Thaison 1997

I’ve been eating their bbq meats since i was a little child in the 80’s when they had a shop in Côte-​des-​Neiges. Since then, i’ve tried other Chinese bbq places like this but nothing ever compared to it. Maybe the vietnamese side of it made a difference… Like i have mentioned in other of my reviews around the area, I don’t come around often due to traffic and parking issues. But when i do come to Thaison, i always enjoy and love their food. This time i ordered to go a whole roasted duck, vietnamese sausage with lemongrass, mi vit tiem soup (spiced braised duck with egg noodle soup) and a won ton with roasted duck with egg noodle soup. At under 10 $ a soup, 20 $ for a whole duck and 4,50 $ worth of sausage, my husband and i had enough food for 3 – 4 meals! All i needed to do is cook some fragrant jasmine rice and pop open a good bottle of beer (or a few) and we’re set! Bön appétit!!!
Btw, service is ok. I guess it all depends on how the day is unfolding to them ;)
I love it more when it is or was the older gentleman at the butcher table and not the younger version. Still ok though ^_^

Recommandé par mon amie Unilocaleuse Kim D., j’ai adoré mon expérience en bouche. Lorsqu’on ferme les yeux en savourant une cuillerée de bouillon de soupe au canard, surprise, c’est un voyage pour les papilles. J’y reviendrai assuré, pour d’autres merveilleuses découvertes de saveurs.

J’aime tellement la soupe que je commence à croire que c’est une maladie mentale. Celles du Thaison m’enchantent particulièrement et amplifient ma dépendance.
Je visite cet établissement fois de temps en temps (parce que mon ami Khai l’a recommandé et que ce maudit fatigant là a toujours raison) et j’ai décidé d’essayer toutes les soupes en ordre … comme une personne normale quoi (M1 à M12 … ou 17 … ou 23).
À présent, ma préférée est la soupe M1 — Canard cuit au bain-​Marie avec un délicieux mélange d’épices secrètes (pas si secrètes en fait … je les connais juste pas). Toutes les soupes contiennent des nouilles jaunes (ils utilisent vraiment ce terme dans le menu) et un à côté de fèves germés et de lime pour ajouter de l’agrément dans ton repas.
Je n’ai pas eu l’occasion d’essayer les coupes de viandes bbq qui sont biens exposées dans la vitrine … mais je vais le faire à un moment donné (Quand j’aurai goûté aux 17 ou 23 soupes.)
Très économique également.

Oh man you guys! I lived around the corner from here for years and it took reviews from trusted Unilocalers to help me finally discover this deliciousness! For when phở is not enough and you really want to get into some seriously good Vietnamese meats, get yourself to Thaison. The homemade lemongrass pork sausage was super tasty and the roast duck soup with egg noodles was crazy rich and filling with lovely savoury broth. I want to go back with a crew of people to order the hot pot and a bunch of other stuff on the menu that I need more professional eaters to introduce me to, but yah, what a happy discovery! I loved the sweet woman working and her sideways smile, loved the families giggling at the round tables in the back, loved the small cozy family vibe.

Asian BBQ meat is beyond what I can describe as amazingly delicious. Many places tend to claim to serve it up. Thaison I would declare the best I’ve had in Montréal for Char Siu (Chinese BBQ pork). It’s such a delicate mix of well cooked pork almost candied on the outside, yet not too dry and tender on the inside. They offer to cut it up for you or have it uncut. I asked for uncut as I thought it would be fresher bringing back home. I ended up cutting some for my daughter and right after she put it in her mouth she said «daddy more please». It’s really hard for me to use descriptive terms to explain. A tad firm on the outside (as in well done) yet tender would be the best I can describe it. It’s freaking amazing. I also purchased which was mentioned to me (by Unilocaler Khai) as Thai lemongrass sausage. It was a bit fatty but very good mix of pork and full lemongrass flavour. Another nice compliment.
If BBQ Chinese/​Asian meats are on your list you need to come here. The shop is very unassuming and service is direct and no nonsense but it’s the real deal folks.

best char siu and heo quay of the fucking neighborhood!
there’s a reason why its sold out by 4pm on weekends.
its somewhat of a hole mainly because its being hidden by hung phat but if you just walk past by hung phat, you’ll see thai son next door. in it, there’s the front bbq joint where you order your bbq takeout and the back part which is the restaurant. personally, there’s better restaurants nearby but when it comes to bbq pork, by far the best of the area.
here, there’s a choice of char siu (bbq pork), heo quay (crispy skin pork belly), bbq duck as well as bbq chicken, bbq chicken lemongrass and other stuff. if i remember right, bbq pig trotters. no head though.
the bbq duck is good but not much more. the bbq chicken and lemongrass chicken are satisfying but i’ve had better that i simply don’t bother. you really only go here for the char siu and heo quay.
for char siu, you get a choice of lean, medium and fat. i prefer the medium fatty char siu as it is tender, full of flavor and most of all, when you re-​heated the next day, it is still moist enough. the same can’t be said about the lean which totally dries up. good for stir fry rice but eating as is or in your own homemade banh mi, extremely disappointing so always ask for medium to fat (or just fat) char siu. and when you order, they chopped it up for you but you can always ask to keep it whole.
as for heo quay, fat cap with crispy skin and the full on flavorful meaty part. similar to porchetta but its no porchetta. like char siu, you can ask for lean, medium or fat and since its a full pork belly, its more of which end you’re getting. still, you can’t go wrong with the crackling of that skin.
each piece of char siu (the big ones that you can see pictured) is about a pound (give or take). $ 22 per kg while the heo quay is slightly pricier. a pound of each together is less than $ 20 and is enough to feed a family of 3 – 4 for a day on normal appetite. if really hungry or big family, you’ll probably need more than that.
in summary: somewhat of a hole in the wall to non-​asians but is very very well known in the community and while they may not be the best in the city (personal taste), they are definitely up there as one of the best.

Great little place to eat! Been there multiple times over the years. Their phở is amazing and so is their steamed rice with shrimp sauté. Vegetables are always crisp and fresh. Price is very decent for the large portions. The service is also nice, though there is a language barrier at times.