What comes to mind when I say Chinese buffet? Large tables of people hunched over plates of questionable food stuffing themselves silly for a fixed price? Maybe hot tables haphazardly filled with questionable “edible” food? Or dried out dishes sitting under heat lamps long enough to require a SPF sauce? Now, what If I told you there’s a new place that’s trying to dispel these misconceptions by updating the way you think of Chinese buffets? I had the opportunity to check out the newest Chinese restaurant hot spot in Laval; Cuisine Kung fu Légende. Cuisine Kung fu Légende is new concept Chinese buffet restaurant. “What’s wrong with the old concept?” You ask. Nothing! They are just updating and reinventing everything you know about Chinese buffet food!
Laval
I often get asked for Thai recommendations. Like an old man, I start my answers with, “Picture it, Montreal 2012… a quaint little mom and pop Thai eatery located in Little Italy. Unassuming and under the radar serving the best Pad Thai west of the Mekong…” This place closed a while ago and will forever be my golden standard by which all Thai food is compared to. They were old fashioned, unpretentious and served delicious homemade food. Since then, there have been many restaurants serving delicious Thai food. Fun places run by younger generations trying to make this cuisine cool. With spots like Thammada, Pamika, Mae Sri, and Thai Sep it’s easy to see why Thai food has become so popular.
I rarely write about restaurants off-island. But I happened to be in Laval-West and remembered someone telling me about a family run Thai/Cambodian restaurant that I should check out. Who am I to overlook a place serving spicy Southeast Asian food on one of the year’s coldest? I stopped by Lotus d’Asie to get my fix.
Once upon a time I vowed to “not leave one hot pot lid unturned, snail shell unhollowed, or souvlaki foil emptied” and a bunch of other inspiring and ambitious proclamations. And I’ve kept my promise, from the west island, to the east end, Montreal north, to the southwest I’m discovering it all. I don’t often venture outside Montreal – or at least document my findings on here – after all I’ve made the clear distinction to bring froth the best of our city. However, when I get word of places in the “Greater Montreal Area” aka off-island, AKA, Laval, or South shore, I can’t ignore the possibility of a worthwhile blip on the radar. That why this week I’m going to tell you about the one of the hottest brunch destinations that just happens to be in Laval at a place called Manti.