Oncle Lee Kăo: Chinese Grill Energy, Montréal

Oncle Lee Kăo feels like the grown-up little sibling of Oncle Lee on Laurier: still playful, still crowd-pleasing, but sharper around the edges. More grill smoke, more polish, and a dining room that is built for nights that feel like a plan. Keep it casual, share a few plates and a cocktail, or quietly turn it into a full date-night arc without ever feeling like you are doing fine-dining cosplay.

They also hold a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand selection, which fits the whole idea here: high-quality cooking and a great night out without the stiff “special occasion only” vibe.

The Vibe

In the former location of Ikanos and Garde-Côte, Oncle Lee Kăo opened in late January 2025. It immediately made sense as a Montréal date restaurant because the room does half the work for you.

The space seats around 80, with soaring ceilings that give it elegance without making it feel cold. The design leans chic and minimalist: lots of wood, burnt-orange leather accents, Chinese artworks, and a few red lantern touches that keep it from feeling too sterile. There is also a private room in the back for roughly 12 to 36 people, which makes it a strong group option when you want something nicer than “let’s just do dumplings.”

Lighting is warm and flattering. Noise sits at medium: buzzy and social, but not chaotic enough to make conversation difficult. Best seats are a two-top along the edges if you want to stay locked in with each other, or a bigger table if you are sharing everything and want that group-meal energy.

The Story

Oncle Lee Kăo is the newest project from the team behind Bouillon Bilk, led by chef Andersen Lee alongside chef Émile Collette and restaurateurs Mélanie Blanchette and François Nadon (also behind Bouillon Bilk, Cadet, and Place Carmin).

If the original Oncle Lee on Laurier became a neighborhood staple for comfort-forward Chinese flavors, Kăo is the different-lane version. More relaxed, more contemporary, and built around “kăo” (the Mandarin word for grill), with a menu that leans into smoky char, crisp textures, and shareable plates that encourage ordering wide.

What to Order

This is an “order in waves” restaurant. You want the table to keep evolving while the conversation stays steady.

The ideal flow for two: start with something briny and cold to wake up your appetite, add a vegetable plate with real punch, bring in a raw or quick-seared protein for contrast, add one comfort carb to make the night feel complete, and leave room for dessert because this room is built for lingering.

The easy order for two: one cold starter (oysters or chilled seafood), one vegetable plate with sweet-sour crunch, one beef or fish plate, one rice or noodle dish, and dessert if you have room. Four dishes is the right call; five if you are both serious eaters.

The Dishes

Steamed Oysters (black bean): A strong opener. Clean, briny oysters with a savory black bean hit that reads salty-sweet and fermented in the best way. It keeps the oyster feeling oyster-y (fresh, ocean, cold) but adds enough depth that it does not disappear in one bite.

Sweet and Sour Eggplant (peanuts, bacon): This is the plate that makes the table feel alive. The eggplant lands glossy and tender, sweet-and-sour without being sticky-ketchup sweet, with peanuts giving crunch and bacon adding a smoky, salty anchor. If you like eggplant when it is jammy and properly seasoned, this is the move. The sweet-sour profile also resets your palate for everything after it.

5 Spice Duck Platter: Their signature dish, and it totally makes sense once it lands. Sous vide duck with five spice warmth and a rich, luxurious texture, served platter-style so you can build your own wraps. It comes with duck rillettes, a ton of cilantro, pickled carrot and daikon for crunch and acidity, chili crisp, cucumber, a liver mousse, and a hoisin-style sauce. Every bite can be different, and there is something genuinely fun about assembling each one across the table.

Beef Tataki (Nordic shrimp, cucumber): This one tastes familiar in the best way, like hotpot flavors translated into a clean, modern plate. You get that slick chili oil vibe, warm spices, and a little mala-style tingle, but it still eats light and refreshing with the cucumber and Nordic shrimp keeping everything in balance.

Garlic Fried Rice: The closer that makes everything feel complete. Garlicky, comforting, and the exact dish you are grateful for when you realize you ordered with tasting-menu energy but still want to leave satisfied. It also works as a bridge plate: if one person wants to keep drinking and chatting, the fried rice buys you time without forcing either of you into another heavy main.

Drinks and Dessert

The Pandan Express is the cocktail to order. You can really taste the pandan: clean, aromatic, not perfumey. The baiju reads crisp rather than harsh. It is one of those drinks that feels specific to the restaurant instead of a generic sweet cocktail with a fancy name.

For dessert, the yuzu tartelette with green tea and a fruit platter landed like the perfect soft ending. Yuzu gives you that bright citrus snap that cuts through the savory meal, and green tea is basically the clean reset button that makes you feel human again. If you are trying to make the night feel romantic without being corny, this is exactly the right note: a dessert moment that feels cared-for rather than performed.

The Real Cost

This can be a controlled-budget night or a “we kept ordering” kind of evening.

Per person, expect roughly $60 to $120+ CAD depending on how many plates and cocktails you order. The best way to keep it reasonable: three to four dishes for two, one drink each, and dessert. Worth it? Yes, especially if you value room and vibe as much as the food. The Bib Gourmand recognition is a fair signal here: quality cooking without the punishing special-occasion price tag.

Make It a Full Night

Old Montreal makes the before-and-after easy to plan.

Before dinner: Le Mal Nécessaire in Quartier International has great cocktail energy without feeling like a club. The Coldroom in Old Montréal is dim, classic, and a strong “start the night right” bar. Or simply walk around Place Jacques-Cartier and the nearby streets to get into the Old Port mood before you sit down.

After dinner: Head toward the waterfront for a slower post-meal walk. The Notre-Dame Basilica area, even just the square and streets nearby, feels like a natural second location. Or stay for one more drink nearby instead of dessert if you are already full.

Is It a Date Spot?

First date? Honest answer: 3 out of 5. The food leans oily and bold, and it is not the kind of meal that leaves you feeling light and ready to charm after. Not my top pick for a first impression, but if you both love Chinese food, it is not a bad call.

Anniversary? 3.5 out of 5. The room is genuinely nice but the whole feel skews group-energy over quiet milestone dinner.

Double date or group night? That is where this place actually clicks. Five out of five. Order a spread, share everything, and let the table energy ride the waves of food. A completely different experience from a strict two-person dinner here, and a much better one.

Oncle Lee Kăo scores 7.8 out of 10. The cooking is solid, the room earns the Bib Gourmand recognition, and the price point makes sense for what you get. If you already eat at Chinese restaurants regularly, some flavors will feel familiar at a premium markup, and it will not scratch the classic comfort-food craving. But when you want a room that sets a mood, share plates built for an evening that stretches out, and food that holds up across the table, it belongs on the Montréal list.

If you want to bring some of that grill energy home between dinners out, our guide to wok hei at home is worth reading before your next date-night stir-fry.