72A De La Gauchetiere O.
Montreal, Quebec
Metro: Place d’Armes
Bus: STM 55, 80, 129, 150, 410, 427, 430, 435, 747
Visit: October 26, 2012
A lot of people would agree, Montreal is one of the place’s with the greatest wealth of Chinese restaurants in North America. However, one of the other things that we would also agree with is the fact that despite an abundance of those places, there aren’t very many that truly satisfy their customers. It’s no wonder that when a new place opens up in the midst of Chinatown, it gets the attention of many. Today’s place in question is Ethan, right in the middle of the pedestrian walkway known as De La Gauchetiere.
2774 Salaberry
Galeries Normandie
Montreal, Quebec
Bus: STM 164, 180
Train: Du Ruisseau
Visit: June 15, 2011
Being only half-Chinese, I do have some stock when it comes to Chinese food. One of my colleagues asked me to come with them to this restaurant, so I obliged, only because the meal was going to be paid for. I found the service to be quite cold. There were 2 servers who were more concerned about the rush than anything else. I also really despise eating in an open mall setting like this.
Won Ton Soup
Tried: June 15, 2011
This is the same won ton soup you can get at any Tiki Ming in Montreal. This is not the best Won Ton soup you’ll ever get either. What this dish looks like is exactly 6 won ton pieces in water, with some onions as decoration. The pieces had no taste and I regretted doing this to myself. So, no change in the best won ton in Montreal choice here.
Shrimp Noodles
Tried: June 15, 2011
This dish contains a cornucopia of various ingredients, mainly featuring shrimp. First of all, I was surprised by the amount of food on this dish. I was doubting whether or not I could finish it. Even though I did finish, I wasn’t blown away or anything. The shrimp weren’t really of high quality. The taste was fine, but nothing spectacular.
Rice w/Shrimp, Chicken and Cashews
92 De La Gauchetiere
Montreal, Quebec
Metro: Place D’Armes
Bus: STM 14, 55, 129, 150, 410, 427, 430, 435, 747
Visit: April 22, 2011
http://www.restaurantbeijing.net/
This restaurant was recently voted the best Chinese restaurant in Montreal by the readers of the Montreal Mirror. Being half-Chinese myself, I think I’m somewhat qualified to pass judgement on the food of my half ancestry. For one, the restaurant wasn’t that full, but there were the token Chinese families there. The trick is, when you see Chinese people at a Chinese restaurant, the food must be worth it. The waiter serving us looked extremely tired. You should know that waiters in Chinatown work extremely long shifts and it’s a thankless job.
Won Ton Soup
Tried: April 22, 2011
I’m always on the look out for Won Ton Soup. I’ve tried other places that never lived up to my golden standard. This contender also didn’t live up to my expectations. The pieces themselves were a little tough to eat. In my opinion, a good Won Ton piece should be soft and should go down easy. This one didn’t go down easy.
Cantonese Chow Mein
Tried: April 22, 2011
Much like the Won Ton Soup, my standards for Chow Mein are high. Though this tasted fine, the portions looked really small. The noodles were all stuck together with no mix between crispy and soft. The big thing I noticed was that the shrimp were undercooked and ones that resembled food court standards.
Beef Rice Noodles
Tried: April 22, 2011
The competition for Beef Rice Noodles in Montreal is wide open. I had pretty good ones in many different places and this one became a major player in the race. The noodle lengths are just right. The bites are light and the mix of ingredients fit really well.
Fortune Cookie
What’s a Chinese restaurant without a fortune cookie?
1018 Saint-Urbain
Montreal, Quebec
Visit: April 1, 2011
Metro: Place D’Armes
Bus: STM 14, 55, 129, 150, 410, 427, 430, 435, 747
http://www.restonoodlefactory.com/
This restaurant was recently voted #4 in the Mirror’s Best of Montreal poll of best noodles. We visited this location prior to that ruling out of sheer curiosity. The first thing you’ll notice was that this place is extremely small. The need for turnover is extremely high. Once a table leaves, another one needs to be filled. The big even that took us off guard was when the waiter came to clear our table. He took what was left on the dish and deposited it into our plates, saying, “no left overs, no waste now.” In my opinion, that’s a big NO-NO.
Chinese Vinegar
This was on the table. This is meant to be used with dumplings. This smells awful. This was so awful, I contemplated taking some with me for use on unruly students in class.
Siu Mai
Tried: April 8, 2011
Siu Mai is a type of dumpling that can contain many different ingredients, most notably shrimp. This was by far, of the three dishes ordered, the one that delivered for me. Whenever I go to a Chinese buffet or to a Dim Sum place, this is high on my list of things to get. Whether you add soya sauce or not, the taste is always great.
Beef Stir Fried Handmade Noodles
Tried: April 8, 2011
These are supposedly handmade noodles, but I doubt that. These noodles were too soft for me. They tasted okay, but nothing too memorable. This made me miss my crispy chow mein noodles.
Steamed Pork Chinese Dumplings
Tried: April 8, 2011
This looks good on paper, but it didn’t do the trick for me. The dumpling casing taste a little weird for my taste. I come to find out that this is the norm when getting dumplings. A word of advice, let them cool down before consuming. This was, however, one of the most ordered dishes when I was there. If you do order this, it does take a very long time to come to your table.
Mr. Lew revisited this restaurant in March of 2012, to see that post, click HERE.
1102 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Montreal, Quebec
Bus: STM 55, 80, 129, 150, 410, 427, 430, 435, 747
Metro: Place D’Armes
Visit: Ongoing
What does a half-Chinese person know about Chinese food? I guess no one will ever truly know. It seems like everyone has their opinions when it comes to Chinese food. This establishment is one of two in Chinatown that has been part of my family for the last 40 years. This particular one has been a regular stop during the week for the last 2 years. We have seen waiters come and go. We’ve been through new chefs. We know this place well. Just remember, if you see Chinese people eating in a Chinese restaurant, it must be somewhat decent. I’ve seen my share of Chinese people here.
Won Ton Soup - 12 pieces, no noodles
Tried: August 7, 2009
Dumplings with shrimp surrounded by vegetables.
This is my regular won ton regimen for the week. I will say, without a shadow of a doubt, that this is the best Won Ton I’ve ever had in my entire life. If anyone has a challenger, I am willing to try.
Beef Rice Noodles
Tried: August 7, 2009
This dish contains rice noodles, chop suey, onions, and beef.
If done right, this dish tastes pretty good. This is the second of my regular dishes at this establishment. The noodles themselves are a little more tough than your normal noodle. A good bite require you to take in all the ingredients together. Normally, I can take down an entire serving by myself. These days, that isn’t too easy. I do not suggest rewarming this dish as the noodles can get a little too hard to chew.
Beef Chow Mein Noodles
Tried: August 7, 2009
This dish contains mixed Chinese vegetables, beef, and crispy noodles.
This dish is one that my family takes on a lot. Again, when done properly, this tastes really great. To me, I’ve had this so many times that I’ve become numb to this dish. If the noodles are too crispy, it becomes really annoying. But when the noodles are too soggy, it isn’t too enjoyable either. You need a mix between the two to get this dish at its most effective.
Chicken Fried Rice
Tried: August 7, 2009
This dish contains chicken, rice, and onions.
A chicken fried rice can contain nearly anything. This is a staple of Canadian Chinese take-out. At first, I didn’t like this version because I was more accustomed to the take-out version. But, after trying it a few times, I was getting used to what was here. This is probably one of the best dishes to take back home and warm up later.
Won Ton Soup w/Noodles
Tried: March 12, 2011
This is the won ton soup portion with noodles shared by many. Much like my opinions about the won ton, the noodles aren’t bad. For one of the rare occasions, I drank the soup, which didn’t do anything for me. Still, the best won ton in Montreal.
Cantonese Noodles
Tried: March 12, 2011
I’ve had this dish so many times that I am no numb to this. For this occasion, I didn’t even get around to touching this. For those of you who like crispy noodles, this is the dish for you. Unfortunately, consistency is always an issue. There needs to be mix between crispy and soggy, no extremes. Still, on a good day, this tastes good.
Tofu w/Mixed Vegetables
Tried: March 12, 2011
This is a vegetarian option. At one time, I didn’t care too much for tofu. But these days, I tend to not mind it at all. This dish, in combination with the vegetables, is fine.
Honey Garlic Spareribs
Tried: March 12, 2011
I cannot tell the difference between honey garlic and sweet & sour. These are satisfactory, but you can probably get just as good from take-out.
Shrimp w/Lobster Sauce
Tried: March 12, 2011
The secret of this dish is not so much the shrimp. There are hardly any, but that doesn’t matter. It’s what you do with the lobster sauce that counts. Whether you mix it in with white rice or have the drenched piece of lettuce, you can’t go wrong.
Orange Beef
Tried: March 12, 2011
This was the popular dish of the evening having been ordered twice. This was supposed to be spicy, but I never seem to get what Chinese spicy is supposed to be. The taste of this dish was fine, as I have never had non-buffet orange beef before.
General Tao Chicken
Tried: March 12, 2011
Having had General Tao chicken like everyone on this planet, I didn’t find this to be the best ever, but a very tolerable version.
Crispy Chicken
Tried: March 12, 2011
This dish always tends to work for me. The chicken is never really cooked wrong when I see this dish. The half portion is suitable for people who are trying a bit of everything.
Curry Noodles
Tried: March 25, 2011
Much like your normal Cantonese chow mein, this noodles dish had all the elements, except for the inclusion of one additional guest, curry. I’ll be honest, I’m not a big fan of curry, and this dish didn’t help that. Though spicy, I never really got into the taste of this dish whatsoever, but that’s just a personal taste.
