Eating chinese in Montreal

[alexthecook]

Found 'em!

They were at the bakery that's integrated with the big buffet place in Chinatown, on de la Gauchetière between St-Urbain and St-Laurent.

I believe there are three kinds: one that's more square, one that's sort of lacy and a round one which may or may not be stuffed. I had the square ones and they're perfect... just steam 5 minutes and they're ready!

Chow's bakery didn't have them.

Trying out the momofuku recipe today... I'll let you know how it turns out!

[Culatello]

Cool i though they had them there . but to get the pork belly right you gotta do them sous-vide or slow cooked on a crock pot at 58 degrees celsius.

[alexthecook]

Yeah, I tried out the recipe. Pretty good, but it's nowhere near the nirvana I experienced at Momofuku. Plus the pork belly itself fell apart too easily, couldn't make many decent slices... I might do it again, but I'd have to learn how to refine it..

[Culatello]

Practice makes perfect , you'll get it.

[fedelst]

Plain Steamed Buns

1 package active dried yeast

1 cup warm water

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbs veg oil

1 tsp salt.

~3 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour

Disolve Yeast in Water; blend in sugar, oil, and salt. Let stand in a warm place until bubbly (about 15 minutes). Add 3 1/4 cups of the flour and mix until dough holds together. Place on a lightly floured board; knead until smooth and elastic (8 - 10 minutes). Place ina greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1 1/4 hours).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 1 minute. Shape dough in to 12 round buns and place on a 3" piece of foil. Let rise 30 minutes; steam for 12 t o15 minutes.

It is as simple as that... Very important!!! Make damn sure your yeast is fresh, or you will have some very disappointing buns. Ce n'est pas beautiful ca?

Edited December 17, 2007 by fedelst (log)

[rezcook]

I just fumbled over this thread and was surprised to find the start date in 2003...

Anyways, it got me thinking (steamed buns aside). Chinese favorites can be so subjective and personal. Speak to a friend and they'll say something like "XXXXXXXX has the BEST chow mein cantonese", meanwhile, I'm cringing, 'cause I HAD XXXXXXXX's cantonese chow mein and, well, it was pretty bland.

Meanwhile, I bring him to YYYYYYYYY and casually order the plate. Of course, to me, its simply the best in the city, hands down. The friend, though, says "its OK"...WTF?

Is it just me? Or is chinese super subjective?

And just one more thing. Does anyone recall a vietnamese restaurant, tiny, family run, that closed shop. I'm not sure of its exact location (its only been about 20 years), but I think it was on Victoria just north of Vanhorne, just around the corner from the small mall. They had a million hanging plants in the place, all in various stages of health. One thing is for sure, they had a killer whole fish with chili peppers....OK, if you don't recall this place, can you recommend a family run joint (nothing fancy) offering a similar dish?

Just asking.

[fedelst]

Chez Mai, later moved to Cote De Neige across from the Cote de Neige mall. It was run by Mai and her husband Dick, who later divorced. Mai ran the place for a few years following but the quality of the food declined, and in an attempt to revive her dwindling clientèle she nailed the coffin shut by adding Karaoke and she ultimately closed... Might this be the place you were thinking about??

The food was some of the better Vietnamese in the city in its day.

I just fumbled over this thread and was surprised to find the start date in 2003...

Anyways, it got me thinking (steamed buns aside). Chinese favorites can be so subjective and personal. Speak to a friend and they'll say something like "XXXXXXXX has the BEST chow mein cantonese", meanwhile, I'm cringing, 'cause I HAD XXXXXXXX's cantonese chow mein and, well, it was pretty bland.

Meanwhile, I bring him to YYYYYYYYY and casually order the plate. Of course, to me, its simply the best in the city, hands down. The friend, though, says "its OK"...WTF?

Is it just me? Or is chinese super subjective?

And just one more thing. Does anyone recall a vietnamese restaurant, tiny, family run, that closed shop. I'm not sure of its exact location (its only been about 20 years), but I think it was on Victoria just north of Vanhorne, just around the corner from the small mall. They had a million hanging plants in the place, all in various stages of health. One thing is for sure, they had a killer whole fish with chili peppers....OK, if you don't recall this place, can you recommend a family run joint (nothing fancy) offering a similar dish?

Just asking.

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[rezcook]

Now that you mention it, I seem to recall that they did move, although my poor memory tells me it was to a fancier place on Parc (maybe it was indeed Cote de Neiges). When we tried them after the move, we were definitley disappointed never to return...

Any suggestions of similar present day joints - maybe regional Vietnamese, something different than the standard pho, grilled meats, etc (which can be all be excellent, just looking for more)?

[fedelst]

The original joint was pretty much bare white walls and good food. The place on CDN had more elaborate decor, with a brown carpet and tan walls. They were trying to make the place a grade above the usual hole in the wall.

We have been going to the place on Victoria near Edouard Monpetit. I forget the name, but you can not miss it. It is on Victoria on a south East corner with a big green sign. The Vietnamese pancake with shrimp and beansprouts is laced with coconut, and really good. I also order the platters of grilled rolled meat accompanied with the rice paper wrappers and mass of bean sprouts and veggies. My wife usually orders the sand pot filled chicken and bamboo shoots on rice.

Not your usual pho joint, but the food is good.