Man Tung Cafe (Dinner Combo Menu)

Yes, this is not a repost of the last blog entry on Man Tung Cafe.  We have already established that they have a good selection of HK-style cafe dishes.  Prices are reasonable (generally under $20.00) and the portions are generous.  But similar to other restaurants of the same ilk, they also offer full-on Chinese multi-course meals.  Since they have Chinese BBQ as well, their Dinner Combos feature one of their BBQ dishes and a choice of either 2 or 3 dishes.  They range from $59.00 to $128.00.

We opted for the Man Tung Half Roast Duck Dinner Combo.  Hence, we started with the Roast Duck.  Nice colour on the skin with a lacquered finish while being crispy and fairly rendered.  There was an aromatic roasted flavour with both the skin and the meat.  Juicy and tender, the meat was also well-brined.  Overall, a solid BBQ Duck when compared to others in town.

The first of the 3 dishes we chose was the Chicken with black truffle sauce.  This was also quite good where the free-range chicken was moist with that classic firm meatiness.  In an appealing shade of yellow, the skin was gelatinized and was flavourful.  As you can see in the picture, the amount of truffle sauce was conservative and I didn't mind it as it was just enough.  The chicken itself was bordering on salty, but as such, it wasn't devoid of flavour.

We selected a veggie dish so we could feel a bit healthier.   It came in the form of Stir-Fried Scallops with Broccoli.  As you can see, they used the reformed scallops once again.  Personally, I'm not a fan of these as the texture is quite different than an actual scallop of that size.  However, since this combo was only $88.00, I shouldn't be complaining.  With all that being said, they were still cooked well with a nice wok sear and still being soft and bouncy.  Broccoli was on point too being cooked through but still crunchy.

The best dish of the bunch was the Satay Beef Claypot with vermicelli.  This one was loaded with tenderized slices of beef that still had natural meat texture.  The satay was briny and somewhat spicy.  Underneath, the chewy vermicelli was fairly loose and not clumpy.  Yet, they didn't achieve this by adding more oil.  Hence, it was easy to eat and took on the sauce evenly.

We ended up adding one more item to get a sense of their BBQ meats.  The Rice Plate that you see in the picture was topped with BBQ Pork, BBQ Duck, BBQ Goose and Free-Range Chicken.  With a balanced amount of fat, the BBQ Pork was juicy and tender.  The marinade mostly penetrated the meat with plenty of sweetness and slight smokiness from the bark.  Roast Goose was quite good since it was juicy and tender.  Skin was also nicely lacquered and crispy.  The chicken was very much the same one found in the truffle chicken, so the texture was gelatinous and meaty.  Lots of flavour from the saltiness.  Overall, this was a good meal with well-prepared food at a reasonable price.

*All food was complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Large portions
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- Once again, I would like to see an option for real scallops as the reformed ones aren't the same

Man Tung Cafe (HK-Style Cafe Menu)

I've always wondered why we don't have more HK-style cafes in the GVRD.  I mean, we are Chinese food central right?  There are certainly enough places to grab Dim Sum and a good ol' Cantonese meal, but that doesn't translate to HK-style cafes.  That is why I am rather enthused when I learn of new spots to grab my Baked Pork Chop Rice and Mixed Grill Combos.  This has brought us to Man Tung Cafe in Richmond in the old Afuri Ramen location.

Although they also feature a Cantonese dinner menu complete with Chinese BBQ, this post will feature their HK-style cafe dishes.  As part of their Mix Grill Combos, we started with their Borscht.  For those unfamiliar, the borscht found at HK-style cafes are not like the traditional Russian variety.  It is more Western-style vegetable soup with possibly some beef.  No, there is no sour cream here.  For this one, it was quite good with plenty of tang and sweetness.  Lots of chunky carrots and potato too.

For our first Mix Grill Combo, we had the Pan-Seared Duck Leg with Sirloin Steak & Crispy Sausage.  This also came with rice, veggies and a choice of sauce (we had black pepper).  Lots of meat here on this sizzling cast iron plate.  Nothing particularly interesting about the wiener but that duck leg was money.  The skin was well-seared and crispy while the meat was gelatinous and juicy.  As for the steak, it was sufficiently tender and not overdone.

Our next Mix Grill Combo consisted of Smoked Duck Breast, Black Truffle Scallops and Herb Butter Baked Lobster Tail.  I found the smoked duck breast to be nicely brined, hence it was juicy and tender.  There was balanced smokiness as well.  Being the formed variety of scallops, they were uniformly-shaped.  Texture was soft and moist, yet was not exactly like a whole scallop (but the price would be much higher as a result).  I thought the sauce had just enough truffle without being too overpowering.  Lobster tail was bouncy and well-seasoned by the herb butter.

Last Mix Grill Combo featured Herb Butter Baked Lobster Tail, Black Truffle Crispy Chicken Roll and French-Style Baked Mussels.  Not much to say about the lobster tail as it was the same as the previous combo.  However, that Chicken Roll was really good.  The chicken meat was super juicy and cooked just right.  Once again, there was just enough truffle for effect.  It was indeed crispy on the outside.  The super large Kiwi mussels were topped with a cream sauce and bread crumbs.  Somewhat similar to clams casino, there was enough texture and seasoning to compliment the meaty mussels.  This came with spaghetti rather than rice (it would be your choice).

As mentioned, Baked Pork Chop Rice is one of the standards of any HK-style cafe.  I'm happy to report that this version was on point.  It sported a aromatic egg fried rice base that was beautifully chewy and nutty.  It was perfect for accepting the tangy sauce that was also balanced with sweetness.  The viscosity was just right as it coated the pork chops.  I found the pork to be tender while the panko coating was softened by the ample amount of sauce. 

Another HK-style cafe classic dish is the Baked Spaghetti Bolognese and yes, we had that too.  This was also very good with noodles that still had a bit of chew left despite being cooked through.  On top, there was a considerable amount of meat sauce that helped coat every strand of spaghetti.  The sauce was thick, rich and full-of-depth.  It was sweet from the onions and carrots while the meat was tender.

Finally, we ended off things with the Condensed Milk Rich Toast.  Hidden in between the 2 slices of toast, we found sweet condensed milk.  Bread was soft and fluffy, but the exterior was coated with egg and fried until crispy.  We found a dusting of cocoa powder on top.  Nice end to a solid HK-style cafe meal.  I was particularly impressed with the portion sizes and also the overall execution of the proteins.  Pricing is reasonable with the Baked Pork Chop Rice and Spaghetti Bolognese coming in at $18.88.  Mix Grill Combos can range from $20.98 and up.  I would imagine the lobster tail increasing the price significantly.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Large portions
- Reasonable-pricing

The Bad:
- I'm personally not a fan of reformed scallops
- I know people don't like this complaint, but the parking lot is often full 

 

Fairmount Bagel

Continuing our frenetic quest to bring stuff home from our last day in Montreal, it brought us to Fairmount Bagel.  I've already had St. Viateur the last time I was in town, so I really wanted to see the other popular spot.  Naturally, there was a lineup to get in and of course, we proceeded to queue up.  If you are wondering about the parallel line next to it, that was for the gnocchi at Drogheria Fine (yes, we got some of that too).

But before we got the gnocchi, we were here for the bagels and instead of doing a plain as a baseline, I went for the Sesame.  Once toasted, it was pretty apparent that the bagels at Fairmount Bagel are completely different than those from St-Viateur.  The bagel from Fairmount was dense, but less dense and less chewy than St-Viateur.  They were a bit sweeter too.  I can't say which one I prefer more because they are both good in their own way.  

Their All-Dressed Bagel (or Everything) had a combination of sesame, poppy seeds, caraway seeds, onion and garlic.  Hence the name and also lives up to it too.  Beyond the texture from the seeds and aromatics, we had the slight saltiness of the bagel.  The onion and garlic provide pops of sweetness.  I did notice that the bagel was not as salty as St-Viateur though and could be eaten cold with less chew.

We got a couple of fruity bagels in the Blueberry as well as the Cinnamon & Raisin.  Since the bagels at Fairmount are sweeter compared to St-Viateur, the fruit portion of the bagel helped make it taste almost dessert-like, even without the cream cheese.  I didn't mind it as it was tasty while the less chewy texture made it less dense.  As said before, these didn't need to be toasted to eat.

Our last 2 bagels were colourful in the Raspberry Chocolate and the Rainbow Bozo.  For the raspberry, the bagel itself was only a bit sweeter than the rest while still sporting a fluffy chew.  For the huge rainbow, it was actually less dense due to its larger size.  It didn't taste remarkably different than the sesame bagel but was super filling.  Overall, we enjoyed the bagels at Fairmount.  They are different than St-Viateur, but I like them both.  One it sweeter and softer, while the other is saltier and chewier.

The Good:

- Not as dense and chewy as St-Viateur for those who like it that way

- Sweeter than St-Viateur for those who prefer it

- More unique options

The Bad:

- The reverse is true for the good if you prefer St-Viateur

Casse-Croûte MangeDansMonHood

After our morning visit to Automne Boulangerie, we walked down the block to our 2nd eating destination in Casse-Croûte MangeDansMonHood.  This place is well-known for their smash burgers that were once only available during pop-ups.  Their menu is supremely simple and focused.  Only 2 burgers, fries and poutine are available.  Hey, I've always said, do one thing and do it right!

Since we were already a bit full from some pastries at Automne, we decided to only get a few items.  As mentioned, the menu is pretty small and we didn't have much to choose from either.  Hence, we got both available burgers including the Happy Double Cheeseburger.  This was a simple concoction with ketchup, mustard, onions and pickles.  Something doesn't have to be complex to be tasty and this was the case here.  From the well-toasted bun to the smash patties with crispy edges combined with 2 slices of American cheese, this was delicious.

Now as much as we enjoyed the Happy, the Cali Double Cheeseburger was even better in my opinion.  Just by looking at the name, I'm thinking this is a nod to In-N-Out with lettuce, double cheese, onions, tomatoes and pickles with MDMH sauce.  Now this was the best thing we ate since it was messy, saucy and salty (in a good way).  Combined with the thin smashed patties and toasted buns, this had some real In-N-Out vibes. 

We ended up with the Poutine for our side dish and it was pretty good.  The house-cut fries that were underneath the gravy were still somewhat crispy and had a nice aroma.  Plenty of potato texture as well.  The gravy was thick and mildly-seasoned, yet still flavourful.  Lots of legit cheese curds that were mostly not melted (which is how it should be).  Overall, the stuff at MDMH really hit the spot.  Legit smashburgers with crispy edges on the patties.  There was enough fat for flavour and to keep things from being dry.  Would come back!

The Good:
- Do one thing and do it well
- Crispy edges on the smash patties
- Good poutine

The Bad:
- Not a lot of seating, so get there early or be lucky

Automne Boulangerie

On our last day in Montreal before an evening flight, we decided to hit up a few places where we could bring some things back to Vancouver.  One of which was Automne Boulangerie.  Opened in 2016 under the partnership between Seth Gabrielse and Julien Roy, their mission was to use local ingredients to craft their high-quality products.  They work with local mills and the results speak for themselves.  They are now up to 2 locations with the original being on Avenue Christophe-Colomb and the one we visited at 1470 Rue Bélanger.

Fortunately, it wasn't too busy for a Sunday morning (at 10:30am) as we were able to walk right up to the counter and order.  We even scored a table!  Beyond a few hot bevvies, we got a collection of baked goods including the Butter Croissant.  Gotta say, this was a good croissant.  It was flaky and shattered when I bit into it.  Nice lamination, yet the inside was a bit dense.  Definitely could taste the butter and was nicely aromatic.

One of the more striking items we tried was the Chocolate Danish.  However, it looked more like a sweet version of their Croissignon.  With a spiral design on the outside, it had plenty of texture in the form of firm crunchiness.  It was also plenty aromatic and buttery. Inside, there was some softer buttery portions encasing a semi-sweet chocolate filling.  Adding more crunch was some cocoa nibs on the outside.

Another interesting item was the Cruffin à la Cannelle.  So as the name suggests, this was a hybrid of a croissant and a muffin.  Consisting of croissant dough, this was flaky and buttery.  Due to its compact nature, it was not as light and airy as the butter croissant.  Inside, the cream cheese filling was creamy and not too heavy.  It was purposefully sweet while still maintaining a rich cheesiness.

Looking quite delicious, the Noeud Cardamome or Kardemummabullar is a Scandinavian cardamom knot pastry.  So think cinnamon bun but in a different shape and of course focusing on cardamom.  I loved the crispiness of the exterior, especially the sugary crunch on the top.  Inside, the bun was soft with some elasticity.  The cardamom did come through and it wasn't too strong so the sweetness was at the forefront with only a bit of background aromatics.

Heading to something fruity, we tried the Brioche Saisonnière featuring blueberries.  This was fairly light pastry where the brioche was soft and airy as expected.  However, on the outside, it great colour and just a touch of crunch.  Nestled in the middle we found the juicy blueberries in a semi-sweet glaze.  There was enough of it for every bite of the brioche.

Our last item was an Muffin aux Pommes which had classic apple cinnamon vibes.  It was pretty sweet, but had enough tang with the apple to balance.  The muffin itself was somewhere between fluffy and dense, which was a pleasant texture.  A bit of crunch on top added more sweetness and butteriness.  In addition to these items, we had dined on Automne Boulangerie sourdough several times when we were in Montreal.  Really good bread with a crunchy exterior where the inside was moist with a pleasant chewiness.  Overall, the stuff at Automne is solid, especially their sourdough.  Definitely can see why they are one of the best in Montreal.

The Good:

- That sourdough

- Solid baked goods

- Now they have 2 locations

The Bad:

- Croissant could be more airy inside

Panacée

Here we go, our last dinner in Montreal for this trip.  Instead of a heavily awarded spot, we opted for something upstart and new with Panacée.  Nominated for Air Canada's Best New Restaurant, they are also Michelin-recommended.  Chef Catherine Couvet Desrosiers, formerly of Foxy and Bouillon Blik, uses only seasonal ingredients that are vegetable forward.  There is only a tasting menu available either in 3 or 5 services (courses), but the bonus here is that you can choose your own adventure.  For every course, there are at least 2 options (some with a surcharge).  This way, you can tailor make your experience and also have something different than the rest of your party.

On that note, we decided to have 2 completely different tasting menus.  That was achieved by each of us taking a different item for each of the 5 courses.  Yes, that also meant we weren't paying the base $80.00 per person.  Our tasting menus ended up to be $99.00 each as a reasult of choosing surcharge items.  Regardless of that, we were both served the same Amuse Bouche being the Beet Tartlette with herbed cashew cream.  This was a good start to the meal as it was light herbaceous and sweet with a crispy shell.  As another surcharge, we added the Bread from Boulangerie Aube for an extra $5.00.

For our first course, we had the default choice in the La Pelletée Tomato.   This featured super fresh and vibrant marigold tomatoes with saffron jelly and buttermilk with herb oil.  These tomatoes had a mild natural sweetness as well as a light tang.  We find some skinless cherry tomatoes that were super sweet while the little dried tomatoes were super concentrated in flavour.   Our other dish, which was a $7.00 supplement, was the Gaspésie Tuna.  The slices of bluefin akami were buttery and sweet while sitting on a cilantro puree that was bright and not too pungent.  Ribbons of crunchy Kohlrabi added texture and brightness.  Some herbaceous shishitos completed the dish.

Next up, the default dish was the Oyster Mushroom with corn sabayon, Jimmy Nardello peppers and almonds.  This was fabulous where the mushroom was grilled over charcoal.  Smoky with some crispy bits, the mushroom was already quite tasty itself.  However, the corn sabayon added such intense sweetness, especially with the pops from the niblets.  Nice crunch from the almonds and sweetness from the peppers.  With a $4.00 surcharge, the Grilled Artichokes were worth it in my opinion.  They were also smoky from the kiss on the grill while still tender.  Extra smoky nuttiness was provided by the pine nuts.  We had some aromatic shallots and some sweetness from the gooseberries.  Underneath, we had yogurt with cilantro for some brightness.

Onto the "main course" we didn't opt for the default option in the Cappelletti and went for the meat dishes instead.  The first was the Kenauk Trout for an extra $8.00.  It actually took the place of the cod (which was originally on the menu).  Further proof that they only cook with fresh ingredients.  It was surely fresh with a buttery texture from the rare centre.  It was beautifully plated with one side holding a bright and only lightly spicy habadoux sauce.  We had some intensely smoky carrots also prepared on the charcoal grill.  Some pickled carrots provided acidity while basil completed the plate.  With a surcharge of $4.00, we got the Ferme D'Orée Pork.  It was fatty while still a bit pink in the middle.  The result was juicy and tender meat with an exterior that was the beneficiary from the charcoal grill.  Hence we had smokiness complimenting the well-salted pork.  Even the beans were smoky due to the mix with the charred pumpkin seeds.  Tanginess was thanks to the pickled and diced wax beans.  Sweet gooseberries complimented the pork well.

For our pre-dessert course, the default item was the Olive Oil Ice Cream with concorde grape, laurel and hazelnut.  I thought this was really good where the ice cream was silky while being aromatic.  The grapes were sweet and impactful manipulating the EVOO ice cream into being sweeter.  Crunch was provided by the nutty hazelnuts.  Some herbal notes were added by the laurel leaves.  At $4.00 more, the Beurrasse consisted of sheep's milk yogurt, cherries, salted almond and Avonlea cheddar.  Definitely a bit savoury due to the cheese, but plenty influenced by the tangy sheep's milk yogurt.  The sweet cherries were the dominant component to this as it was intensely sweet.  Crunch and a burst of salt (to heighten all of the other flavours) was thanks to the salted almonds.

Last course had the Peach for the regular dish with opalys, brown sugar and sheeps milk yogurt.   Everything on the plate sat in a rich and thick opalys cream.  Some crispy sweet crackers added texture and aromatics.  In the middle, we found macerated peaches with brown sugar where things were richly sweet.  Again, the sheep's milk yogurt provided the necessary bright tanginess.  The Mignardise was $4.00 more and consisted of Earl Grey Ice Cream Sandwich, Chocolate Macaron, Financier, Lemon Tartlette and Blueberry caramel.  Really nice bites with the ice cream sandwich being that "it" factor of the bunch.  Creamy and light with the aroma of earl grey.  Not too sweet either.  Macaron had a crispy shell and the chocolate inside was also just sweet enough.  Of course I loved the lemon tartlette as that is always my favourite.  Nice tanginess on this one.  Overall, we really enjoyed our meal at Panacée.  The food is on point and the use of a charcoal grill affords rich flavours that are smoky and full-of-depth.  Pricing is reasonable and the fact you can customize each course helps appeal to a wider audience.

The Good:

- On point execution

- That charcoal grilling!

- Reasonable pricing and the option to customize

The Bad:

- Most of the best courses we had were subject to an supplemental charge (but worth it IMO)

Restaurant Beba

When perusing Canada's 100 Best Restaurants, I was a bit curious why a little restaurant in Montreal ranked #7 overall.   In fact, they rank #50 on North America's 50 Best Restaurants in 2025.  Well, it is a bit unique where their cuisine is a mix of Italian and Spanish while paying homage to the founders Ari and Pablo Schor's Argentine-Jewish hertiage.  Located in Verdun, the area doesn't scream world-class dining, but rest assured, Beba has changed that for the better.  I was able to grab a table for 2 from from the 28-seat capacity restaurant.

When they describe Beba as compact, they are being generous.  Let's just say you will get to cozy with the people beside you.  On that note, the menu is equally compact being truly focused on a few dishes.  We shared the Knish à la pomme de terre to start.  This little fried ball of tender slices of potato, onion and chicken fat that was well-seasoned and rich.  It was aromatic and had the silkiness of schmaltz.  On top, there was a generous dollop of osetra caviar.  This added briny saltiness to the bite.

No meal is complete at Beba without ordering their signature dish - Montadita au maquereau (mackerel).   My initial impressions of this wasn't necessarily great, but hey what do I know?  I'm glad that I kept my mind open because these bites were fantastic.  Served on warm crunchy sesame buns, the mackerel was a bit tangy and exhibiting that bright fishy flavour.  It was perfectly complimented by a lot of butter, grated horseradish, chives and salt.  Somehow, this combination of components just plain worked.  We had the creaminess of the butter, the mild kick of the horseradish (was not as strong as I would've imagined) and the brightness of the chives.

Another show-stopper was the Maitake on raw milk taleggio.  First and foremost, the slightly melted taleggio was creamy, sweet and savoury.  This by itself was already a treat, but on top, we found beautifully sauteed mushrooms that were aggressively salted.  Fortunately, we had a bright and garlicky salsa verde on top that helped cut some of the heaviness of the cheese as well as the saltiness of the mushrooms.  This was an outstanding dish yet, we felt some crispy toast on the bottom would've put it over the top.  Mind you, I'm pretty sure there is a good reason they didn't do that, so what do I know?

Trying to include some vegetables in our meal, we had the Radicchio & Escarole with potatoes.  This was a good interlude between heavier dishes.  The crunch from the fresh greens was great along with the tangy "bean-aigrette".  Lots of pecorino ensured that there was salty nuttiness to go along with the acidity.  We also had some tender chunks of potato to soak up all the flavours.

For our pasta course, we had the Tagliatelle with ragù genovese made with ox tongue.  Gotta say this was really good with chewy noodles that had an appealing firmness to them while still being fully cooked-through.  They were also seasoned well with an inherent balanced saltiness.  As for the ragù, there was a generous amount of tender ox tongue that retained its meatiness.  Rich flavours from the tongue (due to the fat content) and the sweetness of the onion really made this dish sing with umami.  Add in some parm and we had extra saltiness with nutty cheesiness.

Our last savoury items was the Bacalao with clams and peppers in a piperade.  The big piece of salt cod was only a bit salty and plenty tender and flaky.  The piperade was sweet and tangy.  It helped compliment the salt cod by balancing out the saltiness.  There was the faintest hint of spice which varied the flavours.  Add in the buttery clams and we got a touch of brininess too.

We ended up with 2 desserts including the Flan with whipped cream and dulce de leche.  This was one of the richest and thickest flans I've ever had.  They must've really went ham with the cream with this one.  It was good though, since it wasn't too egg-forward and was balanced in terms of sweetness.  That left the dulce de leche to do the heavy lifting in terms of providing that rich and deep caramel vibes.

Our second dessert was pretty darn good too in the Valrhona Chocolate Tart.  It was also rich and dense (but in a good way).  Hits of bitter dark chocolate with aplomb where each bite was impactful and purposeful.  The addition of olive oil and salt only helped heighten theses flavours.  Providing some nutty crunch, we found roasted hazelnuts on top.  So guess what?  I now know why Beba is rated so high in all of these lists.  Mind you, I'm a bit confused as to why some of my favourites spots in Canada rank behind them.  Yet, that doesn't take away that the food is pretty darn tasty.

The Good:

- Delicious

- Generous portions

- It's unique

The Bad:

- Super tight seating (and also hard to get a reso)

- Loved it, but not sure if it should rank that high