Newfoundland Chow Mein Is a Quintessentially Canadian-Chinese Dish | Eater
"A white, trailer-style Chinese restaurant just off the Trans‑Canada Highway in Deer Lake functions as a busy, multigenerational lunch hub, with a two-level dining room of about 30 tables and a long communal table where mostly seniors gather. Run by Richard Yu, a Toisan native who trained as a high‑school science teacher before emigrating to Vancouver and eventually relocating to Newfoundland for a steadier life, the kitchen offers a familiar chop‑suey repertoire (egg rolls, chicken guy ding, sweet‑and‑sour pork) alongside ‘Canadian’ plates like fish and chips, liver dinners and T‑bone steak. Yu adapted many recipes to suit local tastes and ingredient availability: crunchy, deep‑fried spareribs that succeeded in Vancouver were replaced by slowly braised, fall‑off‑the‑bone ribs for an older clientele, and the local version of chow mein—thin strips of stir‑fried cabbage served with vegetables and meat—was born out of necessity when noodles and some Chinese staples were hard to source on the island. A sign clarifies that chow mein in Newfoundland often means cabbage unless diners specifically request noodles; the cabbage version is richer and more umami than a typical noodle chow mein and has become a regional specialty. The place embodies immigrant entrepreneurship and practical creativity—modifying techniques and menus to fit local demographics and supply constraints, and in doing so creating dishes that feel both Canadian and Chinese." - Ann Hui
