A Search for the Best Dumplings in Montreal's Chinatown

by Dr. Jessie Voigts /
Dr. Jessie Voigts's picture
Dec 14, 2015 / 0 comments

If there's one thing I know well, it's the deliciousness of dumplings. Thanks to my husband's love for them, I have tasted them everywhere we go. I've even become a dumpling aficionado, like him. Thinking of eating dumplings is a joy, making them is lovely, but actually eating them is divine. 

A Search for the Best Dumplings in Montreal's Chinatown

A Search for the Best Dumplings in Montreal's Chinatown

So when we were in Montreal this summer, a town with a *real* Chinatown (alas, Kalamazoo doesn't have one), we headed there for our dinner the first night. And, while there were many dining  - and dumpling - options, one stood out - Oh! Dumplings. It is located on a corner, and has broad windows - so you can see that this is a clean, busy place, and that people are smiling while they eat. 

A Search for the Best Dumplings in Montreal's Chinatown

A Search for the Best Dumplings in Montreal's Chinatown

A Search for the Best Dumplings in Montreal's Chinatown

But there was one problem - Chinatown is a busy place, and Oh! Dumplings had stairs that my wheelchair scooter couldn't ascend. No worries - the kind man in charge brought out a helper, and together with my husband, LIFTED My wheelchair inside, for safety. Talk about customer service.

Getting accessibility help at Oh! Dumplings, Montreal

Wheelchair parking settled, we sat down and perused the extremely large menu. But let's be honest. We're all about the dumplings. At Oh! Dumplings, there are 12 (!!!) kinds of dumplings, each available steamed or pan fried. Swoon. We chose pork with chinese cabbage and pork with chives, and also, because it looked so good at the table across from us, a shallot pancake.

A Search for the Best Dumplings in Montreal's Chinatown

A Search for the Best Dumplings in Montreal's Chinatown

A Search for the Best Dumplings in Montreal's Chinatown

I walked over to the station where the women were very quickly making dumplings - they are experts, and smiled and chatted while they made SO MANY DUMPLINGS. The restaurant was full - and the dumplings are made by the thousands each day. The wait staff keeps busy, what with all the dumplings being ordered.

A Search for the Best Dumplings in Montreal's Chinatown

A Search for the Best Dumplings in Montreal's Chinatown

A Search for the Best Dumplings in Montreal's Chinatown

Happy Jessie!

The dumplings that were boiled were tender, juicy, filled with goodness, and oh, so delicious. The pan-fried dumplings had the perfect amount of crunch. And that shallot pancake? Well, we ordered more. Let me tell you that each dish shone...and made us want to move in.

A Search for the Best Dumplings in Montreal's Chinatown

Look at that!

The sauce was one you make yourself with on-table ingredients - soy sauce, black vinegar, and hot chili oil. Now, the best dumpling sauce we ever had was in Seattle, at Fu-Man Dumpling House - garlicky, gingery, and thick. We're still looking for a restaurant that has a similar sauce, but keep finding this on-table mixture. 

Lillie was happy with her bubble tea (that's HER go-to item when we find a Chinatown) - they have 16 flavors! - but honestly, I was too excited about dumplings to even look at other items on the menu. 

A Search for the Best Dumplings in Montreal's Chinatown

Here's an extra fun thing about Oh! Dumplings. They are located next to an open area where people were dancing - a hundred people! - for exercise that night. It was the best of travel tv, let me tell you.

Dancing in Montreal's Chinatown

Oh! Dumplings is a friendly place, with fantastic food and fair prices. I'd drive to Montreal to eat there - so if you're in town, be sure to make room for a meal (or three) here. Highly recommended.

Oh! Dumplings
1050 Rue Clark, Montréal, QC H2Z 1K3, Canada
Phone: +1 514-861-1628

http://www.ohdumplings.ca/

A Search for the Best Dumplings in Montreal's Chinatown

 

 

 

All photos courtesy and copyright Wandering Educators