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Getting Festive In Chinatown

A La Carte Columns

January 22, 2017

Story By: Caitlin Basilio | Photos by: Caitlin Basillio

Gau ($4.25), Jai ($8.95) and Jian Dui ($2.69 per order)

Gau ($4.25), Jai ($8.95) and Jian Dui ($2.69 per order)

With Chinese New Year right around the corner, there’s no better place to celebrate the Year of the Rooster than Golden

Palace Seafood Restaurant. Perfectly situated in Chinatown along North King Street, a red and gold restaurant has been standing tall since 2001.

Father-son duo Howard and Gary Lam proudly serve traditional Chinese food at their family-owned Golden Palace. Currently, they are busy preparing for Chinese New Year.

“We’ve got Jai ($8.95), Jian Dui ($2.69 per order), Gau ($4.25) and more, all ready for the celebration,” says Gary, who serves as general manager.

An order of Jian Dui comes with three pieces and may be ordered with coconut or black-sugar filling, while Gau is prepared with brown sugar and mochi. “Both are made with mochi, which makes it sticky, and both are round — each representing unity,” he adds.

A SYMBOLIC SPECIALTY

A very common dish to enjoy this time of year is Jai ($8.95), which general manager Gary Lam describes as a vegetable medley made with black fungus, mushrooms, rice noodles, won bok, carrots, ginkgo nuts, snow peas and more. “Each ingredient has significance, either because of its name or appearance,” he says. “For example, baby corn looks like gold bricks, (and) therefore represents wealth, and the dates are red, which is an auspicious color.”

Golden Palace Seafood Restaurant

111 N. King St., Chinatown
521-8268
Daily, 7 a.m.-10 p.m.

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