Ethan delivers a robust exploration of Szechuan culinary traditions through a menu defined by bold spice profiles and authentic regional techniques. Diners encounter signature dishes featuring numbing peppercorns, vibrant chili oils, and meticulously prepared proteins that characterize this distinct style of Chinese cooking. The kitchen focuses on the balance of heat and flavor complexity, utilizing aromatic ingredients to elevate classic Asian preparations. Each plate reflects an adherence to traditional seasoning methods, ensuring that the signature profile of the cuisine remains intact. The environment facilitates a direct focus on the food, prioritizing the intensity of the flavor profiles over superfluous aesthetic distractions. This establishment serves as a deliberate destination for those seeking a sincere and uncompromised approach to the nuances of Szechuan spice and traditional preparation methods.
Restaurant Ethan is widely recognized in Montreal Chinatown for offering a broad menu of authentic Cantonese-style cuisine at very affordable prices with generous portion sizes. While many visitors appreciate the quick service, cozy atmosphere, and great value for a casual meal, opinions remain divided regarding the overall experience. Some patrons highlight the efficiency and friendliness of the staff, while others report inconsistent food quality and express frustration over aggressive tipping practices or impolite service. The dining environment is often described as dated or simple, but for those seeking a convenient and budget-friendly spot for staples like dumplings, BBQ meats, or bubble tea, it remains a popular and frequently visited destination.
I really don't like give stars below 3 but it was very disappointing. The skin of xiao long bao was very thick & the shrimp rice roll didn't come with many shrimp but a lot of the rice rolls. There are a lot of decent restaurants around this area, so I would just go others next time. - However the servers were friendly & I wasn't asked to give 15% tips.
Good service. Missing some A/C. Dumplings shrimp soup ok. It was not a great choice on a very muggy day [ my fault] . The shrimp toast was very good. The 20 dumplings for 10$ were soggy on the inside , not the best I have ever had, but the beef & broccoli were capital D elicious ,so much in the plate. Would have loved more of the beef sauce for the Chinese broccoli . Second time there. Very good prices for the amount of food. 46 plus tip for 3 people, soft drinks & extra rice. Good value
Only ate here because the wait upstairs at Keung Kee was too long. Made the mistake of ordering the Peking duck. The wrappers were tiny & too thin, the duck was dry, & instead of getting leftover duck with lettuce wraps we got fried bean sprouts! It was $65 for the Peking duck alone which was SOO overpriced. This place is better for casual eats like fried rice, sweet & sour pork, etc. The place was also extremely noisy & felt chaotic. For those traditionally "nicer" dishes & a calmer atmosphere, go somewhere else!!
Apr 28, 2024
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Certainly treated so much better here than upstairs resto where we were ignored for almost 10 min waiting while they had empty tables. The peking duck, salt & pepper calamari & salt & pepper shrimps with shrimp fried rice wad absolutely amazing 👏 service was prompt & good 👍 delicious food, made right to taste, we asked for extra spice & extra spicy the seafood was ❤️ We were grateful to be served with a smile & served fast. You can see them cooking behind the window. Their Peking duck is also really amazing. Thank you so much for welcoming us in after a horrific experience upstairs 🙏 😢 ❤️ You have won our hearts & tastebuds over. Next time we are ordering more dishes & a couple to go! Good service + tasty yummy food = more business 😋
Tried this restaurant while walking in Chinatown as it looked busy inside. BIG MISTAKE not taking a look at reviews first to see the low ratings. We ordered the combo A for two & added 10 pieces of dumplings as it is very reasonably priced. The combo includes soup, chicken, fried rice, vegetables, egg roll. It was a red flag when the general tso's chicken came out 1 min after ordering - the chicken was luke warm so I think they have it pre made as its a popular dish part of many combos. For those who say this is authentic Chinese food, it is definitely not. It's westernized fast food Chinese that is average at best. We were brought vegetables & multiple servers were yelling beside our table & across the restaurant that they messed up our table number & brought us the wrong type of veggies (I understand Cantonese). One of the servers eventually took the vegetable dish away, however I told her I had eaten a piece of broccoli & she looked at me & acknowledged what I said... then she took the vegetables & gave it to the table right beside us! After that, I didn't have much of an appetite - this shows the class of service or care that the restaurant operates at. While paying the cashier was extremely snappy & rude to the gentleman ahead of us ordering for take out. I would not go back nor recommend this restaurant.
Food was decent, definitely authentic Chinese cuisine but the fried rice & fried Gyozas were on the oiler side.
Service on the other hand was appalling, we waited to be seated for about 5 minutes & no one attended to us. When we decided to find our own seats, the waitress decided to chide us twice about how this is inappropriate behaviour “here in this country” & that we should have waited to be seated which we already did.
Servers would ignore us when we raised our hands to ask about an order that did not arrive, & one snickered instead of helping us.
We were four (2 adults/2 children) & ordered Won Ton Chop Suey Soup for four, Roasted Duck, General Tao chicken, Chicken Fried Rice, Shrimp in Lobster Sauce & two Smoothies. A plate of duck was placed in front of us. When I enquired about the soup, & asked why we were getting the duck before the soup without rice or anything else, I was told by the skinny waitress to calm down & that this was a fast-food restaurant. The rest of the food was brought to us at the same time (in less than 1 minute) leaving no room on the table for us to put our bowls or plates. Yet the couple next to us were eating their soup separately.... & their other courses came afterwards. No need to say that I will not go again nor will I recommend this restaurant to anyone. The cashier & waitress in question were also laughing out loud looking in our direction. Portions are of good size, food is not bad, but smoothies were just cracked ice with little flavour! This waitress truly ruined our good humour!
