Sichuan Pop-Up J’ai Feng is Getting a Space of Its Own | Eater Montreal

"Started as a pandemic side project when former Trilogie chef-owner Anita Yue Ming Feng began making chili oil and pao cai in her home kitchen, J’ai Feng has evolved into a cozy grocery shop and tiny counter eatery at 43 Beaubien East, just east of Boulevard Saint‑Laurent. I see its deep grey and natural-wood interior as compact but well-equipped, with ample shelving for J’ai Feng’s spicy oil and pickles, soy sauces, bean pastes, and sourced items such as fruit sodas and noodles from China. With only four counter seats and a tiny kitchen constrained by fire regulations, weekday offerings will focus on grab-and-go canteen-style boxed lunches (noodles or rice), warming broths served from the sliding front window in cooler months, and shaved ice with Chinese flavours in summer, while changing hot-food specials will run on weekends. Feng plans to experiment with Chinese-inspired fermentation—including Guizhou’s sour, spicy fermented dishes—use the walk-in fridge for pickles and marinades, collaborate with Jean Talon’s Boucherie dans la Côte for meats, run workshops on regional Chinese cuisines, and is working with her sister Amy front-of-house and designer Rock Anctil on branding; opening is slated for late October, city permits permitting." - Ivy Lerner-Frank