Sometimes you do not go looking for food because you want to discover something new.
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you → go → something
Sometimes, executive chef Heyden Sin says, you go because you want to taste home again.
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you → say → home
This certainly rings true for his restaurant, Lai Wah Heen.
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This → ring → restaurant
Long a staple of family dim sum outings and treasured celebrations, the spot was a beloved downtown fixture for almost three decades.
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spot → treasure → decades
The Cantonese restaurant closed in 2023 when its lease expired, but it has since reopened and is now celebrating its first year back.
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it → close → year
In this new era, Sin’s mission is to help diners learn that Cantonese cuisine extends far beyond the usual well-known dishes.
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cuisine → help → dishes
He’s been spending a lot of time researching forgotten and disappearing Cantonese dishes, as well as historical ingredients from different parts of Guangdong.
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He → spend → Guangdong
One example on Lai Wah Heen’s menu is Alaskan king crab with aged radish, which draws on an old-fashioned ingredient and flavour pairing.
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which → age → pairing
“Guangdong has an enormous culinary history, with distinct regional traditions, ingredients and techniques,” he says.
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he → have → traditions
“Our goal is to respect Cantonese heritage while presenting it with the precision and refinement expected of contemporary fine dining.
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goal → respect → dining
I want guests to experience not only how Cantonese food tastes, but also the history, craftsmanship and relationship with the land behind it.
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food → want → it
Here, Sin shares half a dozen spots that taste like home to him — and just plain delicious.
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that → share → him
“I really want more people to discover it because it specializes in Taishanese cuisine, a part of Guangdong’s food culture that deserves more attention.
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that → want → attention
I particularly love the Taishan-style claypot rice with eel.
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I → love → eel
Claypot rice can look very simple, but making a great version requires patience and control.
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making → look → patience
The fragrance and richness of the eel permeate the rice as it cooks, while the bottom develops that deeply toasted, crispy layer that is essential to a good claypot rice.
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that → permeate → rice
You can feel the care behind the food, and as a chef, that is something that always moves me.”
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that → feel → me
“For me, one of the greatest compliments you can give a restaurant is that there is a particular dish you start craving again before you have even planned your next visit, and their lamb pilaf is that for me: the rice absorbs the richness and aroma of the lamb while still maintaining its own texture.
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rice → give → texture
There is a wonderful balance between the lamb fat, the fragrance of the meat and the rice that makes the dish incredibly satisfying.”
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dish → be → meat
The last best thing you ate
“Shirako is an ingredient that requires tremendous knowledge and sensitivity.
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that → eat → knowledge
You need to understand its freshness, texture and extremely delicate character before you can decide how to handle it.
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you → need → it
A small mistake in preparation can completely change the experience.
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mistake → change → experience
As a chef, I pay attention to that kind of technical control.
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I → pay → control
What impressed me here was how precisely it was handled while still allowing the ingredient to remain itself.
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ingredient → impress → me
When a chef can make something this technically difficult feel effortless, that is something I remember.”
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I → make → ?
“For me, comfort food is connected to memory.
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food → connect → memory
It does not need to be expensive or technically complicated.
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It → need → ?
Sometimes the food you crave most is something very simple that immediately reminds you of home, family or a particular moment in your life.
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that → crave → life
This place does that with their white cut chicken.
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place → do → chicken
It’s a staple in all Cantonese families, especially during gatherings.
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It → ’ → gatherings
“Get the taro ball and grass jelly combination: the flavours themselves are quite simple, but I love the contrast of textures.
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I → get → textures
The soft, chewy taro balls, the springy grass jelly and the different textures throughout the bowl make it very satisfying.
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it → make → bowl
Eating this style of dessert takes me back to when I was younger and had just started working.
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I → eat → me
It reminds me of a simpler and very happy period of my life.”
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It → remind → life
Place I’m dying to try
“Traditional bamboo-pole noodles, or jook sing noodles, are very nostalgic for me because they are part of Guangzhou’s street food culture.
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they → die → culture
When I lived in Guangzhou, wonton noodles were something I would often crave in the afternoon or late at night.
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I → live → night
I am very curious to experience how they preserve the traditional bamboo-pole noodle-making technique here in Canada, so far away and in such a different climate from Guangzhou.”
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they → experience → Guangzhou
The Aporia
