The Fish Man

On Alexandra Road, Richmond’s dense Eat Street strip also known as Wai Sek Gai, The Fish Man puts a whole fish on a tabletop burner and lets the room work around it. Chef-owner Bo Li opened here in 2019 after selling Li’s China Grill, his earlier Collingwood Sichuan roast-fish shop. You pick the fish by size (lingcod, catfish, sea bass, and others), a flavour such as mala or sour cabbage, and a bed of lotus root, tofu skin, wood ear, or stem lettuce. The kitchen flash-fries the fish, then finishes it in chili oil and Sichuan peppercorn sauce while cold salads, spicy Manila clams, and Beijing-style skewers land first. Scout Magazine walked through that ritual when the murals and tanks were new; The Infatuation later named the lingcod pot as the dish locals send people to on this street.

Li trained in French kitchens in Winnipeg and borrows Japanese plating habits, then cooks Sichuan and Chongqing seafood for a loud, share-plate table. Chinese Restaurant Awards gave the room Restaurant of the Year and Best Sichuan in earlier cycles, then No. 9 on the 2025 Elite 30 Canada list and No. 10 in 2026. Geoduck, Dungeness crab, and uni specials sit beside the fish pots. Book ahead after 6 p.m.; parking on Alexandra is the usual Golden Village scramble. A few blocks away, Jade and Chef Tony still own the dim sum and banquet nights.

Tables talk about fish that still tastes like fish under mala heat, spicy clams that disappear first, and a pot that turns feral once everyone hunts the cheek and skin. Lingcod and crab come up often. Service slows when the room fills after 6 p.m., and the bill climbs once you size up the fish or add shellfish. Mild palates should say so early; the kitchen runs hot. For a quieter Cantonese banquet, Jade, Chef Tony, or Dynasty fit better.