Oncle Lee — Restaurant in Montreal

I love Asian food and I was excited to visit this restaurant. The interior space is Asian style but with the added note of loud annoying lounge music. The menu was impossible to read even with glasses as the print is very small and low contrast. We looked at the cocktail menu but 17 dollars for a cocktail?. We started off with 2 beers which where slightly chilled not cold as they should be, but I like the fact that they offered micro brewery beers. We ordered a rib and salmon entrée and for the main course, spicy noodles, vegetables with garlic and the 5 spice duck. The salmon had a sauce with no taste and lacked salt and very small portion. The ribs were 5 pieces of bones mostly burned with very little meat that had no flavor but a very strong pork taste. 15$ for 5 ribs with no meat? They tasted like they where in a refrigerator all night and let sit at room temp to be served. The funniest was the vegetables which is plural at 10$ and all they put on the plate is 2 overcooked pieces of Chinese broccoli "Mushy instead of crunchy" in a mascarpone sauce which the cheese had a burned taste and 4 slices of thinly sliced chili. They mention garlic and vegetables? I guess 2 pieces of broccoli would refer being vegetables LOL, I didn't taste any garlic at all! So far I we where not impressed. The spicy noodles where authentic Chinese noodles that where dripping in oil that claimed to be spicy, Hmm not sure about that. I found it once again bland and the portion of noodles was very small with a pool of oil sitting underneath. Finally we got the duck which was very well cooked and tender but there was only 6 rappers which the bottom ones where covered in blood along with condiments that where not enough for 3 rappers let alone 6 rappers with over 25 thickly sliced pieces of meat. I counted 5 julienne carrots, 6 julienne cucumber and barely any sauces to eat over 25 pieces of duck. I asked the waitress why so few rappers and she said for 3 dollars more you get some extra ones. Very cheap attitude. Finally we shared a French toast with ice cream which was probably cooked in the morning. Overpriced mediocre food with very small portions. I personally would...

Being a Chinese myself, this is nothing close to a “Chinese” restaurant.

The part where they tried the hardest to be Chinese is the lanterns and utensils. But the decorations felt very cringe. The character 囍 printed all over the restaurant means double happiness, a special character reserved for weddings. The Chinese phrases printed on the chopsticks are blessings for happy marriages. I can assure you no real Chinese restaurant would use these specific decors. It almost felt racist for using such stereotypical elements without understanding their meanings.

Anyways we went there for the food, so let’s talk about that. Overall it’s ok but it really has nothing to do with Chinese food. Spicy sesame noodle has no spice, and noodles tastes like packaged frozen udon. 5 spiced duck was well cooked…for a Canadian duck breast. I can tell the duck dish was inspired by Peking duck, but the duck is pretty much the only part in common, maybe plus a few wrappers, which the waitress told me is “Chinese tacos”. 🤣

When the stir-fried vegetable dish came I honestly felt offended. If you’ve been to any Chinese restaurant you’d know stir-fried is the signature Chinese cooking method. And Oncle Lee failed hard.

First of all, there were like 4 stems of Chinese broccoli in the plate, that’s not what you’d remotely expect in a Chinese restaurant for a veggie dish. Then you eat it. The vegetable was soggy, has zero character of a stir-fried dish which should be crunchy and smoky. That dish was not actually edible for me because the sauce was a mix of butter and cheese. Appreciate the creativity but soggy, buttery and cheesy just really don’t go well with leafy greens. 🤢

Overall, I’d give the restaurant a 3-4 stars if it was branded as Asian fusion or Chinese-inspired Canadian. The one star is because I went in expecting somewhat an attempt at Chinese food but had no hint of Chinese flavour other than the 囍 character all over the place.

To the restaurant owner/chef/staff - I really respected your work at Bouillon Bilk, that’s why I got so excited about Oncle Lee. But please please get a new batch of lanterns, change the restaurant category or don’t say...

I have been to Cadet a few times and very much enjoyed the food. When I heard of Oncle Lee, a Chinese joint with ties to the aforementioned restaurant and Bouillion Bulk, I couldn't resist. And folks, the experience did not disappoint.

TLDR: Get a reservation! This place is excellent and I am a tough critic.

Context: Four of us shared 8 plates and a few cocktails. Company was a former colleague and our +1s.

Food: Well priced, perfect portion sizes. The menu is tight - every item has its role and there is something for everyone.

Special callout for the spicy noodles, ribs and the eggplant dish. All the dishes were great, but those three really stood out.

The portion sizes are important here because one could certainly over-indulge in some of these rich flavors. Dishes were portioned just right.

Service: prompt, friendly, strong knowledge of the menu.

Our server clearly knew his stuff. The menu is more complex than some, and he had no issue explaining ingredients, the specials, dishes or cocktails.

Atmosphere: moody, busy but not overwhelming, music choice and volume was just right.

A relatively small place; Oncle Lee has an atmospheric dining room which evolved over our dinner. The lights were turned down as the night went on and the mood definitely entices one to stay for one last round.

The decor is subtle and suitable. There is a nice balance between recognizable Chinese aesthetics and trendy themes one expects in the Plateau area. Music volume was just right. Enough to maintain the atmosphere but never overbearing.

All in all, excellent. Give Oncle Lee a try, it's unlikely...