ChuChai — Restaurant in Montreal

I was a bit hesitant to try ChuChai, as what I really wanted was some Thai food with a lot of vegetables. I even considered going to an omnivorous Thai restaurant. But, I felt I could trust this restaurant, and hoped I'd be pleasantly surprised. Pleasant doesn't begin to describe my experience. It was a lovely warm, August evening, so I sat outside, on the cute-as deck. Gabriel was my primary server and was so friendly, helpful and accommodating! I ordered the Thai basil noodles with vegan duck. I also ordered a papaya salad. Because of some weird health issues, I'm avoiding coconut oil. I confirmed with Gabriel that there was no coconut oil in these noodles. Within minutes, Rachel dropped by my table. She said that she knew I'd ordered these noodles, and she knew there was a coconut oil issue. She wanted to let me know that the same pan is used for coconut dishes as for this one and there was a chance of cross-contamination. Was that okay? (It was and is. I just can't eat it in significant quantity.) I was blown away by that attention to detail. The papaya salad was loaded with enough green papaya and veggies to satisfy my needs and was fresh and delicious. Then, the noodles came... I used to eat duck. I kinda remember the texture... This was probably the most accurate vegan meat I've eaten outside of Boca Burgers! And, it was delicious. The entree was rich, but not overpowered by the vegan duck. There was just enough to get some in every bite, but not be overwhelmed. AND, my water glass was never allowed to go empty. I think there was only one member of floor staff with whom I did not interact. This is such a cohesive, well-run team! And they still manage to provide just the kind of atmosphere you'd want, be it in solitude--like me-- or with a group. Even a date! I saw all of the above at other tables. I've already given a personal recommendation to strangers who are vegan and were headed up to Montreal. Yum. Yum. Yum. UPDATE: I was meeting up with friends in Montreal, early in April. I had already mentioned ChuChai. Why would I not? But, on Friday, they mentioned they'd not had "a fabulous meal, yet." So, I recommended ChuChai, again. We were one veganish, one veg, one pescatarian and one omnivore. Gabriel seated us 30 minutes before our reservation--and REMEMBERED ME--and we sat! We ordered a lot of food and Gabriel was in charge of our wine guidance. Success! We all moaned in ecstasy, with every bite. Once again, casually and effortlessly, every server took care of us in some way. On the way out, my friend decided she wanted a t-shirt. I was directed to Emily--the owner--who ALSO remembered me. I got a little bit of history about the place, and introduced to her mother, who was sitting at the bar. My friend got chatting with mom so intently, we missed our Uber! Well worth it. This place slays me! And how lovely to find that 8 months' was like 8 seconds in the fluid consistency. Can't wait to try the new, sister...

Frankly, I was a bit disappointed by my experience there. My main issue had to do with the temperature: there was a near-constant flow of people coming in and out (clients and delivery people) of the restaurant, causing a gush of -8°C wind to blow in during the entire dinner, to the point we had to wonder why we’d hung our coats on the hangers and hadn’t kept them on. They should had a buffer zone in the entrance doorway, at the very least. Currently, it’s direct wind getting in and sweeping the entire place.

Anyways, besides this unpleasant factor, the service was rather slow - we almost thought we had been forgotten at one point.

Foodwise, the flavours were generally nice, but given the price, the portions felt tiny. Expect to pay 35-40$+ per person (without tax or tip) for a reasonable amount of food. The red curry had almost no soup in it and was filled with random vegetables that you wouldn’t normally see in a Thai curry (green peppers?!). Many dishes are excellent and flavourful, though.

Last thing: there is no mention of desserts being available, neither on their website nor on the menu, which is really a pity given that we went for a birthday and ended up planning to buy a cake to eat at home. Had we known that they actually do have desserts, we might have had it there instead.

Anyways, I really didn’t want to write too negative a review, because I highly value and respect vegan restaurants, we clearly need more of them, and there’s never enough Thai food in this world - but one has to be honest, and there is clearly room for improvement.

As a vegan, I bring my non-vegan family and friends in these places hoping that they see the viability and importance of transitioning to a plant-based diet for the animals and the environment, and it hurts all the more when everyone leaves slightly disappointed. They’ve been more impressed when we just cooked at home.

P.S. I forgot to point out that me and my partner woke up today with an...

The last time I dined at ChuChai, it was an absolutely amazing experience. Naturally, I was excited when I returned yesterday, hoping for a similar vibe. However, to my disappointment, the evening didn't live up to my expectations.

My boyfriend and I both ordered an appetizer and an entree. I opted for the duck salad as my appetizer, which turned out to be quite delicious. On the other hand, my boyfriend chose the fried mushrooms, only to be presented with a meager portion of eight small mushroom pieces drenched in a sauce that tasted suspiciously like ketchup.

Moving on to the main course, my boyfriend ordered the ginger chicken. Unfortunately, the kitchen completely overlooked the addition of ginger, resulting in a flavorless dish of chicken and vegetables. Disappointed, he had to send it back since a ginger chicken dish should at least have a hint of ginger flavor. He did not receive his modified dish until i was almost finished eating mine.

As for me, I decided to try the peanut butter chicken with crispy spinach from the "our favorites" section of the menu. It seems this dish earned its spot because of its simplicity and affordability. The chicken consisted of mere strips of vegan substitutes, drowning in a basic peanut sauce. The real disappointment, however, was the crispy spinach, which had an unexpected (and unwelcome) coating of sugar. It would have been helpful if ChuChai had indicated a vegetable coated with sugar on the menu, allowing me to avoid this particular concoction.

I must say that our server was excellent, and the overall atmosphere of the restaurant was delightful. However, it's disheartening to spend $45 on a meal that left me feeling...