Chez Bong’s story begins with that of Madame Bong and her husband, who have worked in Montreal’s restaurant scene since 1989. Their first restaurant, Maison Corée, closed in 2003. And just a few months later, Chez Bong opened on Saint-Laurent, with barely a pause between the two ventures. Madame Bong is said to have run what was then one of the city’s first Korean restaurants. The cooking is family-style, carried by its founder.
You have to go down a small, discreet staircase to reach the dining room. Downstairs, the feel is that of a little Korean bistro done up entirely in wood, with a “rustic” and warm atmosphere. The many tables are full and packed close together, like in most of the neighborhood’s Asian restaurants. On the walls hang framed articles from several review sites.
The menu covers the Korean essentials very well: a bibimbap served in a heated stone bowl (dolsot) with your choice of protein, grilled meats like bulgogi and galbi, and japchae (stir-fried sweet potato noodles). The bibimbap runs around $15–16. Be warned, though, that wait times can be unpredictable.
My experience at Chez Bong
It all starts with a little sweet-and-salty treat, the duk kkochi, a skewer of rice cakes. The texture is somewhat like a marshmallow, yet the edges stay slightly crispy, and the whole thing is generously coated in a hoisin-style sweet-and-salty soy sauce with a good kick of chili (probably gochugaru) that never becomes aggressive.
Alongside come the beef dumplings. To my taste, they’re good, with a filling lightly tangy from the cabbage. Their shape looks imperfect enough for me to think that they are homemade.
My main course is the beef bibimbap, served in a pot that’s still piping hot, which gives the rice time to turn crispy and hold its heat. The daikon that comes with it is, to my taste, too bitter. The whole is well balanced, but I have one small reservation: the dish lacks moisture, and I end up dousing it in hot sauce to even things out.
I also quickly try the bulgogi. The meat is cooked to perfection, with that sought-after balance of tenderness. The sauce is much more generous than in the bibimbap, and that’s a good thing.
