a color story: emerald round table

Private dining room at Yu Seafood's original Richmond Hill location was a new door. The occasions that we visited the establishment, it pertained to their brunch hours for dim sum. The restaurant's main foyer space's interior had tall ceilings, a consistent interior theme, and a wonderful ambiance. You would be surprised how much the interior overdelivered compared to their exterior's impressions.

Past the main foyer room of tables, I entered a whole different section for private events. We were celebrating a special birthday year for the family's anchor, after all. The round table took up half of the space. There was enough room to comfortably pull out the chairs. On the table's center, there was a glass rotating plate - common for such a large round table.

But, emerald marbling decorated the rotating plate beneath the glass.  There was a common notion that adding color to a plate made food taste better. Does that notion apply to the food's backdrop?

Was this a premium impression?

As I reflected upon the premium rotating plate, I only noticed it at the beginning and at the end. Once the glass plate rotated with the tea rituals, the dining experience started. The younger poured tea for the seniors of the room - usually Oolong or Jasmine teas. Sip. Sip. Time for a feast. 

In a fine white pumpkin ceramic, an earthy, refined soup arrived to begin our appetites. I don't know what was in it. But, I wanted more. Then, a mango cream sauce on deep-fried large tiger shrimp; it took three bites to finish one. Never had anything like it before - another great start. Then, the classic Peking duck arrived and it was golden roasted skin sliced in front of us. Steamed pancakes in bamboo baskets (like the ones used for dimsum) complimented the duck along with the cucumber and shredded scallions. I found their take on the pancake to be refreshing; it was sweeter than I expected so you didn't have to rely on the hoisin sauce. 

Then, everything else just barged in. Chinese style lobster. Garlic based crabs. Sea bass with special soy sauce - this dish held a special place when I grew up in Hong Kong; mix the fish-infused soy-based sauce with rice and it hits all the spots including nostalgia. Mussels with XO sauce. Thinly Sliced duck clams with green beans. The main duck meat diced served with cold cabbage as a wrapper. Every time one of our plates got stacked with shells, the front staff replaced them. We were in good hands. 

Before the dessert came out, the kitchen flexed their culinary skills with the basics - their take on fried rice. The dish shaped as a pyramid and their was a seafood emulsion in the bottom. I don't know how to describe the taste - that bowl of rice "goodiness" was my dessert. 

The front staff cleared the table in front of us before the desserts came out. Once again, I saw the rotating glass plate with the emerald marbling. 

The desserts: red bean porridge, mango pudding and almond cake to top off the meal. I believe these were complimentary. 

Yu Seafood treated us like royalty. Of course, their hospitality came with the price tag. I probably shouldn't get accustomed to this. But, it was quite the jade-like experience. 

Walked out of the private room. Went through the main foyer - bussing with other diners. Shared some small talk with family members. I almost forgot that this space used to hold an All You Can Eat place called Wasabi. 

I had a weird thought that the emerald-colored glass round table was an homage to the previous business. How silly. They weren't even in the same business. Wasabi played the gluttony business while Yu Sea Food focused on pleasure. Even the establishment's name brought a smile when I said it out loud -

"You See Food".