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Oncle Lee: Bringing a contemporary taste of Chinatown to Montreal’s Mile End

Oncle Lee is where chef Andersen Lee has a space to call his own, exploring his Chinese identity, influences, and inspirations.

J.P. Karwacki

J.P. Karwacki

January 15, 2024- Read time: 8 min
Oncle Lee: Bringing a contemporary taste of Chinatown to Montreal’s Mile EndChef Andersen Lee and the team digging in at Oncle Lee. | Photograph: Scott Usheroff / @cravingcurator

Restaurants like Oncle Lee are a new breed for Montreal.

While the city's not exactly a stranger to a newer generation of Chinese restaurants, few—if any—have gone the lengths to offer an alternate take on the cuisine.

Newer spots will often solely focus on the classics and, while executing them well, seldom go outside the bounds to play with flavours, techniques, and traditions of the source material.

That's the space where chef Andersen Lee's contemporary Chinese restaurant Oncle Lee plays, jumping in between the chef's coming-of-age and culinary cultures to create something that's wholly of and by Montreal.

Oncle Lee embarks into some uncharted territory for Montreal to create a contemporary Chinese spot the city hasn't seen before. | Photograph: Scott Usheroff / @cravingcurator
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