With the holidays approaching fast, it’s time to start thinking about those gifts you want to buy. Especially when most of the people on your list probably have an overabundance of “stuff”, food and drink gifts can be ideal options since they don’t add to household clutter—and they taste delicious.
Richmond has a wealth of different specialty food stores, as well as drink producers where you’ll find items to please the gourmands in your life.
Give the Gift of Tea
If you’re looking for the ultimate tea selection, head to Ten Fu Tea & Ginseng (Aberdeen Centre, 4151 Hazelbridge Way) where the knowledgeable staff will guide you through your purchasing decisions. The boutique has a range of pu-erh tea, a fermented tea that hails from Yunnan, China; plus oolong, jasmine, lapsang souchong (smoked black tea), and ginseng teas.
Great Mountain Ginseng (Aberdeen Centre, 4151 Hazelbridge Way), a company based in Ontario, has a Richmond location where they sell their products that feature ginseng root, purported to have preventative and therapeutic benefits. In addition to 100% pure Canadian ginseng tea, you can also find soft candies and almond snacks that contain the famed root.
Singaporean Jerky, Sweet or Spicy
Richmond is home to three companies that produce Singaporean jerky (bakkwa) that you can buy packaged to give as a gift. Mei Jan Hong Beef Jerky (Aberdeen Centre, 4151 Hazelbridge Way) specializes in a product that contains no preservatives, artificial colours, or MSG. You can choose between four different types of sweet or spicy jerky: beef, pork, chicken, or salmon. Mix and match different ones for the ultimate jerky gift box.
Mai Mei Hong Food (Parker Place, 4380 No. 3 Road) also makes Singaporean jerky, with the same protein selection, as does Soo Jerky in a 10,000 sq.ft. production facility in Richmond. The latter has been producing jerky since 1985, distributed across North America. Look for their signature red boxes at T&T Supermarket (multiple locations in Richmond, including 5511 Hollybridge Way) and at other stores around the Lower Mainland.
Raise a Holiday Glass: Beer, Wine, and Sake
For your recipients who enjoy imbibing, Richmond has a sake producer, multiple craft breweries, and wineries that can help you with your gift giving. YK3 Sake chose Richmond as its production location due to the quality of its water, which is essential to sake making. Their sake brewing master, Yoshiaki Kasugai, uses traditional methods to produces products like their award-winning and medium-bodied Yu junmai sake. You can purchase YK3 sake at Liquor Town (#120 – 8180 No. 2 Road) and Lulu Island Liquor Store (9291 Alderbridge Way) in Richmond.
And as for beer, Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks (#103 – 11220 Horseshoe Way) creates quirky beer products that adhere to their motto of “keeping beer weird.” For example, The Last Strawberry is a Belgian witbier brewed with fresh strawberries and lactose as a sweetener.
Monkey 9 Brewing Co. (14200 Entertainment Boulevard) adopts a playful approach to beer-making in products like their Hop Monkey IPA, with warrior, cascade, Chinook and citra hops; and Britannia Brewing Co. (#110 – 12500 Horseshoe Way) reinvents British and European brewing tradition melded with local ingredients. For example, their Wave Crusader Extra Pale uses UK crystal malts as well as west coast hops.
There’s also plenty of choice for the wine lovers on your list. Lulu Island Winery (16880 Westminster Highway) is known and celebrated for their icewine, and are particularly proud of their red ice wine, made from a blend of merlot and cabernet sauvignon grapes. Meanwhile, Canada Berries Winery (12951 Blundell Road) creates a variety of berry wines—such as blueberry and cranberry—and Country Vines Winery (13060 Steveston Highway) is known for their handcrafted, small lot wines.
Specialty Grocery Stores and Food Shops
If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for filling a gourmet basket, Richmond has plenty of options.
T&T Supermarket (multiple locations, including 5511 Hollybridge Way) and H-Mart (Aberdeen Centre, 4151 Hazelbridge Way) are some of the largest stores where you can browse the many aisles filled with packaged candies, cakes, and all sorts of Asian treats that would be suitable for gift-giving. And Fujiya Japanese Foods (#113 – 3086 St. Edwards Drive) is a compact store that sells Japanese food products such as Pocky, crackers, and dried seaweed.
Meanwhile, for European fare, D Original Sausage Haus (#130 – 12000 First Avenue) stocks an array of German items, like sauerkraut, mustard, and spaetzle, while Steveston’s Best of British (#110 – 12031 First Avenue) will satisfy anyone missing British items, like shortbread cookies and Yorkshire tea.
You won’t find a shortage of foodie gifts in Richmond to make the holidays tastier!
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