The limited-time food pop-up runs from Oct. 24 to Nov. 29 to raise funds for the Chinese Canadian Museum.
Red plastic chairs, low tables, hanging red lamps and white and blue porcelain tableware are back for a second Hong Kong-style food pop-up at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport lobby.
Wonton Mama 2.0 is a limited-time pop-up runs from Saturday, Oct. 24 to Sunday, Nov. 29, between 5 and 8:30 p.m., to raise funds for the Chinese Canadian Museum while sharing Hong Kong comfort food with residents and travellers alike.
The pop-up was created by chef Sharon Chan, founder of the sauce brand MAMAintheKitchen, and chef Will Lew. It brings hawker-style street food to celebrate the flavours and heritage of Hong Kong.
The menu
Wonton Mama’s second season pop-up is about cultural traditions that connect generations and communities through food presented with through a Chinese Canadian lens.
The new menu features curry fish balls, mapo tofu hummus with taro chips, chilli chicken wontons, kurobuta char siu (barbecue pork), deep-fried calamari with red chilli, fried garlic and black bean, and sweet and sour fried chicken nuggets.
Bigger dishes include curry beef brisket with potatoes, XO sauce prawn ginger fried rice and smoked tofu dan dan noodles with a soy peanut broth. Wonton Mama is bringing back its wonton noodle soup made with spot prawn broth.
For dessert, Wonton Mama has partnered with local donut shop Lee’s Donuts on an exclusive pop-up flavour: salted egg yolk with white chocolate and chilli flakes.
Connections and heritage through food
Chan describes food as having the ability to “connect family, heritage and shared memories.”
“I’ve always believed that taste (equals) memory,” said Chan.
“With our Wonton Mama team, we hope to create a place where you can experience those memories through food and make new ones together. Each dish tells a story and creates an experience that nourishes both our guests and our community.”
Lew added culinary heritage connects people from the past, present and future, and his own past begins with his grandfather.
“My grandfather, Rick Lew, immigrated from Hong Kong in 1956 and worked as a chef at two well-known restaurants in Vancouver Chinatown, Ho Ho and Ho Inn, in the 1960s,” said Lew.
“My family history is such a meaningful part of what we’re bringing to Wonton Mama and the community today.
“We’ve been lucky to make something that means something to us come true, but is also an example of the diversity in the fabric of Vancouver, where we’re all sort of telling the same story of how we grew up.”
The kitchen team is collaborating with the Chinese Canadian Museum to bring CCM: The Gallery Lounge to the lobby area of Fairmont Vancouver Airport, next to the food space.
The “lounge” is a curated space showcasing the museum’s past exhibitions, including historical artifacts, art and a visual storytelling installation featuring mirror vinyl records from Dream Factory: Cantopop Mandopop 1980s-2000.
The installation also includes a giant painted wok from the exhibit A Seat at the Table: Chinese Restaurants and a large blue velvet couch brought from the museum.
“Airports are places of international crossings, where people, cultures and stories meet,” said Melissa Karmen Lee, CEO of the Chinese Canadian Museum.
“We’re delighted to bring the Chinese Canadian Museum beyond Chinatown through this collaboration with Wonton Mama and Fairmont Vancouver Airport. By sharing curated moments from our past exhibitions, we hope to introduce travellers from around the world to the rich histories and creativity of Chinese Canadian communities.”
A dollar from every order at the pop-up will be donated to the Chinese Canadian Museum, and guests who spend a minimum of $50 will receive complimentary YVR parking vouchers.
Limited-edition Wonton Mama tote bags and T-shirts will also be available for purchase on site.
Online reservations are encouraged and can be made through OpenTable.
🍽 Find more delicious Metro Vancouver food and drink video stories by following V.I.A’s Forking Awesome on TikTok and Instagram, and signing up for our Forking Awesome newsletter 📬 delivered fresh to your inbox every Thursday.
📲 Sign up for the Richmond News daily headline newsletter for the latest in the community.
Dining and Cooking