Straight from Shanghai, the very first Fu Chun Xiaolong restaurant opened its doors in Shanghai in 1995, with a single specialty: the xiao long bao, a small steamed dumpling whose heart is filled with hot broth. Thanks to its success, the house then took flight with Macao in 2019, followed by the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo in 2020. And in 2021, it was Montreal’s turn.

William Gong and his partner Jin Wang, both originally from Shanghai, moved to Montreal in 2018. They searched, without success, for the dumpling flavors they had known in their hometown. Rather than resign themselves to it, they decided to fill the gap themselves. William then met the president of Fu Chun and obtained permission to open a branch in Montreal, which was inaugurated on November 19, 2021.

The decor is brand new and clean, with beautiful framed photos of dishes on the walls. They set the tone and, let’s admit it, stir up serious cravings before you’ve even opened the menu. The menu is compact and coherent, centered on Shanghai cuisine, with xiao long bao as the signature dish: in the classic pork version, but also pork and crab, sweet pork, or a vegetarian version, plus wontons served in soup or in a spicy sauce (pork, vegetable, or mixed), and Shanghai noodles. Expect to spend about $20 to $30 per person for a full meal, which is excellent value for handmade cooking.

My experience at Maison Fu Chun

It all begins with the pork xiao long bao. They arrive in their steamer basket, which keeps them hot until the last bite. These are classic pork xiao long bao, but executed with remarkable precision. The wrapper is truly thin, and yet it holds together. Inside, the balance between the filling and the broth is consistent: not so much soup that it drowns the meat, and not a filling that is too dry.

Then come the Shanghai noodles, coated in a spicy peanut sauce. They are well cooked, with that bite you look for. What struck me most was the depth of flavor, largely due to the sauce they are cooked in, a bit like a soy sauce. The spices, for their part, are not aggressive at all.

To finish, we stay with the spicy peanut sauce, but this time in vegetable and pork wontons. The dish arrives like a myriad of small fragrant parcels, sprinkled with green onions. The vegetables give the filling a very bitter taste, which contrasts with the roundness of the sauce. At the bottom of the plate, a fine touch of vinegar adds another dimension and brings a greater diversity of flavors. The wrapper is, here again, well made.