Restaurant review | Dobe & Andy: Chinatown treasure

Through the good times and, sometimes, the not so good, our restaurant critics tell you about their experience, present the team in the dining room and in the kitchen, while explaining what motivated their choice of restaurant. This week, a restaurant in Chinatown that is 42 years old and has all its teeth: Dobe & Andy.

Why talk about it?

The moment seemed particularly opportune to talk about this institution which remains pleasantly affordable, generous, in tune with the times and therefore representative of the possible evolution of a family project passed from one generation to another. Opened in 1982 under another name (Fung Lam) and in another location (boulevard Saint-Laurent), Dobe & Andy is one of the rare businesses in the neighborhood to have had a succession. Very popular with chefs and other Montreal restaurant workers, the “ dinner Hong Kong” multiplies events outside the walls. For example, the team combined its cuisine with that of the Japanese restaurant Fleurs et Cadeaux and that of the chef of Haitian origin Paul Toussaint, at Kamuy. My last two visits, I made with my teenagers, to encourage them to in turn fill this precious and unique address with their colorful fauna, to ensure its sustainability.

Who are they ?

Today it is the sons of the founders, Andy and Shirley Ku (died in 1990), who are running the business. Brothers Edmund and Eric Ku grew up with Dobe & Andy. “Our father worked all the time, so if we wanted to see him, we might as well come here,” says Edmund. In 1994, when they hadn’t even reached adolescence yet, they even started working alongside their dad. They later took a few years to study and explore other professions, but finally returned home in 2012. When Mr. Ku died in 2014, the pair continued their work, accompanied by the third brother, Edward. He left the company last summer to work in another field. The experienced chef Webster Galman, who worked at the restaurants Le Garde-manger, Liverpool House, Au pied de cœur and Satay Brothers, is now also part of the team, as well as Shin Yang, whom Eric describes as a talented touch- asset.

Our experience

Hidden in the Place du Quartier building (under the Kim Fung dim sum restaurant), Dobe & Andy is a completely unique place, on two levels, with walls covered with images of Bruce Lee, a ceiling where red squares alternate , white squares and mirrors and a host of other details that we discover from one visit to the next. You could say it’s so kitsch it’s “beautiful.”

Once packed to the brim at lunchtime – “we served 200 people at lunch,” recalls Edmund – the two-level dining room has never regained its pre-COVID-19 traffic. However, she has gained a clientele who have Cantonese chow mein and fried chicken delivered to their home. Offering continuous service from 11 a.m. until the evening, the restaurant is nevertheless always busy with offbeat eaters, no matter the time of day.

I have a weakness for milk tea (which I like hot in winter, cold in summer), a comforting creamy and sweet drink. It’s the first thing I order when I arrive. But there is also beer and soft drinks, then some spirits if you want to “spice up” your tea. The service is friendly and is provided in both official languages. Elders who still wish to communicate in Cantonese can also do so, with the Ku brothers, among others.

We come here for the barbecue above all. There are four meats: the tasty duck with crispy skin, the famous char siu pork marinated in a sweet barbecue sauce, the irresistible pork belly with a crust like chicharron and the soy chicken. You can choose one, two, or even taste all four on the same plate (to share!), which also includes a mountain of rice, bok choy and two fried eggs on top. The scallion and ginger sauce ties it all together. But meats can also be served in soup, over crispy noodles or over fried rice.

You won’t want to miss out on wontons with chili garlic sauce. They are very plump and tasty (where other dumplings often fail to be bland) with just the right amount of spice. If you’re looking for another dish to add to the table, even if it means having to leave with leftovers, the “supremium” fried rice is an excellent option, with its salty-sweet little bites of char siu and shrimp. A plate of green vegetables is not a bad idea, for balance. You also have to stay on the lookout for daily specials, which appear according to the chefs’ desire.

While taking photos, Webster tells us that before becoming a partner in the restaurant, he was a particularly foodie regular for a long time. “I would order the duck soup, number 62, which was Cantonese chow mein, pork chop and I would eat it all. It was so cheap. » Today, he swears by intermittent fasting!

Price

I paid $56 (before tip) for a large plate of char siu over rice, “supremium” fried rice, duck soup, a plate of green vegetables, a soft drink and a milk tea. In short, a person can easily eat more than they are hungry for less than $20.

Good to know

The downstairs dining room is accessible to people with reduced mobility. Although meat is the main attraction of the restaurant, vegetarian dishes are also offered.

Information

Dobe & Andy is open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

1071, rue Saint-Urbain, room R-12, Montreal