Celebrating Chinese-Canadians in Sports

Table tennis anyone? That's the question!

Last weekend we checked out the latest exhibition at the Chinese Canadian Museum in Chinatown that is coincidentally sort of tied to the World Cup in Vancouver.

Entitled Momentum: Power and Identity in Sports, the exhibition showcases Chinese-Canadian athletic talent in all kinds of disciplines, like ice hockey and basketball, Canadian football, figure skating, snowboarding and swimming.

Many cool items on display at the exhibition

It's a fantastic way to celebrate these people who have excelled in their sport at the highest level. There's Patrick Chan, who has medalled three times in the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics, Lori Fung, who won the first gold in rhythmic gymnastics in 1984, and Norman Kwong the first person of Chinese heritage who played football for the Calgary Stampeders and the Edmonton Eskimos, and was even the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta.

On display are Chan's ice skates and one of his medals from Sochi that looks banged-up, Fung's gymnastic suit and ribbons, and a giant pair of sneakers that Zach Edey wore while playing for the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA! Edey's mother is the daughter of Chinese immigrants in Toronto.

There's also some other Asian artists whose work are in the show. Visitors are first greeted by an indoor tennis table that has the words "Tomorrow Is The Question" in caps by Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija. I've seen his work over the years, with other tennis tables written with "Demain Est La Question".

Tiravanija's thought-provoking message

But most interesting are Tiravanija's works where he takes newspapers from a specific city and writes thought-provoking messages. 

The first and most memorable one I saw at Art Basel Hong Kong one year featured the message, "Freedom Cannot Be Simulated" written on the pages of the South China Morning Post newspaper.

There's also a funny animation called "Furry Ball" about what happens to a golf ball by Hong Kong artist Wong Ping, and photographs of young female field hockey players by Canadian-Malaysian artist Felicia Chang.

Momentum: Power and Identity in Sports is on until July 19, 2026.

Chinese Canadian Museum

51 East Pender Street

Vancouver

 

Making Citrus Almond Cookies

Bright, lemony almond cookies that are easy to make

My visiting relatives have taught me how to make a few delicious things in the kitchen, mostly sweets!

The first one was quite easy, citrus almond cookies that are bright in flavour and look pretty with icing sugar sprinkled on top.

Dough sprinkled with icing sugar

The ingredients include grated lemon rind, sugar, olive oil, almond flour, eggs and flour that are mixed together.

A pro tip is to get a melon baller to portion out the dough as equally as possible, but also to shape them as round as possible.

Before they are put in the oven, icing sugar is sprinkled on top.

After baking for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, they are done! The end result are a firm exterior and soft interior with a lemony taste.

Ingredients:

Grated rind of 1 lemon or 1 orange

1 cup caster sugar

1/3 cup olive oil

2 lightly whisked eggs

2 tablespoons lemon juice/orange juice

2 cups almond meal

1 cup plain flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

 

Mon Lapin, One of Canada's Top Restaurants

Mon Lapin gives off relaxed, stylish vibes

Our last stop in Montreal was at Mon Lapin, one of the top restaurants in Canada. It's actually a wine bar that happens to serve fantastic food in a laid-back setting in Montreal's Little Italy. Some friends from Vancouver and Hong Kong recommended I go here so this was one of the first places I made a reservation after I booked my plane tickets.

Miramachi striped bass with brown butter sauce

So there was a lot of anticipation coming here and for the most part, it did not disappoint. Walking in, it feels like entering a casual brasserie, with granite tabletops, dark wooden chairs, and a giant antique silver punch bowl decorated with grapes to hold several bottles of chilled wine (in ice).

Our server, who wore shorts, was very surprised to discover we had made a long trek to Mon Lapin and gave us a warm welcome and explained the menu to us (as it was in French). 

We were mightily impressed by the first dish that came out, thinly sliced miramachi striped bass with half moon slices of turnip with a delicious dressing of brown butter sauce.

This was followed up with a refreshing summerly plate of BBQ cucumbers with plump shrimp. We absolutely loved the scallop sandwiches, thin slices of toasted bread and in between was scallop mousse playing on crunchy and smooth textures.

Whole Quebec lobster with salad and potatoes

Three of us just managed to polish off a whole Quebec lobster, the juicy, tender meat cooked perfectly, and was accompanied with buckwheat and rhubarb, along with a small salad and "crackers" made from thinly sliced potato slices that were deep fried.

We sampled two other mains, decadent roast duck with spinach and shiitake, and a hearty pork steak topped with fresh arugula and a sherry sauce. 

Our pre-dessert was to try two local cheeses, and then we ordered what we saw everyone else was having, buckwheat cake with honey and cheese. It was served on a cake platter and we felt like we were celebrating a successful Montreal trip where we got to try some delicious food!

Lovely crispy scallop sandwiches

Mon Lapin

150 Rue Saint-Zotique E

Little Italy, Montreal

514 379 4550

 

Picture of the Day: Hello Dog

A dog carrying a blue, white and red bag

While walking around downtown Montreal, I saw this statue of a dog carrying a blue, white and red-checkered bag which immediately reminded me of the durable nylon canvas bags in Hong Kong!

I have no idea why the dog has a bandage under his left eye, why he is carrying this bag, or what he is doing!

But I have found out the canine is a creation of Montreal-based illustrator Felipe Arriagada-Nunez, who is also known as @chien.champion on Instagram. 

Arriagada-Nunez explains on his Instagram that a series of sculptures called Bonjour Chien, or "Hello Dog" has a narrative about movement, culture, sport and memories, creating a sense of belonging, and building an idea of home.

While the artist, the son of Chilean immigrants, doesn't explain much about the scarf-wearing dog and its blue, white and red checkered bag, I'd like to think it is related to moving, carrying one's possessions around and establishing himself somewhere new. 

It's not easy to pick up and move; sometimes it is out of necessity, on a whim, inspiration or opportunity. Each move takes courage, and in turn helps us grow and learn more about ourselves. 

A Tale of Two Montreal Bagel Bakeries

Salmon spread, BLT and traditional bagels at St-Viateur

Following our consumption of smoked meat, next on our list was Montreal-style bagels, which were brought to the city by Jewish immigrants from Poland and other Eastern European countries. 

Montreal-style bagels differ from New York ones, which are considered better for sandwiches because they have smaller holes and are chewier and saltier. On the other hand, Montreal bagels are crunchier, not as dense and thick.

The traditional bagel was a winner at St-Viateur

St. Viateur and Fairmount are the two oldest bagel establishments in Montreal, and we decided to try both of them for our breakfast. 

Since the TV series Heated Rivalry came out in December and mostly set in Montreal, writer and director Jacob Tierney features many of his favourite places, and bagel shop St-Viateur is one of them. The character Rose Landry played by actress Sophie Nelisse wears the shop's T-shirt in the show, and actor Francois Arnaud who is Scott Hunter in the show likes the bagels at both St-Viateur and Fairmount.

In interviews he has said New York bagels aren't bagels, just bagel-shaped bread. Ha!

We first went to St-Viateur and it was not quite busy yet, which gave us time to carefully peruse the menu and make our choices. We settled on traditional on a sesame bagel, which has smoked salmon, cream cheese, tomato, onion, capers and a lemon wedge.

The shop also has bagel-themed merchandise

Another was the BLT, or bacon, lettuce and tomato on a wholewheat bagel with a pesto or mayonnaise spread. We asked which one was better and the staff suggested both which is what we did! The last one we sampled was an all dressed bagel with salmon spread. 

The traditional hit all the right notes, the sesame bagel had a slightly crunchy exterior, soft inside, accompanied with thick slices of smoked salmon that were complemented with cream cheese, and the richness cut by the onion and capers.

Meanwhile I didn't try the BLT but heard it was very good too, but the salmon spread was the weakest of the three. It didn't look very appetising with this bright orange gloopy sauce, when I had been expecting a thicker consistency. On top of it, the spread had a fishy taste.

Then we digested our food by walking to the Fairmount shop, which was opened by Russian immigrant Isadore Shlafman in 1919. His shop was first called Montreal Bagel Bakery, and in 1949 moved it to Fairmount Street, and later adopted the Fairmount name.

Fairmount is one of the oldest bagel shops

Shlafman's grandchildren continue to run the business, the bagels still rolled by hand and baked in wood-burning ovens.

We really liked the smoked meat in between the onion bagel, making smoked meat such a versatile protein! It's good with any kind of carbs! 

When comparing the smoked salmon bagel, St-Viateur tasted better than the one at Fairmount, though we still liked the all-dressed bagel at Fairmount. We also liked the blueberry bagel with a simple (or lavish) spread of butter that melted on the toasted slices.

During our visit at Fairmount, I saw some people come in just to get a bagel sandwich for work, and it was packaged in a simple square box that was easy to carry around. 

Smoked meat in an onion bagel at Fairmount

It made me wish I could have bagel sandwiches more often!

Smoked Meat Heaven at Schwartz's

Here's the storefront of where to dine-in!

Since we aborted our day trip to Quebec City earlier than we expected, we decided some delicious compensation was in order. We came back to Montreal, parked our car and then took the metro to Schwartz's Deli.

We got there just after 5pm and while there were other tourists milling around, we discovered there were two storefronts, one for takeout only, and the other to dine in. We went into the latter, and one of the servers instructed us to find our own seats and lo and behold -- three seats right at the counter.

The interior has hardly changed in decades

The place still has its old diner vibes. On one side are framed pictures and old newspaper articles. There are pictures of Celine Dion and it jokingly says she's in the back. It turns out she and her husband Rene Angelil have shares in the current ownership.

The paper placemat says diners are in the company of such celebrities as Jean Chretien, Burt Lancaster, Nana Mouskouri, Ken Dryden, Jerry Lewis and Guy Lafleur...

Behind the counter are back-lit signs of the menu, refrigerators holding drinks, and lots of seasonings for sale in case you were interested in attempting to make smoked meat at home.

While the staff overall are nice, they are a bit rough around the edges, seeing so many tourists come through their doors everyday. It must be so tiring having to say takeaway is next door, or next door is dine-in... the signage in front is not clear. 

A smoked meat sandwich with coleslaw

Nevertheless, we had the enviable task of figuring out what to order. The smoked meat sandwich of course. What about Schwartz's poutine? We had to try poutine anyway. For vegetables we decided on coleslaw and a dill pickle.

Minutes after we ordered, our plates of food arrived soon after. First was the plate of coleslaw and a big fat dill pickle. The coleslaw is made from shaved cabbage, a few specks of carrot, seasoned with vinegar for a tangy taste, but not sour at all. 

Not long after the smoked meat sandwich arrived (medium fat), on rye bread with yellow mustard. The smoked meat was finely shaved, piled high and still hot. Our first bite into it was heavenly, the sandwich focused on the smoked meat that had been cured for at least 10 days and had a rounded peppery flavour that wasn't too spicy, more seasoned. Absolutely delicious. And the coleslaw cut through the fattiness of the sandwich.

Poutine topped with bits of smoked meat

The Schwartz poutine was a huge portion of French fries, melted cheese curds, gravy and topped with shavings of smoked meat. Wow this was quite the meal in itself, but very good to share. The cheese curds were stringy rather than squeaky, but the combination was fantastic. Who knew poutine needed shaved smoked meat on top?

As we ate, we watched one of the staff open a giant steel container in front of us and stab a giant piece of smoked meat and lift it out, then closed the lid. Then he added more water to continue to steam the rest of the meat inside.  

We pretty much polished everything in under an hour and walked out around $75 lighter, but also very happily sated from visiting this institution that's been around since 1928. Obviously they're doing something right to last 98 years!

Schwartz's Deli

3895 Saint-Laurent Boulevard

514 842 4813 

A Quick Visit to Quebec City

Chateau Frontenac has over 600 rooms

We woke up early for a 6am start to drive from Montreal to Quebec City. It was pretty smooth getting there in just under three hours and we arrived at the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac, the iconic hotel in old Quebec.

Looking for the washroom in the basement, we looked at some great exhibits showing the history of the place.

Remnants of the original fort

The hotel is located on a hill, and in 1620 is was the former site of Fort Saint-Louis, and over the decades expanded as the number of people settling there increased.

And yes the hotel is named after Louis de Buade de Frontenac, who was a governor of Quebec from 1689 to 1698.

In the 19th century, as people began traveling, tourism to eastern Canada ramped up, as tourists could reach Quebec City by transatlantic ships and then train. As a result, in 1882, the Canadian Pacific Railway Company established Chateau Frontenac, a luxury hotel.

By 1919 the hotel was so successful that the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. doubled Chateau Frontenac's capacity so that it had over 600 rooms. 

The hotel still retains its old school charm

There are also other interesting bits of information, like how in the early 17th century, porcelain china from China was highly prized by royalty and the aristocracy for its translucency, but it was very expensive.

As a result, many aristocrats, including Governor de Frontenac, turned to ceramics from Delft the Netherlands, which was cheaper to purchase, though not as refined as Chinese porcelain. 

Another fascinating story is that in 1939, on the eve of World War II, King George VII and Queen Elizabeth had a royal tour of Canada and hosted a banquet at Chateau Frontenac. For the occasion, the hotel ordered a special porcelain design that was produced in Limoges, France.

The interior of the hotel, like the cascading symmetrical staircase continues to command grandeur, and one can only imagine what it was like back in the 19th century!

Our breakfast which took an infuriating long time

Outside the hotel is a panoramic view overlooking the St. Lawrence River.

Afterwards we looked for a place to have a late breakfast and settled on a cafe that operated at a snail's pace -- it took us 40 minutes from the time we sat down to when we finally got our three breakfast orders on the table -- after we complained.

The best the staff could do was offer us more coffee... we couldn't accept because it was pathetic compensation and also our parking meter was almost up (which was why we were in such a rush). We paid our bill as soon as the food finally came.

After driving the car around and around for another spot, we finally parked it at the bottom of the hill in a parkade and wandered around some more. We stumbled on a massive mural in trompe-l'oeil style that shows the history of Quebec.

A fun mural depicting the history of Quebec

There are some historical figures commemorated in the mural, like Jacques Cartier, Samuel de Champlain, Governor de Frontenac, and they are intermingled with kids playing street hockey with large jerseys, and a woman pushing a stroller with a child holding a teddy bear.

We also saw some public art, some cartoonish statues that had names and back stories in French. One seemed to be giving me the side eye.

However, not long after, it started to rain and not carrying umbrellas or rain gear, we decided to head back to the car park. It's a good thing we did because by the time we got to the car, it was pouring rain and hailing!

This guy gave me the side eye!

We decided to cut short our visit to Quebec City and drive back to Montreal! The first hour or so it continued to rain really hard, but then the precipitation stopped and we drove into sunshine as we approached Montreal and snarling traffic...

What an adventure!

Intimate Dining Experience at Montreal's Beba

The intimate space offers wines with fantastic bites of food

Wine bars that happen to offer fantastic food seem to be a trend in Montreal, as that's how Mon Lapin started and last year was ranked No. 2 in the inaugural North America's 50 Best Restaurants (this year No. 5). 

After our massive late lunch at McKiernan and sampled a smoked meat sandwich at Atwater Market, we were still quite full when we arrived at Beba, a very small wine bar. We got to sit in a booth across from the small open kitchen and watch two chefs pump out food.

Lovely mackerel that is a must-have at Beba

Because the wine bar is tiny in terms of real estate, Beba has the ability to take risks and make some interesting food on the menu.

When I made a reservation in late March or early April, the menu featured off cuts that I was keen to try, but when we arrived in late May, the menu had changed.

Nevertheless, we really enjoyed the starter of montadito, or a small open-faced sandwich featuring two thick slices of mackerel with shaved crunchy greens, sesame and horseradish. This appetiser has been on the Beba menu since the beginning, as well as the humble potato knish made bougie with 10g of Oscetra caviar on top.

We were intrigued by lamb ham -- why not make ham out of lamb? And it was absolutely delicious, thinly sliced and garnished with bagna cauda like celery, cauliflower, olives and pickled peppers, along with half jammy eggs topped with salsa verde. Amazing.

Involtini are like dolmades, and instead of rice the grape leaf packages were filled with zucchini and Swiss chard, topped with a generous dollop of yoghurt, pine nuts and pickled vegetables. 

Intriguing lamb as ham with bagna cauda, eggs

By now we were really full, but curious about dessert. We tried the pistachio semifreddo, with olive oil drizzled on top sprinkled with whole pistachios. So simple yet so chic.

What a lovely, laid-back space, people dressed casually, some on dates, others for a regular get-together.

It's a shame we were so full otherwise we would have ordered more!

Beba

3900 Rue Ethel

Montreal

514 750 7087

Review: Mistura

Mistura is a cinematic vehicle to promote Peruvian cuisine

It was almost a full house at VIFF at dinnertime to make us salivate while watching Mistura, a 2024 Peruvian foodie film.

Set in 1965 in Lima, Norma is half French and half Peruvian, the daughter of a French ambassador who has lived in rarified circles. But she discovers her husband has cheated on her, leaving her to figure out how to pay off the mortgage on the house.

Viewers quickly see what pressure she is under with everyone gossiping about her situation, and how Norma deals with it. Despite her husband's infidelity reported in the papers, Norma is determined to keep her head held high, and retain the house -- her house -- somehow.

Norma's driver inspires her to open a restaurant

At the encouragement of her chauffeur, Norma decides to open a restaurant in her mansion, and hires a Spanish-speaking Japanese chef who had once cooked for her father. The chef makes food that diners cannot relate to, let alone pronounce the names of the dishes.

There are also scenes showing her relationship with her adult son. As she is prim and proper, Norma vehemently disapproves of his hippie look and lifestyle, but an incident later brings them closer.

Eventually the restaurant evolves to reflect Peru and the people in the kitchen, and the film's end note explains "mistura" means mixture, combining different things together, which best describes Peruvian cuisine -- featuring Indigenous, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Middle Eastern, African and Italian influences. 

While the scenes in the kitchen didn't show as much cooking as the 2023 film The Taste of Things (Le Pot-au-Feu), we got the idea, watching Norma chop luscious tender beef cubes with her manicured hands, see how ceviche is made, and grilled meat skewers.

Norma is a half-French, half-Peruvian socialite

Mistura is a good movie, though in some parts one wonders if it's really possible for Norma to have a 180-transformation in her perception of others, or maybe she realises she needs all the help she can get? 

Actress Barbara Mori who plays Norma carries the film, and subtly shows her character's emotions below the surface, while having an unconventional relationship with her driver, played by Cesar Ballumbrosio.

Nevertheless, the film is a cinematic vehicle to promote Peruvian cuisine, and it definitely gets viewers curious (and hungry) to try some!

Mistura

Written and directed by Ricardo de Montreuil

101 minutes

Montreal's Atwater Market

Atwater Market was built in 1930s Art Deco style

Chef Andersen Lee took us to his favourite public market in Montreal called Atwater Market near Lachine Canal. It's not touristy, more locals who come here to buy perennials and wines, as well as meats, vegetables and cheeses.

Thick-cut slices of smoked meat at Alywin's

The market is named after Edwin Atwater, a 19th century businessman and city councillor, and the Art Deco building opened in 1933 during the Great Depression in a bid to stimulate the economy. 

Inside there are two floors housing butchers, cheesemongers, a shop selling coffee beans, a boulangerie and patisserie. We went into Aylwin Deli to try their smoked meat sandwich (C$16) on rye and pumpernickel bread, but the thickly sliced meat tasted flat, with no peppery taste.

Nevertheless, we marvelled at the stalls selling an abundance of asparagus, not only green but purple and white as well, fresh bulbs of garlic, giant stalks of rhubarb, and fresh herbs.

Large selection of vegetables and fruits for sale

We also tried some pastries -- a coffee-flavoured eclair, and one with chocolate ganache inside, and a small lemon tart with lime zest. They were all delicious, washed down with a refreshing raspberry lemonade.

There were lots of baskets of colourful perennials to hang or place in small balcony boxes at home, while oenophiles enjoyed wandering the aisles of a giant wine shop selling a wide variety of bottles.

Lee likes to come here, pick out a bottle, buy some cheeses, cold cuts and a baguette and have a picnic.

It's such a French way of organising a casual bite that also tastes amazing -- with a glass of wine. 

If you don't drive, it's also relatively easy to get to Atwater Market by metro too.

Colourful perennials ready to be taken home

Atwater Market

155 Green Avenue

Montreal

Family Style Dining at McKiernan in Montreal

There's a big dining space at McKiernan if you can get a table

A food staple for Montrealers is the rotisserie chicken. One time we got lost trying to find the nearest metro station, and a guy carrying his roast chicken dinner in a plastic bag not only gave us directions, he escorted us, as he was walking in the same direction.

One place well known for its rotisserie chicken is McKiernan, a bustling restaurant in an industrial space overlooking Lachine Canal.

The rotisserie chicken is a must here

Chef Andersen Lee suggested we go there for brunch, but with last-minute reservations, we could only get a table at 1.30pm. However, when we arrived early and wanted to add another person to our table to make it five, we were told we'd have to wait even longer.

As we waited around, we could see large groups of people, extended families ranging from babies in carriers hooked on the arms of their fathers, to seniors well into their 80s who climbed up the stairs to dine here. 

Hungry diners waiting for a table can play foosball to pass the time, otherwise they are forced to watch what others are dining and salivate even more.

When we were finally seated we quickly ordered several dishes from the brunch and lunch menus, and none disappointed. 

Thinly shaved prime rib with arugula

The half rotisserie chicken was roasted perfectly, juicy, tender and seasoned just right, topped with arugula that had a lemony dressing.

We also ordered a schnitzel Holstein that was garnished with anchovies for a briny flavour, and the tuna crudo that was seasoned in a tangy sauce.

McKiernan is also known for its prime rib dinners, but for lunch and brunch you can have thinly sliced prime rib with a light creamy sauce and lots of arugula on top. Again tender and delectable. One can only imagine the prime rib dinner being even better.

There's also simple dishes like pasta with garlic and broccoli -- now that's different and delicious, or how about roast Brussel sprouts tied together with a creamy ranch dressing and lots of toasted sliced almonds.

Lemon meringue pie, donuts and banana pie

How could we not have dessert? There was banana pie, not cream pie, where banana slices are mixed with custard, and a lovely lemon meringue pie, light and dreamy. McKiernan is also famed for its donuts. One online review advised asking the server to save us some in advance, but he said there was plenty to go around. We ordered two pillowy donuts, one filled with strawberry jam, the other cookies and cream.

I didn't know about McKiernan but now I do and fully understand why you need to make reservations way in advance. If it's good for people of all ages, it's good for you too.

McKiernan

5524 Saint-Patrick Street

Montreal

514 759 6677

Remembering David Hockney

Hockney's Looking at the Flowers (Framed), 25th June, 2022

The English artist David Hockney died today at the age of 88 in London.

I was lucky to see an exhibition of his work two years ago at the Palm Springs Art Museum and was in awe of how much work he produced and what he thought was worthy of capturing -- which was everything.

Us in our own version of Hockney's installation

He made his own colourful interpretations of Yosemite Park, a series of photographs of his mother that are pieced together, a long, winding sketch of a country estate, and his famous series of swimming pool works, capturing the moment of a man diving into the water.

I enjoyed one whimsical installation where he painted himself looking at paintings of flowers that he has made and framed on the wall, and then on the other side is a physical representation of the painting, with two chairs, inviting visitors to pose like him.

He made me realise there is art in the everyday, and it can be fun, colourful, and doesn't have to be profound.

Contemplating Art on Your Montreal Commute

Colourful stained glass while waiting for train

Taking the Montreal metro is very convenient, costs C$3.75 for Zone A fares (which was the only area we went around), and if you miss a train, the next one comes in a few minutes. 

What was very interesting for me was to see a lot of public art in the metro stations, either around the entrance, or by a stairwell, or above the train tracks. It was so unexpected to see art in a mode of public transportation that it took me by surprise.

The Tree of Life by Joseph Rifesser

The Societe de transport de Montreal (STM) provides around 1.4 million trips per day in its metro and bus network, and the metro is a kind of underground art gallery, featuring murals, sculptures, and stained glass panels in most of its 68 stations around the city.

When it comes to murals, mosaics are popular because they are highly durable and low maintenance, the colours don't fade and they are relatively easy to clean -- even graffiti can be removed.

I spotted a few pieces that caught my eye -- a colourful disc, more colour from panels of stained glass, and a sculpture hewed from wood.

The STM even has a website documenting the different art works, helping passengers learn more about the artists, and hopefully encourage them to interact with the pieces, or at least contemplate them during their commute.

Creative Contemporary Chinese Food in Montreal

Five spice duck platter with condiments

As soon as we arrived in Montreal and dropped off our suitcases, we headed to Oncle Lee Kao, a modern Chinese restaurant in the old part of the city.

Driving there was no problem, but finding parking was quite the challenge. Eventually we found a spot -- and free too!

We entered the restaurant at 8.30pm on a Saturday night and were shocked to see it hopping, all the tables were full, and it was noisy. Did we mention the vast majority of diners were not Chinese?

Savoury jian dui with shiitake and sesame sauce

My main purpose of coming here was to finally try chef Andersen Lee's cooking, after having interviewed him 2019 when he won the inaugural 50 Best BBVA Scholarship. The award entitled him to stage or intern at three top restaurants -- Core by Clare Smyth in London, Odette in Singapore, and Quintonil in Mexico City.

Following his internships he wasn't inspired to go abroad or fine dining -- instead the experience pulled him back to Montreal, where he opened Oncle Lee and now Oncle Lee Kao, with his creative takes on Chinese dishes. 

Most impressive was the five spice duck platter. Lee explained they didn't have the capacity or knowledge to make Peking duck, so why not make it pastrami style, as an homage to Montreal? And the result is fantastic. 

The duck breast is thinly sliced so they can be placed in thin steamed wrappers and condiments can be added before wrapping it up and popping it into your mouth.

Asparagus with mapo tofu sauce

We also enjoyed the steamed oysters with black bean sauce, shrimp toast, and a savoury jian dui with shiitake mushroom and sesame sauce. How novel.

Mini egg rolls are filled with duck rillettes, while chunks of tender octopus are placed on skewers with lap cheong or Chinese sausage and spring onions in between. Typically octopus is paired with chorizo, but lap cheong is an interesting substitute we couldn't identify at first.

Asparagus are in season and they came with mapo tofu sauce on top; the green stalks were so tender that at the end of our Montreal trip we bought some at a farmer's market to bring back to Vancouver.

Sashimi isn't exactly Chinese, but we had some, along with a giant platter of fried rice that Lee likes to cook at home with crunch thinly sliced cabbage and mayonnaise and chilli crisp.

Lee's homestyle fried rice with chilli crisp

For dessert, a bowl of tapioca with coconut, strawberry and rhubarb, and some mini yuzu tartlets with green tea, together with fresh fruit.

Lee recently came back from a trip to Shanghai, Ningbo and Hong Kong -- his first to China -- which really opened his exposure to not only Chinese cooking techniques but also flavours and ingredients. 

Can't wait to see what he will do next.

Oncle Lee Kao

112 Rue McGill

Montreal

514 303 1100

A Montreal Cathedral with Echoes of St. Peters

The nave has a Bernini-like altar like in St Peters

In Montreal we went to one of the city's most famous landmarks, Notre-Dame Basilica, but we were dismayed to see the left tower covered in scaffolding, the telltale sign of renovation work.

We were also surprised to see a C$16 admission fee. My relatives, who are Catholics, said we should skip visiting the cathedral, so we carried on our walk and not too long later we stumbled upon Marie-Reine-du-Monde Basilica, a massive cathedral, aptly situated on Cathedral Street, near the Bonaventure metro station.

Marie-Reine-du-Monde Basilica in Montreal

Curious, we approached the entrance, where a security guard told us there was a service in session and we could sit in, but to be quiet; after it was over we would be free to wander the cathedral.

So we sat down and soon realised the service on June 2 was a memorial for two martyrs, Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter.

The service was delivered in French, but towards the end, my relatives could sort of follow along with the prayers, and even received Communion.

What was most striking about this cathedral was the altar with its twisting columns that reminded me of the one in St Peter's Basilica in Rome that was designed by Bernini. 

And it turns out Marie-Reine-du-Monde Basilica was inspired by St Peter's. The Montreal cathedral was built slowly, from 1870 to 1878, and then 1885 to 1894. When it was consecrated in 1894, it was the largest church in Quebec. Today it is the third-largest in the French-speaking province.

An impressive space full of wonder

After the service was over, we wandered around the cathedral, first lighting a candle for $2 and then walking to the nave, where the elaborate altar is. We also saw a crypt, where bishops and auxilary bishops were laid to rest. 

Outside on the top of the cathedral is a statue of Mary, Queen of the World, who is flanked by the patron saints of 13 parishes of Montreal.

We enjoyed our contemplative visit, and even more so because it was free!