Walking Tour
Vancouver, Canada
It's no secret that Vancouver's off-duty chefs love to shop for themselves and choose from the freshest local and exotic fruits, vegetables, seafoods, and meats. And where do they go? Chinatown. This 3.5-hour, culinary and cultural walking tour of Vancouver's Chinatown District includes a visit to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, historical Chinatown landmarks, as well as exotic food, cookware, and herbal medicine stores. A much deserved dim sum lunch will also be part of this unique, small-group tour.
Vancouver's bustling Chinatown is a treasure within the city. Get to know this colorful district with a 3.5-hour, culinary and cultural walking tour.
The adventure begins at the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden. Rated by National Geographic as the world's top urban garden, this beautiful location showcases the traditional Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist values of Chinese culture, and sets the tone for the rest of this walking journey. From the garden, get a viewing and narration of historic locations and the local Chinese culture.
Meander through a variety of specialty shops and vendors, featuring products such as barbecued crispy duck. Along the way, learn about Chinese cuisine and explore diverse food, cookware, and herbal medicine shops. Also, enjoy the opportunity to sample sweet and savory foods and the pouring of fragrant teas. To top it off, take part in a deliciously authentic dim sum lunch.
This was my second time through Bob Sung's tour. I brought my two friends, and they were as enthusiastic as I about the depth of Bob's knowledge, his communication skills, and the delightful variety of experiences in our day in Chinatown.
Review by: Elizabeth C, February 2018
Yes, do this. We had so much fun with Bob, I can't even tell you. You get a really great tour of Chinatown AND you get heaps of delicious food. I'm talking dim sum, pastry, roast pork, it was so delicious. Bob took us to a Chinese herbalist, we got to watch a tea service and drink tea, visited shops had a great history lesson and generally got to know the neighborhood. Worth every penny and then some. Definitely a must do when you're in Vancouver - or even if you already live there and are looking for something a little different to do!
Review by: John V, September 2017
Bob Sung is unbeatable in his knowledge and passion for Vancouver Chinatown. Tour content was wide-ranging. Really enjoyed how he tied Chinese traditions to culinary habits.
Review by: Guy C, September 2017
Bob Sung is a wonderful host -- knowledgeable and friendly. We had only four guests on our tour, so we felt a real sense of getting intimately acquainted with the cultural and culinary aspects of Chinatown. Highlights of the tour were the hour long tour of the Sun Yat Sen gardens, the visit to a herbal medicine shop where Bob explained many of the items on display that other tourists only stare at, and the dim sum lunch.
Review by: Fiona M, September 2017
This is a great cultural tour. Mr Sung is very knowledgeable about the history of the Chinese community in Vancouver and the cultural exchanges with China in more recent years. He's also a trained chef so he's very good at answering cooking questions, and knows what to buy from where to do the cooking things for yourself. You'll get some authentic food to try and wander the streets of Chinatown to take tea service and chat to the locals.
Review by: Nadia C, September 2017
Bob gave an excellent articulate informative tour that we will remember and recommend to our travelling friends..
Review by: SARAH Y, August 2017
Fantastic..very interesting introduction to old Vancouver and delicious food.
Review by: Michael O, July 2017
What a delightful experience! Bob Sung was so well versed and knowledgeable about his culture. I learned so many new things about the Chinese culture that I was never aware of before. The Chinese Garden was spectacular and going to each of the shops to taste test the food was so interesting! Capped off by a delicious lunch even tried the chicken feet...not a fan served by an excellent wait staff. All in all, I would definitely suggest this tour, especially if you're a foodie! Bob definitely made this a tour to remember!
Review by: Julie M, May 2017
You will not find a more knowledgable guide to bring a tour to life with warmth and humor than Bob Sung! Our and #34;tour and #34; was more like a conversation with a friend, than the usual canned monologue of tours. We learned SO much, and enjoyed shopping, talking, and munching our way thru Chinatown. Must Do!
Review by: Nikki S, April 2017
Our Chinatown Wok was one of the best tours my husband and I have experienced! Bob Sung is a walking encyclopedia of Vancouver Chinese history. He put spent the day making sure we understood the significance of the area including the customs and history of the Chinese immigrants and Chinatown. And to add to the icing on the cake, the food was delicious! Love the dim sum._br/_ Thank you Bob for a memorable day!
Review by: Lorraine N, January 2017
This guided tour fulfilled my curiosity about Chinese culture by using all of my senses. It began in a Chinese garden filled with the ancient beauty of architectural simplicity that appeared to be metaphoric and was explained so by our guide, Bob Sung. We moved into the smells of bakery goods at a famous bakery and tasted one of the more popular treats. We discovered uses of herbs and such in the medicine shops. We learned the use of culinary tools, we shopped through a local grocery store and discovered new spices and sauces. We ended with a lunch of delicious Dim Sum in one of China Town's finer restaurants. This tour surpassed my expectations and I'm very pleased to strongly recommend it to anyone visiting Vancouver's China Town.
Review by: Phyllis W, October 2016
The best time ever . Valerie was not only knowledgeable but so wonderful to spend the day with. What a great experience.
Review by: Carroll W, August 2016
We had a very interesting walk with Thomas who shared with us his knowledge of the Chinese community of Vancouver. We found the experience fascinating. We enjoyed tasting the local culinary specialties of barbque dim sum and tea. I would recommend this tour.
Review by: Rita E, July 2016
Totally worth it!! We went into shops and food places and drugstores that we would never have ventured into on our own. Our guide, Tom, lives in the neighborhood and is very well versed. Don't miss the Dr. Sun Yat Sen gardens ... They are beautiful. Great dim sum also, _br/_ Try it you will be pleased
Review by: Ellen B, July 2016
This tour was terrific! Valerie was our guide, she is very knowledgeable in explaining about this fascinating historical area, and the places we visited were all very interesting. And the food was great, culminating in the demonstration and drinking of Chinese tea. Highly recommended!
RSS Feed