Spring Goose - Epilogue

Undeniably, spring is here and immediate thoughts of spring goose came to mind.  It was a year ago that I wrote my first post on this blog with the title "Spring Goose".  That post had 137 page views, one of the more popular posts on this blog.  Is that an indication of the popularity of goose?  Hard to tell but it is certainly still one of my favourites, from way back in my youth when I would forgo sitting for hours with adults at a banquet to have a quiet evening at home in front of the TV.  My mom would give me money to go down the street to the local BBQ place for a BBQ goose leg for dinner - still one of my fondest childhood memories.

So it was with great anticipation that I planned today's shopping trip so we would end up at First Markham Place for lunch at Van's for roast goose.  To my utter disappointment, this was what greeted us when we got there - 

It was a bit of a shock but thinking back, we are not really surprised.  There is another BBQ place two stalls down and that place always has a lineup - because it's just marginally cheaper , has more variety and has a less picky owner.  Van was very good to us but he was also temperamental and had a bit of an ego - not your most customer friendly guy, if you didn't know him.  Far be it for me to judge what works and what doesn't for a business, but in my hierarchy of needs at 12:30 pm today, my greatest was for roast goose, failing that, I would take roast duck for a substitute.  So we joined the lineup at Van's competitor, with a mild (but easily overcome) sense of betrayal.

Our verdict - meat was tender and lean but skin was not crispy like Van's.  The redeeming grace was the al dente noodles - definitely one up on Van's.  So much for customer loyalty - well, we didn't have a choice in this case.  Here's to spring and a new start!

Spring Goose

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.

Van's BBQ Markham Place

Van proudly showing off the goose

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.