Among the first thoughts of spring are the foods that come along with it - asparagus, fiddleheads, and...er, goose - yes, roast goose! While Chinese BBQ roast duck is very common now in North American cities, roast goose is still hit and miss. We have a favourite eatery where we regularly visit in the spring and fall for this delicious dish, one up from the ubiquitous roast duck. I love it for its slightly gamey flavour and the thicker, firmer flesh. That first bite into the inch thick breast meat is a sensation that can't be put into words. This is no fancy eatery. Just a stall in the food court in Markham Place in Markham, north of Toronto. Goose is not readily available in the average Chinese restaurant without pre-ordering.
Here is an interesting set up. There are two BBQ takeout stalls side by side in the food court. Long lineup at one place, no lineup at the other. Instinct is to go to the one with the long lineup. But the first time we were there, we were attracted by the red sign that said in Chinese "Just in, fresh roast goose" and decided to take our chances with the stall with no lineups (not advisable generally). We were pleasantly surprised; in fact, we have become regulars at Van's, especially during goose season, which starts in the spring around May, goes on for a couple of months until the young goose supply is gone. The goose is plumper in the fall with even thicker flesh. The season finishes around early November. I have no clue how this jives with the breeding season of the bird but derived this just based on experience with disappointment when we would brave the weather to go up to Hwy 7 thinking of the roast goose only to be told by Van "that's it for the season".
We were up there looking for goose a few weeks ago and was told by Van to come back first week in May. Today, we had our first bite of goose in 6 months. It was worth the wait.
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| Van's BBQ Markham Place |
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| Van proudly showing off the goose |
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| Mmmm... |
Now it would be interesting to hear comments from readers about their experience with roast goose in other parts of the world, China, Europe, etc.
