A Richmond plaza unit that used to be a Chinese health centre is about to start cooking pork trotters and spicy duck.
Lao Lao has put up signs at Union Square Shopping Centre in Richmond, taking over the unit that previously housed a Chinese health centre right next to Pot o Yogurt.
The sign pitches the concept clearly.
Authentic Sichuan Braised Food up top, with the Chinese name 现捞捞 next to the English brand.
But this is not a brand new brand.
According to their Red Note (Xiaohongshu) account, Lao Lao has actually been running as a Sichuan-style private kitchen and through Fantuan delivery for the last couple of years, going back to around 2022.
The Union Square shop is their first physical storefront in Richmond.
The window posters do most of the menu storytelling for now.
Three braised categories are featured: 热卤现捞 fresh braised food pulled to order, 招牌炸卤 signature fried-braised pork, and 热拌辣卤 a hot-tossed spicy braised plate.
Their Red Note posts go a bit further on what to actually order.
The signature spicy braised lineup leans heavily on duck.
Crispy fried duck wings, duck feet with tendons, and braised duck head all get the spotlight, alongside chicken feet that the team describes as the kind you slurp down with a cold beer until the bones are clean.
The braise itself is built with more than ten different spices, dialing in the numbing-spicy-fragrant profile the signage promises.
They tout these items as the perfect companion with a nice cold beer or a late night snack.
There is also a separate poster for the signature pork trotter soup.
For anyone unfamiliar, Sichuan braised food falls under what is broadly called lu wei, a Chinese cooking style built around a long-simmered spiced master brine.
Meats, tofu, eggs, offal, and vegetables get cooked in the brine, then sliced and served cold or warm.
Pork trotter soup is the other half of the pitch.
It is a slow-simmered, collagen-rich broth built around stewed pig trotters, prized in Chinese home cooking for its richness.
And just this year, they’ve begun offering lunch boxes.
Per Lao Lao’s Red Note posts, the Union Square shop is expected to be ready in July or August 2026.
We will keep you posted once a firm opening date is confirmed.
Lao Lao joins other upcoming food spots in Richmond like CK Tea C, Spice and Sea, and Meeting in Chang’an.
For more new and upcoming food spots in Metro Vancouver, take a peek at our tracker here, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
Address: 8368 Capstan Way, Richmond, BC