Updated at 11:00 a.m.
Why talk about it?
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
The four-meat plate is a protein bomb!
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
This Cantonese chow mein is made with pork, shrimp, vegetables and crispy noodles.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
The char siu pork is a must try.
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The moment seemed particularly opportune to talk about this establishment, which remains pleasantly affordable, generous, in tune with the times and therefore representative of the possible evolution of a family project passed down from one generation to the next. Opened in 1982 under a different name (Fung Lam) and in a different location (Boulevard Saint-Laurent), Dobe & Andy is one of the few businesses in the neighborhood that has seen succession. The “Hong Kong Diner”, very popular with chefs and other restaurant workers in Montreal, is multiplying events outside its walls. For example, the team combined its cuisine with that of the Japanese restaurant Fleurs et Cadeaux and that of the Haitian-born chef Paul Toussaint in Kamuy. My last two visits have been 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 you ?
Dobe & Andy
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Eric Ku, Shin Yang, Edmund Ku and Webster Galman are the restaurant's four partners. They all consider themselves brothers!
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Edmund Ku started working in his father's restaurant in 1994.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Eric Ku also grew up in this family restaurant.
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Today it is the founders' sons, Andy and Shirley Ku (died 1990), who run the company. The brothers Edmund and Eric Ku grew up with Dobe and 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 had not even reached puberty, they even started working with their father. They later studied for a few years and explored other careers, but finally returned home in 2012. When Mr. Ku died in 2014, the two continued their work, accompanied by their third brother, Edward. He left the company last summer to work in another area. Experienced chef Webster Galman, who has worked at Le Garde-manger, Liverpool House, Au pied de cœur and Satay Brothers restaurants, is now also part of the team, as is Shin Yang, who Eric describes as a talented touch asset.
Our experience
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Dobe & Andy is a unique venue.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Pictures of Bruce Lee line the restaurant.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
The customers are loyal!
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Light floods the restaurant's dining room.
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Tucked away in the Place du Quartier building (underneath dim sum restaurant Kim Fung), Dobe & Andy is a completely unique two-level space with walls covered in pictures of Bruce Lee, a ceiling lined with red squares, alternating white squares and mirrors and many other details that we discover with every visit. You could say it's so cheesy that it's “beautiful.”
After the two-story dining room was filled to capacity at lunchtime — “we served 200 people at lunch,” Edmund remembers — it never regained the traffic it had before COVID-19. However, she has gained a clientele who have Cantonese chow mein and fried chicken delivered to their homes. The restaurant offers continuous service from 11 a.m. to the evening and is still always busy with unusual eaters, no matter what time of day.
I have a weakness for milk tea (which I like hot in winter and cold in summer), a soothing creamy and sweet drink. It's the first thing I order when I arrive. There are also beer and soft drinks, as well as some spirits if you want to “spice up” your tea. The service is friendly and is offered in both official languages. Elders who still want to communicate in Cantonese can also do so, including with the Ku brothers.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Pork cooked two ways: char siu on the left and fried until crispy on the right
We mainly come here for barbecues. There are four types of meat: the delicious 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 or two, or even try all four on the same plate (to share!), which also includes a mountain of rice, bok choy, and two fried eggs on top. The spring onion and ginger sauce completes the whole thing. Meat can also be served in soup, with crispy noodles or with fried rice.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
The famous wontons with chili sauce
Wontons with chili garlic sauce are not to be missed. They are very plump and tasty (although other dumplings are often not boring) and have just the right amount of spice. If you're looking for another dish to bring to the table, even if it means having leftovers, the “Supremium” fried rice, with its little salty-sweet morsels of char char and shrimp, is an excellent option . A plate of green vegetables isn't a bad idea to balance things out. You also need to keep an eye out for daily specials that appear to be exactly what the chefs want.
While taking the photos, Webster tells us that before he became a partner in the restaurant, he was a particularly good foodie for a long time. “I would order 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 with 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.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
The restaurant is located in the Place du Quartier building, Rue Saint-Urbain.
Good to know
The dining room on the ground floor is accessible to people with reduced mobility. Although meat is the main attraction of the restaurant, vegetarian dishes are also available.
information
Dobe & Andy is open seven days a week, Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m.
1071, rue Saint-Urbain, room R-12, Montreal