Delizia Fusion Cuisine Confusion

By: D. Ma

The second stop on our Hidden Gems of Richmond Tour was Delizia Fusion Cuisine Restaurant.  Situated on the infamous Alexandra Road, it’s the true test for this recently opened restaurant as only the most appetizing and delicious restaurants survive.  Delizia’s décor is modern with an Asian inspired colour scheme which embodies and complements their “fusion” themed restaurant. It is also home to award winning chef Eddie Li and was recognized in the 7^th annual Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in North American in the category of “Top 100 Overall Excellence.” We’re not positive how much weight this has as from my memory, most of the best Chinese restaurants I have been to growing up had mediocre to terrible service and look more like a dive then fine dining…Just kidding…..

Their menu is HUGE, typical of most Chinese restaurants. Their website even advertises there are more items available at the restaurant. They have lunch and dinner value sets that make the food more appealing than they may be and create your own pasta dish menu as well.  Although their food is a fusion of Asian and European flavours, we found the combinations a bit perplexing.

The first dish we tried was the Oceanwise Wok Fire Stir Fry. It contained a variety of thinly cut veggies, scallops, shrimp, and abalone with a light sauce over it.  Although it looked pretty, there was nothing out of the ordinary nor distinct about the flavour.  It tasted like almost any other veggie/seafood stir fry you could get at a Chinese restaurant (where’s the fusion?).  The dish won a healthy menu award and in many respects it does look low-carb. Save your money and buy an apple if you want low-carb.

The second dish definitely had the fusion component of East meets West but unfortunately failed in flavour and texture.  Their Lobster Udon Alfredo sounds intriguing (Japanese and Italian are two of my favourite cuisines) but falls flat on flavour.  The texture and taste of udon noodles does not compliment the alfredo sauce well.  As udon noodles have a chewy rice flavour and texture, the sauce just sort of sits there – the sauce was also a bit bland for our liking.

The final dish probably had the best plating – Braised Duck in Red Curry Lychee Sauce. However, like the saying goes, looks can be deceiving. Presented in paper hot pot over a lit candle, the heat from the candle helps to bring out the aromas of the red Thai curry, lemongrass, coconut and lychee.  It also tasted like the salt was replaced with shrimp paste, which is similar in flavour to fish sauce and popular in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.  We were a bit disappointed to find out the duck wasn’t really braised but barbequed. It tasted like your typical Chinese barbequed duck that you can get at Hon’s.  The flavour was still decent (and mainly because I love BBQ duck) but it did no justice to the visual aspect and description of the dish.  It was served with jasmine rice (which you’ll need if you don’t want to waste the curry), but maybe if it was paired with roti or naan it could have been better.

Overall, the experience was more confusion then fusion.  The dishes weren’t terrible but weren’t outstanding or complex either.  They do have decently priced items (which we did not try) but the prices of their more “unique” dishes will leave your taste buds unsatisfied and wishing you spent the money on McDonalds instead.

Location: #2150-8391 Alexandra Rd, Richmond, BC (map)

SkyTrain Stop: Lansdowne Station

Price:  $10-$20

More Info? www.deliziafusion.com