Toronto’s Pearl Harbourfront Restaurant was the venue, with a 10-course dinner organized by Hong Kong celebrity chef Alvin Leung. Living in Toronto from age 6 to 18, Alvin trained as an engineer before discovering food as his passion. A true Canadian, he even drinks Molson Golden beer.

Lunar New Year (Spring Festival) is the most important Chinese festivity, so it’s always a special event.

It was an evening of “extreme cuisine” with dishes ranging from stuffed conch Portuguese style to a sorbet dessert with maple syrup, strawberry and smoke flavours.

Alvin exuberantly describes his Hong Kong restaurant as having “No momma and pappa food --- no momma and pappa price!”

All photos © Gary Crallé 2010, made with Olympus EP-2 Pen camera and 14-42mm standard lens.

The Toronto dinner is held in tandem with the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade in Hong Kong itself.

For tourist information: www.DiscoverHongKong.com/canada