Dining Out in the House

Earlier this year I'd heard from a friend or two that Brandon had a decently authentic Chinese restaurant.  Curious, late in the winter I tried a couple of noodle dishes for take-out and found them acceptable.  I kept this place at the back of my hand, and it came handy when my parents arrived in town.  Unable to make them dinner after work, I suggested that we go to Wei Na's House for dinner.  Located in the downtown area, it was previously known as Wei Na Restaurant before it became under new ownership.

Eggplant in Yuxiang Sauce

My parents were keen on having some stir-fried vegetables as they felt they hadn't enough vegetables during their westward road trip and wanted them simply stir-fried with garlic.  Though listed on the menu, the restaurant was out of vegetables that could've been used for this dish.  We did order Eggplant in Yuxiang Sauce, which is a heavier dish mainly due to the amount of grease used to cook the eggplant strips until they were tender.  The flavouring is faithful, and for some reason it's such a delight to have the spiciness and sourness of the sauce mingle in this dish.

Seafood Hot Plate with Satay Sauce

Next came the Seafood Hot Plate with Satay Sauce.  I remember how when my sister and I were kids we would be fascinated by the hot plate dishes, as the servers would usually add the meat and sauce on the raw vegetables on the hot plate, resulting in the signature sizzle and the sudden rise of steam and smoke.

Golden Sand Shrimp

Lastly was a dish specifically mentioned by an acquaintance and something I'd yet to try, Golden Sand Shrimp.  My parents apparently had this beforehand elsewhere for they mentioned how greasy this version was compared to the ones they've had.  Regardless, the unique feature of this dish is the batter in that salted (duck) egg yolk is used as a base for the batter.  This results in a grittier texture than what would be expected of a regular (poultry) yolk, and likely hence the dish's name "Golden Sand".  Greasiness aside, this was a neat little dish to try.

Overall I'm glad to see Wei Na's House serving more authentic Chinese dishes than one would have expected even only a few years ago in a city as small as Brandon, likely a testament to both the growth of the city as well as the growth of the local Chinese community.  I wouldn't mind going back there with some friends if only to try other dishes on the menu. 


Name: Wei Na's House
Address: 406 10th St., Brandon, MB
Cuisine: Chinese
Price Range: Dinner ~$10-$15/person
Accessible: No