Looking for different Chinese cuisine? Columnist has Chopstick Fest highlights

On The Coast's food columnist says there's a lot to love about Chinese food, and at Vancouver's Chopstick Fest you can find out about the diversity of Chinese cuisine.

The event features 30 Lower Mainland restaurants offering prix fixe menus to showcase the breadth of China's culinary styles.

"A lot of people still automatically think of things like dim sum and sweet-and-sour pork. But, of course, there's so much more to it than that," Johnson told host Stephen Quinn.

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"There are in fact nine culinary styles the fest is showcasing. They include Sichuanese, Cantonese, Shanghainese, and Hunanese. Then there are hot pot and shaokao, which means barbecue. The organizers chose spots that serve authentic dishes to really highlight their region."

Here are some of Johnson's picks for restaurants at Chopstick Fest that highlight various cooking styles.

Shanghainese cuisine: Nu Chinese Bistro, Richmond

"One of its signature items is the stone pot-braised pork belly. The pork belly is slow-braised so it just melts in your mouth. But Nu also takes advantage of all the fresh seafood we have here in Vancouver and puts a Shanghainese twist on it. For example, they do a dish called fried B.C. crab with rice cakes in special sauce which is the perfect harmony between the Shanghai culinary tradition and local ingredients."

Hot pot: Morals Village, Richmond

"Morals is actually a popular chain in China that has one restaurant in Toronto and one in Richmond. On average, it takes them several days to make a single soup base and they have 12 to choose from. The pork-rib soup is loaded with goji berries, while some of the premium items you can pop in your hot pot include wagyu beef and oxtail. One of its signature items is called "Beauty in the Golden House." It has to be ordered in advance, but it comes with a whole chicken as well as winter melon and abalone."

Sichaun cuisine: Li's China Grill, Vancouver

"Its signature dish is the Wushan grilled fish. It's a complex dish with Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies that actually incorporates multiple cooking methods: the fish, usually local red snapper or black cod, is marinated, grilled and boiled so that all of the ingredients become perfectly infused."

With files from CBC Radio One's On The Coast