“No delicacy is as delicious as dumplings.” Is written within a paragraph that sits at the front of the store, and they are entirely right.
Dumplings have a long history, dating back to Roman times, and can basically be found all around to world by food lovers everywhere. While they have different names within different areas (empanadas, ravioli, pot stickers), the concept of dumplings remains the same. A small clump of savory dough filled with different meats, sauces, and or veggies. While a form of dumpling can be found anywhere, the first known recipe for dumplings is found in Apicius, a Roman cookery text. Which explains a dumpling of roasted pheasant, chopped fine and mixed with fat, salt and pepper and moistened with broth, then boiled. Dumplings have always been a folk food that is available to all and is praised for bringing people together. What better than dumplings to find a sense of community in Montreal? Since a soup dumpling was the first known dumpling recipe, I had better try the best soup dumpling around. Not place seemed greater than Quig Hua’s dumpling in Montreal’s very own Chinatown.
The setting: a shop whose door is squeezed between two other restaurants. The service: friendly and inviting. The dumplings: The stuff of legends. I went with three other friends and, my review partner in crime, Leanna Russell. Each of us hadn’t eaten much up to this point and were fairly starving, so we had mentally prepared ourselves that we had to judge the dumplings after we had a few in our bellies. We grabbed our seats and happily looked at the menu for the dumplings we craved. The menu was one double-sided sheet of laminated paper with a lunch menu on the front that lasted until 3:00pm, and a dinner menu on the back for later hours. We had made it in time for the lunch menu, which was quite a bit cheaper than the latter, where each order of dumpling came with 15 dumplings for around 8-10 dollars. As a group of broke college students, this sounded like a dream come true. As a group, we had decided to order a variety of different types of dumplings to see what the restaurant had to offer. We decided on ordering two orders of Lamb and leek (one fried, one steamed), Chicken and corn, Steamed Pork with shrimp and leek, and Steamed Beef and Cucumbers. The pork and lamb dumplings were well known for the restaurant, but the cucumber and corn dumplings were new additions to the menu.
As we placed our order I was finally able to take a moment to observe our surroundings. The place had a bright yellow wall with hanging lights and a variety of people there. There were people in suits enjoy their dumplings, as well as people in T-shirts and sweatshirts. It was a strange bundle of people but seemed like all sorts of people liked the shop. The room itself was long and in the back had the chef making the dumplings for everyone to see. It was strange, I felt like I was welcome here but also should probably act my best. Or at least not be too loud. For a moment, I didn’t really find a sense of community within the store. However all of that changed at the dumpling arrived.
Wooden platters held wonderlands of dumplings that were then placed around the table. They smelt amazing and it took only moments for this group of college students to dig in. My dish was the steamed pork with leek and shrimp, and with one bite I was sold. The first bite contains most of the broth, a savory concoction of delight that tickled my taste buds and flew me to heaven. The second bite allows you to savor the juicy meats and veggies within the dumplings. In contrast of the soft delight of the steamed soup dumplings, were the fried dumpling that brings a new crunchy texture to the food. The fried dumplings brought a bit of an oily taste to the dumpling but only just enough to compliment the soup and meat within the dumpling without making the dumpling too oily.
As I took a moment away from the dumpling I notice that the group almost seemed even livelier as they ate the dumplings. People were passing plates, laughing at jokes, talking about the textures and flavors available to them, and generally eating with a big smile on their faces. This is what the community was. It was around the dumplings. The restaurant itself didn’t need a sense of community, because the dumplings bring the community with them wherever they go. It was a warm feeling to be with friends and eating a food you all can share.
The only downside I would say to the meal was the cucumber and beef dumplings, and the chicken and corn dumplings. These were new items on the menu that were defiantly trying new flavors they hadn’t done before. While I praise the restaurant on their original flavors, their new ones aren’t anything to write home about. The Cucumber and Beef had a gooey texture that didn’t add to the texture of the dumpling, and the taste was that of a cucumber that was just about to go bad. The Chicken and Corn was just overall pretty bland. It might be that the chicken or corn just absorbed all of the soup but it just felt like I was eating cardboard and corn. That being said, I decided not to lower my rating for this restaurant because of them trying something new. The fact that they are pushing themselves to find new flavors is exciting to me and makes me want to visit again in the future to see what new flavors they have to offer.
I am excited to bring more friends to enjoy the folk food of dumplings and gather for a community entirely based around food. A world in which all the matters for the next 45 minutes, are what dumplings we get and the friends we bring.
Overall Rating:
Grace: Pokemon Master
Leanna: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Atmosphere:
Long room with a kitchen in the back, and a cash register in the front of the room. Once you finish eating, you head to the front of the room to pay.
Sound:
Everyone is having a decent conversation but it all is a bit quieter than a group of hungry college students.
Menu:
Two-sided laminated piece of paper written in both Chinese and English. There were no names for the dishes, but rather lists of ingredients within the dumplings.
Price:
The lunch menu has different servings of 15 dumplings for 8-10 dollars.
The dinner menu has different servings of 15 dumplings for 10-16 dollars.
Open:
Monday to Wednesday 12:00 pm to 9:30 pm
Thursday to Sunday from 12:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Wheelchair accessible:
No.