There are about 2.5 million residents of the Greater Vancouver area—and it often feels like nearly as many cultures represented in the city’s food scene. Known as a dynamic culinary hotspot, Vancouver is a place where cravings are satisfied by authentic regional dishes from everywhere from Afghanistan to Uruguay. It’s also a city of vibrant ethnic neighborhoods, and among the most iconic are its Little Italy—which has roots going back to the 1940’s—and its Chinatown, one of the city’s top tourist attractions and one of the largest and most historic Chinatowns in North America.
Now, a new restaurant is bringing together the distinct cuisines of those two famous neighborhoods in one creative menu. Located at the five-star Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver, and open for three meals a day (and weekend brunch), Miantiao—a name derived from the Mandarin word for “noodle”—officially opened its doors on June 17, and is already drawing crowds with dishes like the Burrata (Burrata Pugliese with XO sauce, scallion flatbread, and deRobertis olive oil), Merluzzo Nero (sablefish, cured pork, olive, and borlotti bean), and a unique, four-course Aged Whole Duck experience that serves up to six guests. Signature cocktails like the Kun-Mi-To (Campari, sweet vermouth, carbonated white tea, bitters), 5 Spice Daiquiri (rum, five-spice falernum, lime juice), and Sambuco Frizzante (dry vermouth, gin, elderflower soda) also showcase flavors from both cultures, while the décor represents Italy and China in touches like the gilded archways, marble accents, and splashes of crimson.
The Frasca room at Miantiao in Vancouver.
Here, La Cucina Italiana catches up with Alex Tung, Culinary Director of the award-winning Kitchen Table Restaurants—the developer and operator of Miantiao, as well as several Italian restaurants in town—to chat about how the idea for Miantiao was born, how the menu was developed, and what these two ancient culinary cultures have in common.
What were some of the inspirations behind creating this type of restaurant and putting Italian and Chinese cuisines together?
One of the owners [of Kitchen Table Restaurants] comes from an Italian family, and as Italian immigrants in Vancouver, they gravitated toward other immigrants from countries with similar family values and rich culinary histories. Many of his father’s friends were Chinese, and his father learned a lot about Chinese cooking and culture, and really took to many of the flavors and ingredients. With access to Asian ingredients, his father would still make Italian food, but often enhanced it with a few Asian flavors.
This was the basic idea for the restaurant: Italian fare with Asian accents.. After finding an idyllic space, and with some more thought and brainstorming, the idea was pitched, and, slowly but surely, we started down the rabbit hole that became Miantiao. As more research was done, it was amazing how many parallels in culture and cuisine exist between the Italians and Chinese.
Rigatoni at Miantiao, made with the Chinese clear spirit Baijiu, tomato, chili, and cream.
What, in your opinion, makes each of these cuisines special on their own—and how do you see them relating and working together?
Both cuisines are extremely ingredient-driven, and simplicity is the cornerstone of both food styles. The way the cultures showcase citrus and olives in their cuisine has many parallels, for example. And take Prosciutto di Parma, a staple of Italian food—did you know the Chinese have been curing ham in the same manner for over a thousand years? And there’s an ongoing battle regarding the origin of pasta: some camps say Marco Polo brought the idea of pasta back to Italy after experiencing noodles during his Chinese explorations, while some Italians may tell you a different story, and say it was in Italy where pasta was born and perfected.
How was the menu at Miantiao created and what were some of the inspirations behind the selections?
The menu was a collaboration between myself (as Kitchen Table’s Culinary Director), Tret Jordan (Executive Chef, Miantiao), and Justine Lee (Chef de Cuisine, Miantiao). The inspiration was to showcase the best ingredients of both Italy and China, and treating them respectfully and simply to allow the ingredients to speak for themselves. With no regard for rules, our intention is to take Chinese sensibility and apply it to Italian dishes, and vice versa.
Did any travel experiences in Italy or China help inspire the restaurant or the menu?
Unfortunately, due to COVID, we weren’t able to take the team to Italy and China to seek inspiration. Traditionally, we would have loved to take the team on a whirlwind trip to get the creative juices flowing and to experience the authentic food and culture, and then we would have taken those experiences and reinterpreted some of them back at the restaurant.
But personally, I’ve been traveling to Italy a lot over the past decade and share those experiences and relationships that I’ve built in Italy and showcase them at Miantiao. I’m personally excited to visit China when travel restrictions are lifted—and to eat with reckless abandon!
Tajarin at Miantiao in Vancouver, with Quantum beef seasoning and butter.
What are some signature dishes we have to try?
The fresh pasta and noodle offering is a cornerstone of the restaurant. We would also highly recommend the Tajarin with Quantum beef seasoning, as well as the Biang Biang Mian with lamb and fermented black bean. The whole duck preparation is also a showstopper.
Will you be sourcing any items or ingredients from Italy or China, or mainly working with local purveyors?
While we’re showcasing the best products of Italy and China, the bulk of the products used in the kitchen are from local growers and producers. We support independent artisan farmers, and our meat and seafood purveyors focus on the best of British Columbia. We’re proud to be serving the best ingredients from our backyard. We also have the luxury of having our own family farm to raise animals for our specific needs. We raise our own beef, pork, chickens, lamb, and more for special off-menu features.
How do you think this will appeal to a Vancouver audience?
Vancouver is such a multi-cultural city and it’s a city filled with sophisticated diners. There is already so much buzz around Miantiao and we feel there is nothing on the Vancouver landscape that is similar. We hope to earn the trust of our guests and that they allow us to take them on the Miantiao journey.
The crudo at Miantiao: beef heart, long pepper, preserved mustard, toma, and walnut crunch.
Tell us a bit about the space and atmosphere.
The space features two distinct dining rooms with very different feels, separated by a stunning bar. The Frasca dining room emits the vibes of the Trieste countryside, while the Jia dining room features the warm and luxurious palette of China. There’s also an olive tree in the main dining room to pay homage to the frasca of Friuli, where they used to put an olive branch over their front door to signify the beginning of the harvest.
Do you have plans for any additional services or events once Covid-19 restrictions have been further eased in Vancouver?
The team is super excited to educate our guests regarding the amazing food products, wines, and spirits of Italy and China, and plan on offering events familiarizing our guests in these realms. We’re very much looking forward to hosting wine dinners with local wine producers, as well as with some iconic Italian producers. We’ve also already been approached to host functions showcasing what we do at Miantiao and co-brand them with some internationally recognized brands.