Chinese Food Capital of the Eastern Townships

Who would have thought Cowansville would be the Chinese food capital of the Eastern Townships?

This regional hub is now home to three great new Chinese restaurants -- all opened within the past year or so.

I'm a big fan of Fusion d'Asia (at the corner of rue Principale and rue du Sud, in the former Sac à mots building) and Rendez-Vous Café (across from the Princess Theatre).

I wrote about Fusian d'Asia (94 rue du Sud, 450-263-3838) here. 

Rendez-Vous Café & Yamei

Less than a block away, Rendez-Vous Café (140 rue Principale, 450-955-3373) serves tasty and generous Chinese noodles and soup dishes.

A couple of buildings over, the café owner's wife, Yamei Zhao, has also opened a self-named restaurant called Yamei (101 rue Principale, 450-955-1682). 

Haven't tried Zhao's restaurant yet, but I wanna, and soon. If her husband's work in the kitchen is any sign, Yamei is gonna be a hit too.

Xie xie to all these entrepreneurs, and good luck!

UPDATE: My lovely and talented wife and I tried Yamei the other day and had a great dinner. The selection is simpler than at Fusion d'Asia, but the meals were excellent and well priced. 

We also picked up some of their delicious home-made hot sauce.

Asian Fusion a Big Hit in the Eastern Townships

Wow - the Fusion d'Asia restaurant in Cowansville has just opened, and it's already one of my favourite places to eat in the Eastern Townships.

We aren't blessed with the most culturally varied cuisine out here, but this place can compete with - and outdo - most Asian restaurants in Montreal.

Started by owner Minhtri Lai, who is of mixed Chinese-Thai descent, Fusion d'Asia blends flavours from both of Lai's countries of origin as well as Vietnam.

Lai opened the Cowansville location in October after success with his first restaurant of the same name in Bedford, Le Guide of Cowansville reports in this item.

Unholy Good

My wife had a tasty, tiny bird of some kind for an appetizer, while I had breaded shrimp wrapped around sugar cane sticks. Cool!

My wife's fried fish in coconut milk was one of the best fish dishes we've tasted. My mixed seafood dish arrived inside a coconut - nice! - and was unholy good.

When we visited in mid-October, the restaurant was waiting to get its bring-your-own-wine license, which was expected imminently. (Update: They've now got their BYOB licence.)

Prices on the menu were very reasonable, too. And the place was pretty much full the night we went -- so looks like it's already a big hit locally.

Look for this gem in the former Sac à mots building in the old bank building near the corner of rue du Sud and rue Principale.