Cuisine AuntDai is a Chinese restaurant in Montreal, Quebec famous for its owner's menu item descriptions, which are at turns disarmingly self-effacing, autobiographical, and advisory. [1] [2] [3]
The restaurant opened in February 2014. [4] It serves Northeastern Chinese regional cuisine and is owned by Feigang Fei, who immigrated to Montreal from China in 2006. [1] [5] It is known for its mala dishes. [5] Fei previously worked in information technology, where he says he was told to be more diplomatic in criticizing co-workers' work. [1]
In February 2019 Cuisine AuntDai was recommended by Global News for Valentine's Day dining. [5] In January 2021, the restaurant became well known because of its menu item descriptions. According to the New York Times, Fei's menu "in addition to its disarming frankness" is also autobiographical. [1] He mentions that one dish was one of his favorites while in college, but that he's "not such a huge fan of the restaurant’s version, to be honest" and prefers the original at Tianjin University. [1] Some menu item descriptions offer advice; the one for the hot-and-sour soup says, "Spicy and tasty, no meat, drink slowly to avoid hiccups." [1] Fei started adding such advice because of frustration with customers who returned dishes that weren't what they expected. [1] Fei occasionally describes a dish in complimentary terms, such as the braised pork belly with sweet potato, the description of which is "You almost want to sniff the tasty hot air above this beautiful dish." [1]
The restaurant had been "bleeding cash" during the coronavirus pandemic before a customer tweeted the menu in January 2021 along with a comment about the restaurant's "extremely honest" owner. [1] The tweet went viral, and shortly thereafter the restaurant could "barely keep up with demand for [its] takeout meals." [1] Fei was interviewed by media in Australia, Britain, Germany, Israel and the United States, as well as Canadian media. [1]
American Chinese cuisine is a cuisine derived from Chinese cuisine that was developed by Chinese Americans. The dishes served in many North American Chinese restaurants are adapted to American tastes and often differ significantly from those found in China.
Cantonese or Guangdong cuisine, also known as Yue cuisine is the cuisine of Guangdong province of China, particularly the provincial capital Guangzhou, and the surrounding regions in the Pearl River Delta including Hong Kong and Macau. Strictly speaking, Cantonese cuisine is the cuisine of Guangzhou or of Cantonese speakers, but it often includes the cooking styles of all the speakers of Yue Chinese languages in Guangdong.
Chaoshan cuisine, also known as Chiuchow cuisine, Chaozhou cuisine or Teo-swa cuisine, originated from the Chaoshan region in the eastern part of China's Guangdong Province, which includes the cities of Chaozhou, Shantou and Jieyang. Chaoshan cuisine bears more similarities to that of Fujian cuisine, particularly Southern Min cuisine, due to the similarity of Chaoshan's and Fujian's culture, language, and their geographic proximity to each other. However, Chaoshan cuisine is also influenced by Cantonese cuisine in its style and technique.
Hunan cuisine, also known as Xiang cuisine, consists of the cuisines of the Xiang River region, Dongting Lake and western Hunan Province in China. It is one of the Eight Great Traditions of Chinese cuisine and is well known for its hot and spicy flavours, fresh aroma and deep colours. Common cooking techniques include stewing, frying, pot-roasting, braising and smoking. Due to the high agricultural output of the region, ingredients for Hunan dishes are many and varied.
Thai cuisine is the national cuisine of Thailand.
Offal, also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the internal organs of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, and these lists of organs vary with culture and region, but usually exclude skeletal muscle. Offal may also refer to the by-products of milled grains, such as corn or wheat.
Nasi lemak is a dish originating in Malay cuisine that consists of fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. It is commonly found in Malaysia, where it is considered as the national dish. It is also a native dish in neighbouring areas with significant ethnic Malay populations such as Singapore and Southern Thailand. In Indonesia it can be found in several parts of Sumatra, especially the Malay regions of Riau, Riau Islands and Medan. It is considered an essential dish for a typical Malay-style breakfast. Nasi lemak is featured as a national dish in most of the country's tourism brochures and promotional materials.
Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions that formed in the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 populated islands of the total 17,508 in the world's largest archipelago, with more than 1,300 ethnic groups.
Vindaloo or Vindalho is an Indian curry dish, originally from Goa. It is based on the Portuguese dish carne de vinha d'alhos. It is known globally in its British Indian form as a staple of curry house and Indian restaurant menus and is often regarded as a fiery, spicy dish. The traditional recipe uses pork, but alternative versions have been prepared with beef, mutton, prawns, chicken, lamb, vegetables and tofu.
Champon, also known as Chanpon, is a noodle dish that is a regional cuisine of Nagasaki, Japan. There are different versions in Japan, Korea and China. The dish was inspired by Chinese cuisine.
Singaporean cuisine is derived from several ethnic groups in Singapore and has developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes in the cosmopolitan city-state.
Korean Chinese cuisine, also known as Sino–Korean cuisine, is a hybrid cuisine developed by the ethnic Chinese in Korea.
Japanese Chinese cuisine, also known as Chūka, represents a unique fusion of Japanese and Chinese culinary traditions that have evolved over the late 19th century and more recent times. This style, served predominantly by Chinese restaurants in Japan, stands distinct from the "authentic Chinese food" found in areas such as Yokohama Chinatown. Despite this difference, the cuisine retains strong influences from various Chinese culinary styles, as seen in the Shippoku cooking style.
Kai Mayfair is a fine dining Chinese restaurant located on 65 South Audley Street, Mayfair, near Park Lane in London, England. It was opened in 1993 by Malaysian sport shooter; Bernard Yeoh, with the intent of changing the perception of the Chinese restaurant experience. Yeoh was keen to show that Asian food has just as much standing in the fine-dining circuit as other cuisines. The head chef is Alex Chow, while Yeoh continues to be the proprietor to this day.
Hot and sour soup is a popular example of Sichuan cuisine. Similar versions are found in Henan province, near Beijing, and in Henan cuisine itself, where it may also be known as hulatang or "pepper hot soup" (胡辣湯). Also popular in Southeast Asia, India, Pakistan and the United States, it is a flexible soup which allows ingredients to be substituted or added depending on availability. For example, the American-Chinese version can be thicker as it commonly includes corn starch, whilst in Japan, sake is often added.
Australian Chinese cuisine is a style of cooking developed by Australians of Chinese descent, who adapted dishes to satisfy local Anglo-Celtic tastes. Its roots can be traced to indentured Chinese who were brought to work as cooks in country pubs and sheep stations.
Shandong is a Chinese restaurant in Portland, Oregon.