I am real difficult when it comes to Chinese restaurant in Montreal. They are usually filled with MSG and oil that I get a stomach ache afterwards. However, Kan Bai picked my curiosity when I saw that they are known for their spicy dishes. You know I am IN when it’s spicy food!

Just let me warn you – most of the dishes of this place is spicy. BUT they won’t kill you. But then again…i eat real spicy…

The day I visited Kan Bai, it was packed. But lucky enough, there was one table left for us!

I had a real hard time to choose what to order!  I like to point out that our dish came real fast. Almost faster than McDonald’s

But we finally chose…

This is not ordered! It is served to us once we sat down. I really enjoyed this side dish! It greatly reminds me of the times when I went to China where they would always serve salty peanuts. No fear – that red pepper is fooling you. Not spicy at all.

Sizzling spicy lamb

This sizzling spicy lamb was good! However, I wasn’t amazed. If you love lamb, you can order this dish. If not, skip it for other more original dish!

Chilli pepper fish soup

The most intriguing dish of the evening! I spotted that every table ordered this so I couldn’t stand to miss out this famous dish, can I? Looking at all those chilli pepper! I was almost scared that it might be too spicy. But disappointedly, it was just a bit spicy. The amount of oil that this “soup” has is really terrifying. But I am really surprised that I can’t taste the oil at all. (According to my mom, real Szechuan food has lots of oil and you cannot taste the oil – therefore I am taking for her words and claim that this place serves authentic Szechuan food because honestly, I never encountered any authentic Szechuan food). Also, I couldn’t believe how generous they are with this dish; The quantity of fish in there seems endless! This dish something I would recommend, not because of their exploding flavours, but because of the “rarity” that it could be found elsewhere.

Fried lotus root

This IS my favorite dish of the evening. I have to admit that lotus root has a weak spot in my tummy, so I may be biased… On the other hand, I never tried to eat lotus root cooked this way: fried. It was real interesting. It almost like I’m eating french fries except with tons of fibers. Maybe it’s the heavy handed salt that makes the dish real addictive. Again, the oil is real apparent but I couldn’t taste it. To say the least, A MUST TRY.

Pork

Ok – my caption for this dish is real lame…but at least it describes what kind of meat it is! I seriously don’t know what this dish is called…but it’s a dish that all Chinese families, or even if I could say, all asian families are familiar with. Why? It’s something that my grandma (or for some people, their dad, or mom) would cook! I am real scared with those thick fats in the pork meat. But again, it’s what makes the dish so delicious. I had to refrain myself from eating too many. It is real savory and what’s unique is that they pair the pork with potatoes. Something I don’t see my grandma would do. This dish can get real scary after it cools down, you can see all the fat deposits coagulated in the sauce. Urgh. Not a nice scene. If you want a nice dish for the winter weather, this is the one!

Verdict of Kan Bai?

I want to go back! I really want to try more of their dishes as they have a lot more to offer on their menu. Important suggestion, go with at least 4 people in order to maximize your options.

Zuuchini