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Le Tonkin
Category: Restaurants Vietnamese Vietnamese [Edit]
6542 Boul St-LaurentMontreal, QC H2S 3C6
(514) 227-7220
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
2 reviews for Le Tonkin
2 reviews in English
-
Review from Risa D.
11/4/2011 1 photo
I'd be happy to give Tonkin a 3.5 star if that were possible, it really is a solid option up in Little Italy for fresh and super tasty Asian food. I certainly agree with Clare L that the menu is a little multi-national to be successfully authentic Vietnamese but I can sympathize with the logic that puts General Tao on a menu while trying to stay afloat on a sparse-ish stretch of street. (This strip is brightening quickly though and no doubt Tonkin's kindly fresh face is helping make the change.)
The grilled chicken pho and rare beef are both delicious, inexpensive, light and perfect for delivery when you're feeling under the weather or you know, just lazy. The beef balls weirded us out because of the texture, and the ribs were disappointing but in both cases this was due to our misguided expectations not kitchen problems. The imperial rolls are good stuffed stuffs - not greasy, light, yummy enough that these days we each get our own order (screw you sharing!) The house soup is a hot and sour that, while not life changing, has the proper bite and fresh ingredients.
Tonkin is a solid A-OK and a half and I'm so glad they are among the people in my neighborhood. -
Review from Clare L.
8/9/2011
Sometimes I read a review before I get there, and forget that someone else's 5 star, may not meet my expectations. In the case of Le Tonkin, this is what happened.
If I could rate 2.5 I would have, and this is why:
I'd like to begin with how accommodating this restaurant was to our group, and was quite patient, as well as tried to meet our "off menu" request. For that, I felt like the effort was put in, and should my friend have wanted an authentic Chinese dish, we may have been better off going to a restaurant specializing in Chinese cuisine.
I ordered a Noodle Dish with Chicken and Vegetables in the Bird Nest Style, and although may have been okay in most respects, the noodles were a bit too thick, and the sauce was just a soy based sauce, and perhaps too salty for my liking. Did I eat it? Yes I did. Did my dinner companions try it and like it? Yes, they did say how good it tasted.
I guess being in Vancouver, I got spoiled by the awesome Asian cuisine, and after the 5 star review, I got my hopes far far up.
Decor-wise definitely cleaner and nicer than most of the whole in wall types located in Montreal's own China Block (I can't call a few streets a town). There were many groups there and they seemed to have truly enjoyed their meals too.
For dessert, I picked up a fried banana, soaked in syrup, and it was crispy, not too oily, and hit the spot. I think in that sometime in the near future, to give this place a fair shake, I'm going to have to come back, and try it again, and give it due process.
I would like to reiterate though, that the service was lovely.
