Following two hugely successful European pop-ups at Moebius in Milan and The Court in Rome, the team at Chinatown’s award-winning Laowai is pleased to present its latest pop-up partnership, featuring one of the world’s most acclaimed cocktail bars. 

On Monday, October 30, Laowai will play host to Hong Kong’s critically acclaimed Penicillin at Laowai x Penicillin.

Hailed as a world-class watering hole and listed at #71 by the World’s Best Bars, Penicillin’s husband-and-wife team of Agung and Laura Prabowo are travelling to Vancouver to produce an evening of cocktail magic alongside Laowai Chef Phong Vo’s street-bites inspired menu. 

Laowai x Pencillin Tickets

Tickets* for both the 8:30 pm and 11 pm seatings are now available via Eventbrite. The 6 pm seating is sold out. General Admission: $30 for an individual reserved seat, includes welcome cocktail. VIP: $300 includes a reserved booth, full cocktail card and dumplings for four people.

*Ticket pricing does not include ticketing fees and taxes. 

Related story: Cornucopia, Whistler’s celebration of food + drink

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False storefronts and secret passwords

Inspired by the false storefronts and secret passwords from Shanghai and Hong Kong’s notorious nightclub scene, Laowai is concealed behind BLND TGER Dumplings, next door to a Chinese BBQ meat and fresh vegetable market, typical of the small merchants that line East Georgia Street. 

Upon entering, discreetly ask for the “Number 7” to be ushered past BLND TGER Dumpling shop’s faux freezer door into an art deco lounge that celebrates all the intrigue and glamour of 1920’s Asia, paired with a modern cocktail experience.

Laowai or ‘outsider’

During the 1920s and ‘30s, Shanghai was one of the most progressive and multicultural cities of the world. The city’s nightlife buzzed with a dynamic mix of the fashionable and the seedy, welcoming both locals and ‘laowai’ or ‘outsiders.’ 

This period between the two World Wars gave us a newly founded openness, freedom and decadence that fuelled the roaring 20’s. To curb the night clubs, Shanghai had curfews, but that did not stop the partying, as the music played all night long as you entered the clubs before curfew and stayed until morning.

Once inside, Laowai’s hidden lounge is furnished with padded emerald-green velvet walls; intimate semi-circle luxury leather banquettes; and polished, verdigris accents of malachite offering a sultry and sophisticated setting. 

BLND TGER Dumplings

Their cocktail programme blends contemporary tastes and classic recipes with accents and flavours locally sourced in Chinatown. Each of the many cocktails on the menu is introduced with the tale of a historical figure that was its inspiration – such as the popular city administer who was also a not-so-secret opium smuggler Jade Empire.

The kitchen offers large sharing mains plus several dumplings from store front BLND TGER Dumplings. Recommend the Hong Kong-style Pork Belly Bourdon Char Sui marries slow-roasted pork with an American whiskey marinade that has become popular in modern-day Shanghai.

Laowai hidden lounge is behind BLND TGER Dumplings, 251 East Georgia Street, Vancouver.

“Ask for the Number 7.”

Related story: Monty Creek Ranch winery: Lions head, cowboys and wine

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One of my most cherished childhood memories was when my mother gave me a platinum necklace with a small translucent reddish-brown jade carving of a sword that she had purchased from a small jewelry shop in Hong Kong. For over 9,000 years Jade has been a symbol of the Chinese Imperial families, representing both the heavenly and earthly realms. It is believed that the stone can mystically protect wearers from illness and evil spirits. Like most Asian Mothers, mine believed that if I were in an accident, the jade, not my precious little body, would break. I was under the strictest instructions never, ever to take the necklace off.

As an important jade centre, the small northern Fraser Valley town of Lillooet has a significant cultural connection with the 1.35 billion plus inhabitants of modern China who continue to value jade highly for its beauty and its symbolic meaning. Jade, British Columbia’s official gemstone, is deeply embedded in the history of Lillooet.

Lillooet Jade Walk

Located 250 kilometers north of Vancouver, Lillooet is a community with a rich mining history, dating back to the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858 when it was the largest town west of Chicago and north of San Francisco. Home of British Columbia’s first jade mine, the discovery of this priceless gemstone in the region is now commemorated with a fascinating and unique Jade Walk.

Cool to the Touch

Beginning at the Lillooet Museum and Visitors Centre on Main Street, the first stop on the Jade Walk is Jadehenge, an outdoor display of four jade boulders one of which measures nearly 3 meters tall and weighs over 7 tonnes. These four boulders, which range in size from that of a compact hotel room fridge to an enormous one meter wide, give you a sense of the stone’s density and hardness. Jade is harder than steel and requires many hours and a special saw to cut. It is also, uniquely, cool to the touch.

These four jade monuments also reveal the variations that can be found in the stone. A gem quality stone requires a rich deep green color, translucency and lack of fractures. On display at Jadehenge is a portion of a 20-ton boulder in which you can actually see a natural progression from serpentine – green material – to gem quality stone in the cross section.

The history of jade in the region is long. For centuries, local First Nations residents have been using tools for hunting and skinning salmon all carved from BC jade. From the late 1960’s and into the 70’s, Lillooet mined and exported more nephrite jade than any other place in the world. Green nephrite jade is also found in New Zealand and Russia while China is home to a white nephrite jade, which ranges in colour from reddish-brown to clear. Today, however, British Columbia is believed to have the largest deposits of nephrite on the planet.

The Jade Walk is the realization of the vision of prospector and hunting guide George Vanderwolf who has lived in Lillooet for over 63 years and who actually discovered the first jade mine in the region back in October 1964 while guiding American hunters in search of mountain sheep.

When the first jade rock was placed on display at the Visitor’s Centre in 2004, it looked pretty lonesome. So Vanderwolf and a band of community volunteers began adding more pieces and by 2010 there were 31 jade monuments situated throughout the town and at the cemetery all acquired from the various mines in BC. These can all be seen and enjoyed on the Jade Walk.

My mother’s beliefs notwithstanding, jade is beautiful stone and its significance both to Chinese culture and BC’s history cannot be understated. During your next visit to the Fraser Valley, take in the Jade Walk and learn all about BC’s official stone.

Tour maps are available at the Lillooet Museum and Visitor’s Centre and at KC Health & Gifts.

If you go: Lillooet Museum & Visitor Centre790 Main St., Lillooet BC

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The goal of EFWA is to collaborate with fashion designers, artists, the media, industry and government to raise awareness about environmentally conscious fashion. This weeklong event will showcase 44 local and international fashion designers and will include two unique curated shows plus performances by three talented local musicians.

Here are some of the designers I will be watching out for at EFWA.

Elle Evans – Australia

Elle Evans is all about sustainable swim, beach and activewear. Made from 100% recycled fabrics, her garments allow you to be fashionable without negatively impacting the environment. Her mission is to make you look good on the beach, by the pool or at the gym while minimizing your ecological footprint as much as possible.

Selçuki & Ali – Turkey

Selçuki & Ali transforms traditional fibers into unique and wholly- handcrafted fashion and lifestyle products through innovative production methods. Expect timeless, elegant pieces made from natural fibres from this dynamic duo.

John Ablaza – Philippines

John Ablaza is a Manila-based international eco fashion designer who is known for his use of sustainable local materials in his designs. His awe-inspiring collections have graced the runways of Hong Kong, Singapore, London, Bahrain, Sydney and Toronto.

UpCycling Challenge by Marilyn R Wilson, International

The EFWA Upcycling Challenge by Marilyn R. Wilson will feature the works of 21 fashion designers from 12 countries. The designers are challenged to create one runway look from used men’s dress shirts, showcasing their personal perspective on fashion. Though the sky’s the limit in terms of concept, they are required to incorporate at least one detail from the original garment rather than simply using the skirts as fabric.

Eco Fashion Week Australia

November 23 – 27, 2017

Perth, Australia

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