Geng Shi Ji

Geng Shi Ji is the Canadian outpost of a restaurant company from China, set in Richmond's Union Square, and owner Young Wu, who comes from Zhuzhou in Hunan, told Montecristo he doesn't want it to be just a Hunan restaurant. He calls it a distinctly Chinese farm-to-table concept, connecting agricultural history to culinary culture. Montecristo found a small, comfortable dining room of polished wood cabinetry and lacquered shelves displaying ceramics and tools from the Chinese countryside.

The signature is the chicken casserole: Surrey-raised chicken cooked in a Hunan-style clay pot, arriving sizzling in a black earthenware dish with a cloud of five-spice and camphor wood, over a second layer of smoked, braised pork knuckle. Montecristo also praised baby cabbage poached in broth with dried shrimp and Pacific clams in a spicy tomato broth with rice noodles, from a menu that follows the 24 solar terms of the Chinese calendar. Named best Hunan restaurant at the 2020 Chinese Restaurant Awards, Geng Shi Ji is also a Top 50 Honouree on the Elite 30 Canada list in 2025 and 2026.