Bei Fang: it’s chow time in Northern China

I really wanted to love Bei Fang (a.k.a. La Maison du Nord), but it just didn’t happen. I’d been warned that the quality was uneven, but reassured that the hand-pulled noodles made it all worthwhile, and that it was very authentic Northern Chinese food. When I tried to order braised beef noodle soup and was told apologetically that only machine-made noodles were available, I had my first misgiving.

We sampled and sampled and sampled. Everything was satisfactory, but nothing overwhelmed or delighted us. Both the noodle dishes and the salads were high on carbs and disappointingly short on veggies. Of the two soups, the spicy cucumber and pork was the undisputed champion, with its tangy vinegar and sesame oil kick. A dessert pancake (a thick bread, toasted and filled with sesame paste) embodied Bei Fang’s unevenness – it was cut into twelve, but only four slices had any filling.

Nonetheless, this was a hearty meal: the steaming hot soups were meat-oriented, and the portions were never-ending. Plus, I don’t think anything cost more than ten dollars. Service was unobtrusively helpful, and the ambiance nonexistent. Good for your wallet and even better for the long cold winters Montreal shares with Northern China.

Bei Fang | 2130, Saint-Mathieu