Ds with Dr D

So this actor brought some yummy dumplings to a reading I organized with a bunch of Chinese actors a couple of months ago. Everyone crowded around and asked if it was from "that place near Concordia". Yes it was. The dumplings I tried were good and after hearing about this place from another actor who was doing a show at the DB Clarke at Concorida (maybe actors just like dumplings?), I decided to check it out.

Dumplings are called jiao zi. They're quite time consuming to make and so it's nice to have a place that does them handmade, to order, like they do at Qing Hua, the place near Concordia.

My friends Dr D and R (unfortunately, the D is not for dumplings) came to Montreal to visit. They have been to China and ate at a very popular jiaozi restaurant in Beijing (the dumplings took so long to come they almost missed their flight, but at least they knew they were made to order) so I thought they would like to revisit the experience in a less rushed environment.



Qing Hua is a hidden joint. It's tucked in in a residential street. Still, it's known. When we went, we had to wait outside until some space became free. There were others waiting with us and we ordered while we were waiting for a place to sit. Almost everyone inside was having dumplings. The menu is quite straightforward and plain - mostly a list of the different fillings for their dumplings. There's a wall with menu items written up on pieces of wood, but unfortunately I don't know how to read Chineese characters so we had to go with what's on the menu (click on the image to enlarge)



The "decor" is bare bones - white walls, white tables, folding plastic chairs - but clean. It's a tiny restaurant where you share tables. Hardly any decoration. Still, we're here for the dumplings, not the ambiance.

We ordered a noodle side dish, along with dumplings with pork and leek, with beef and onions and with shrimp. The noodles were served cold, with a peanutty sauce over it, and shredded cucumber. The noodles were freshly made from green beans and you could taste a hint of it, lovely and deliciously soft without being mushy. I usually don't like cold noodles, I found it nice and refreshing and I was battling with Dr D for seconds. I usually like strong flavours but everything was very understated here - the slight cucumber taste, slight green bean, slight peanut.


Now what to do while you wait for your dumplings? There's a sparse counter with some drinks and condiments. Dipping sauces are a personal taste where each person mixes the condiments to his liking. I like mine really hot with a bit of vinegar. I didn't find the chili oil hot enough - it barely had any heat - but it was very flavourful nonetheless.




The dumplings arrived and they were wonderful. We ordered pork and leek based on a recommendation and it was the best of the three we tried. They were very soft without falling apart and the dumpling was filled with tasty cooking juices which spurted out when you bit in. The leek was a nice compliment to the pork which was very soft so that your teeth just slices easily through it. The pork flavour was gentle and just perfect for the dumpling. They were so good I could have eaten two servings. The shrimp was my second choice, the dough was just as nice but as it was shrimp, I didn't find that it was as juicy tasty as the shrimp couldn't absorb as much of the cooking juices as the pork. Unfortunately I don't eat beef so I can't comment on it. Everyone else seemed to like it though the pork and leek was the unanimous winner.

These dumplings arrived on simple white plates, around 15-18 per order. I saw a few which arrived on metal steamer plates, so I'm guessing that we had water/soup dumplings (boiled) instead of the steamed ones.

Be careful with those juicy dumplings. I bit into one and the juice squirted right into my eye! Hot and shocking. But surprisingly not painful, even though said dumpling was entirely covered in chili oil (lucky thing it wasn't hot chili oil then).



Prices are reasonable (noodle side dish $4, dumplings around $8) especially given that they are made to order (you can see the ladies making it through a little peek window - those nimble fingers!). This is a real rare find and I'm really happy that Montreal has a fresh dumpling place. How many other Canadian cities have one?

As I said, I like strong flavours and am not used to attuning my tastebuds to softer, delicate food. I find you need to eat slower in order to savour it. I have to say, when you are on a roll eating dumplings at my speed you can easily eat a bunch. I didn't think 15 was enough for me and I left the restaurant feeling like I didn't eat my fill but later on my stomach caught up with my brain and I felt ok. Until the hunger started again.

Qing Hua
1240 St. Marc corner Tupper in the basement on the west side
Dumplings (around 15) starts at $6.99

PS - someone told me (yup, another actor - actors and dumplings...) that every culture seems to have their own version of a dumpling. I haven't found an exception yet but I have to admit this point hasn't been taking up too many of my brain cells.