Chinese Archives - Page 16 of 16

House of the north, south of Sherbrooke and east of Guy – Restaurant Maison du Nord

by Jason June 16, 2010

written by Jason

***Been experiencing server problems, sorry for the inconvenience… and you would only know that I’m sorry if the page actually loads! I’ve been promised everything will be back to normal soon. ***

I met a buddy of mine for late eats after martial arts practice last wednesday night. We’ve been discussing going on a review for a while and he had my word that we’d go someday, and that night was the day. I had some options lined up and I let him pick. We decided to stay downtown and hit up a place that’s been making some noise for a while. This small undescript place was nestled right next to a deppaneur with its sign being covered by a hair salon’s; the place, Maison du Nord.

“Maison du Nord” referencing the cuisine this restaurant is based on; and by “nord” it means the North of China, not like our Tremblant nord. Being two dudes especially after martial arts practice, we were ready to chow down.

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We started off with a scallion pancake. It’s a lot thicker and dryer than I’m used to. As with a lot of “home-cooking”, it’ll be really rare to find two things that taste the same; thus explains the pizza crust like “pancake”. I appreciated this different version of a scallion pancake than what I’m used to.

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The filling was definitly different as well, it was more dry and doughy vs. oily and chewy to the others. As opposed to the onions being folded right into the dough, this version was more like an onion pocket – it also pleasantly contained black pepper in the filling as well.

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We next had the “Chinese spaghetti”. Which piqued my interest because I thought the Chinese and Italians drew the line at pasta and their respective takes on “sauce” was the deal breaker when Mr. Luigi said sauce should be made with tomatoes, and Mr. Wong said, corn starch… Coincidently the “spaghetti” aspect of this dish did not stop at the noodles, the sauce was indeed tomato based.

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Through the service window we were able to see the chef/owner pulling the noodles, something really respectable to pull your own noodles to order. It was oniony and garlicky with ground pork in the sauce. The noodles were perfectly chewy to the bite.

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Soup. That’s what a summer night needs… Hot, steamy, boiling bowl of soup. What possessed us to order this was its description in the menu, “Soup with various lamb organs.” Tell me, who can say no to that?! As sketchy as it may sound, the soup was incredibly flavorful and aromatic from the bamboo shoots and coriander. What “organs” this soup comprised of will be kept a secret until you order it. The fried bits in the picture are the sweetbreads, the heavy flavors of offal was boiled out and the soup was not overly gamey, just enough to know you were eating lamb.

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We also ordered dumplings. You have a choice of having them boiled, steamed or pan-fried. We initally wanted to order a different dumping, but the waitress suggested to order which dumpings they have fresh on hand; to which she came back to inform us that there was one order of pork and coriander left that was fresh – to which I assume “non-fresh” were frozen and not in the sense of smelling like a gym bag.

Family run business, which means it’s perfectly rough around the edges; large flat screen tv in the dining area which normally would probably be showing the CCCTV channel but this night it was playing a Chinese cartoon, probably to entertain the boss’ kids who were running aound.

Maison du Nord
2130 St-Mathieu
514.670.3188

June 16, 2010 2 comments

Dumplings aren’t “little dumps” – Qing Hau Dumpling

by Jason December 18, 2009

written by Jason

What’s round, warm, can be filled with almost anything and brings a smile to young and old alike? No, I meant besides me. Yes, that’s right boys and girls, DUMPLINGS. Chinese dumplings is more like it. I like to believe that I hold a degree in dumplingology, having eaten enough of these little pouches of sunshine to fully understand the complexity that is dumpling dynamics… a dumpling connoisseur.

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On a mission for hot steamy dumplings on a bitter -30 degree December afternoon, we found ourselves at Qing Hua Dumplings, a local dumpling joint for what else? DUMPLINGS. The menu consisted of over 30 different varieties of dumplings, from pork, beef, lamb, seafood and even a combination of various ingredients. With descriptions sounding so delicious, it was like asking a fat kid with his nose pressed up against the glass, to pick one thing at the bakery… or a dumpling shop.

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We started with what was called a potato “salad”. If it was anything, it was potato alright, but it was kind of lacking in the salad department. It was salad in the sense that it was “dressed”, and in this case, chili oil. It was crunchy to the bite and had a undertone of sweetness and vinegar which suggested to me that the potato was probably pickled – my assumptions are assumptions, as I did not get a chance to ask the one and only server who was busy shuffling between a full dining room. It was crisp and fresh.

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We ordered from the lunch special menu, which came with a soup and salad. The salad was a great mix of rice noodles, cabbage, pickled radish, carrots and eggs in a sesame dressing, incredibly refreshing.

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The soup was interesting. A Japanese miso soup with tofu and seaweed. Yeah, out of place, I know, but it’s ok, I didn’t expect much from it, no points lost, you don’t go to a Mexican joint for foie gras anyways, right?

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So after about 20 mins our first rung of steamed deliciousness arrived. This was pork, with eggs and leak. The leak provided a really pretty color and the eggs a really funky texture not often found in dumplings. All dumplings come in 15 piece orders, additional dumplings as well as mixing orders cost extra.

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It should be noted that the dumplings take on average 20 mins to arrive at your table as they are both WRAPPED and STEAMED to order. This means, the little magical dumpling fairies were busy at work, because 20 mins ago, your dumplings were still a ball of dough and a bowl of meat (apologies to any male chefs in the kitchen, I’m not calling you a fairy, I’m just saying).

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Staple dumpling condiments, soy sauce, malt vinegar and chili oil.

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The second order to arrive was lamb and coriander. Extremely fragrant and busting with soupy goodness. As with my track record of shoving freshing fried foods in my mouth, I learned the hard way not to bite down on a steaming hot dumpling as soup squirted half way across my face.

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Why are the dumplings are filled with soup? The trick is that congealed and gelatinous soup is mixed with the meat when the masterful hands stuff the dumpling. This way, then they’re steamed, the soup melts away and is retained within the wrapper. Also, all dumplings are served steamed or boiled as ordered.

With other great and interesting dumplings listed on the menu, Qing Hau is definitly a place worth visiting more than once… or twice if not more if you’ve got a jonsing for dumplings. This place has a really big following and don’t be surprised when the place is packed with seasoned veterans ordering up a storm. Cowboy up and don’t be intimidated, immanent dumplings await.

Qing Hua Juicy Dumplings
1676 Lincoln
438.288.5366

December 18, 2009 4 comments

Downtown Reviews

I’m a little hot pot.

by Jason May 16, 2009

written by Jason

The almighty “Mongolian Hot Pot”, or I like to call it’s literal Chinese translation, “Small Fat Sheep”.

This place isn’t one of those nondescript type places nestled away in a back alley in Chinatown that’s only accessible through a curtain down the hall from a mahjong parlor. But it’s the type of place that strengthens its street visibility with neon, either too late or too early festive Christmas lighting and perma-plaqued newspaper articles and reviews, quintessential signs that you’re about to eat at a Chinese restaurant.

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So Mongolian Hot Pot made its appearance in Montreal a few years ago and has been simmering ever since. So why is a sheep representative of “Mongolian” hot pot, as opposed to the various other visuals of livestock you’d want to be picturing as you’re eating? Because sheep is to Mongolia as Lady Gaga is to tampon string flashing crotch shots. I’m sorry to have said that, but I’m not sorry for implanting that image in your head… haha.

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So this is what happens, you order the type of soup you want, either a spicy, traditional herbal or non “hot air” (this concept covered here) inducing soup base and it’s set to simmer on top of this thing (induction burner) that looks more at home on the deck of the Starship Enterprise than it does in a Chinese joint. This is the Dr. Xavier eara Enterprise I’m talking about rather than the Studio 54 Enterprise where they were steering the ship with old fire alarm levers and Staples “easy” buttons.
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I opted for the “Refreshing soup” base. I should also mention that all soup bases are based on Chinese medicinal herbs (which include dried Longans – dragon eyes, dried dates, mushrooms, ginger, whole garlic cloves, szechuan peppercorns, scallions, to name a few), as well as other various fungi and tree bark that are unpronounceable due to the fact that in their names, the consonants out number the vowels that defy the U after Q rule, require hyphenation, and basically make you sound like you’re sucking the tip of a 9 volt battery.

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So once you order your soup, almost instantly, a plate of the restaurant’s namesake is placed on the table. Freshly sliced lamb and beef.

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Purely coincidental, but this place is all you can eat as well. I know I know, it seems like a running theme, but can you really blame me for pointing you in the direction of endless plates and bowls of gluttony? They boast a hot pot selection of over 70 items. A myriad of vegetables, seafood items which include various fish and shellfish cakes, tofus, at least 5 different kinds of noodles, as well as other unique hot pot accouterments you must try.

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Do yourself a favor and try that vegetable. The phonetic translation is “Tong Ho” and I don’t remember, but I think it’s listed as that on the name plaque in the fridge. It’s “Chrysanthemum Greens”. It has a unique peppery and spicy flavor. Also pictures of the various “balls” – both beef and seafood… Yeah yeah, save the jokes, it’s sad enough to picture fishies swimming around without balls.

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As with being “all you can eat”, Mongolian Hot Pot is also “all you can drink”, which includes a few Chinese juice options as well as your standard soda fountain. Let’s be honest, if you’re not already jaded by working in the restaurant service industry, wasn’t it one of your childhood dreams to work one of these machines? …Maybe it’s just me, but I can never get enough experimenting with glass to trigger angles to fully maximize the soda to foam quotient to optimize a full glass potential. Pulling your own beverages is a science kids, do it right or go home.

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Head over to the sauce station and fix you up a sauce. My favorite is hoisin, soy suace, “BBQ” sauce, sesame oil with some scallions and coriander.

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Be warned, this concept of “all you can eat” at Mongolian Hot Pot is all encompassing. From the spring roll appetizers, to desserts. They offer your standard no-love buffet pastries and cakes. But what is unique to this place is their fried Chinese buns and sesame balls. The fried buns are what’s best and is what people stand by the plate with tongs ready for their arrival. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, you drizzle condensed milk over the top… but you might find a liking to it and choose drowning the bun like some people and serve yourself up a bowl of condensed milk with a bun floating around somewhere. Kind of gross, but people do it.

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The aftermath. Be careful of how much you take, because there is a fee and charge for uneaten food of more than 200g. You can visit the fridges as many times as you want, so waste not what you put on your plate.

The overall experience is great. The service is par, you can’t really expect much when it’s practically self-service, but they do watch over your table pretty well and fill your pot up with soup when it’s running low. I should also mention that the medicinal herbs used in the soups will tackle your senses. It’s kind of like when you’re in a room and someone has really foul, sour smelling body odor, and you’re not sure if it really is B.O. but something tells you it is. Its objective isn’t to slap you in the face but it’s to stick around for the long run and remind you all of its presence – like these herbs. Not to say that they smell like a truck driver who has no air conditioning driving through Arizona, but the smell is very pungent and will stick to you like a fly in molasses. You will come out of there smelling like what you just ate… but it’s so worth it, it’s like smelling a band-aid… it’s gross but you know you do it anyways.

Mongolian Hot pot
50 De La Gauchetière
514.393.0888

May 16, 2009 0 comments