Chinatown BBQ Congee Bar Pop-Up - Good Life Vancouver

Fresh Ideas Start Here (FISH) and Top Chef Canada runner-up Deseree Lo launch Congee Bar at Chinatown BBQ on January 30, 2023

On Monday, January 30, 2023, British Columbia’s purveyor of boat-to-table sustainable seafood, Fresh Ideas Start Here (FISH) is launching a special one-day congee bar pop-up with FISH alumnae and Top Chef Canada season 10 runner-up Deseree Lo. Located at Chinatown BBQ (130 E Pender Street), Chef and The Fishmonger highlights the humble, comforting, and nourishing congee in several ways and accompanying Chinese snacks.

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FISH’s congee is renowned for its flavourful taste as the rice is simmered in premium BC halibut broth.

“We launched our seasonal seafood congee out of FISH a few years ago and had no idea it would take off the way it did,” says Jenice Yu, CEO, and owner of Fresh Ideas Start Here. “Customers came in droves and told us they would buy a few tubs at a time to stock up and enjoy it over the week. We thought it was time to open a congee pop-up. A day dedicated to the classic Chinese rice porridge so many of us grew up with, especially in Vancouver’s Chinatown, where I used to go often as a child. Chef Dez was the one who created our first congee iteration at FISH. We knew we wanted to do our first pop-up with her.”

Chef and The Fishmonger congee bar will be a one-day, all-day experience. Open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for lunch, afternoon snacks, and early dinner, guests can make reservations via Eventbrite. Congees start from $16. The exclusive pop-up menu features:

Tickets

Congee Bar Flavours with fish or mushroom stock base

The OLGee
Halibut, ling cod, salted wild salmon, octopus, shrimp

The BOUGee^AF
Lobster tail, Hokkaido scallops, mussels, clams, octopus, uni, ikura

The FUNGee
Matsutake stock, locally foraged mushrooms, ginger, garlic, scallions

All congee comes with a choice of seasoned sweet or spicy soy, fried garlic, green onions, and Lo’s chili oil. Guests can also order from a variety of sides to accompany their congee, including: a Compressed Cucumber Salad with the other 5-spice, fried shallots, and chili lime; Marinated Tofu Skin Salad with bean sprouts, celery, sesame, fermented bean curd dressing; and Assorted Pickles with Lo’s kimchi, ma-la (spicy) bamboo shoots, and mustard greens. For dessert, Crispy Sweet Black Sesame Rice Balls with peanut powder.

“I love congee, and I equally love working with my FISH family,” adds Lo. “Jenice and I have talked about doing a congee pop-up forever, and I’m so excited it’s finally happening. We’re going to make some kickass congee!”

For more information, please visit eatfish.ca.

About Fresh Ideas Start Here
Jenice Yu opened Fresh Ideas Start Here in 2008 with the goal of educating people about the bounty of fresh fish and seafood available in our local waters. and directly sourced from local fishermen. F.I.S.H.’s South Burnaby location carries local and sustainable seafood along with their exclusive house smoked products and gourmet ready-to-eat seafood items. F.I.S.H. recently launched an online store and also proudly supplies seafood to some of British Columbia’s top restaurants.