by MARK SLUTSKY

It came as a great shock and disappointment to learn earlier this year that my favourite Chinese restaurant in town, Niu Kee (also affectionately known by some of its devoted clientele as "Mama's") had closed down, its proprietors apparently having moved back to China. Situated right in the middle of Chinatown, Niu Kee offered a type of northern Chinese cuisine that made it stand out among its neighbours, spicy and audacious.

So I was glad to hear raves about another northern Chinese restaurant recently, this one situated on the other side of the city, down a flight of stairs under a beauty salon on Côte-des-Neiges. Lao Beijing ("Lao" apparently means "old") may not be situated in Chinatown, but it's got the feel down pat; crowded and cramped, fluorescent-lit and the air swimming with intermingling odours. It may not win any design awards but the really good places never do.

Lao Beijing is one of those restaurants with approximately 100 items on the menu, so we came prepared with a few suggestions from the place's fans. Number one on my list was the jiang gu tou ($7.99), described in the menu as "os de cochon cuit avec cinq épices." That's right, they say pig bones, and lest you think that's some sort of mis-translation, let me assure you they mean it. For some reason this formidable dish came to the table first, despite it being perhaps the least appetizer-like thing I have ever eaten. The serving platter was piled high with big chunks of pork bone - I couldn't figure out exactly where on the pig they came from, though some of the pieces looked suspiciously like vertebrae. The attached meat was tender and sweet, flavoured with five-spice, and the kicker was this: as you can't exactly eat this stuff with chopsticks, you're provided with a pair of plastic gloves with which to handle the bones. I have to admit there's something a little disconcerting about eating like this, and despite the good quality of the meat I found plastic glove experience, which made my hands sweat, a little unappetizing.

Not all of Lao Beijing's dishes are that intimidating though - in fact, they're mostly delightful. After the pure meaty intensity of the jiang gu tou, we felt it apropos to try some of the restaurant's vegetable options. The cold plate ($4, veggie or non), is a salad made with thick, homemade noodles, bean curd, eggs, cucumbers and shallots, with a tangy dressing. It's halfway between a salad and a noodle dish, and it's a treat. Also on the veggie-friendly front is the tofu with mixed vegetables ($6.99), which sounds boring, yes, but most assuredly does not taste as such - the tofu is velvety, the veggies are fresh and the flavours are rich. It's a hearty dish, as is the sautéed eggplant/potato/pepper plate ($6.99), which was a little spicy and very filling.

I had to try the kung pao chicken ($9.95), as Niu Kee's take on that esteemed dish was one of my favourite things to eat in this town, and perhaps the world. Could Lao Beijing match it? Well... not quite. Although the peanuts-and-chicken dish was delicious on its own, it wasn't really hot enough, spice-wise, for my tastes.

Though the restaurant was out of dumplings when we visited, we did get to try Lao Beijing's "tourtière" with shallots, pork and garlic ($8.99), which was kind of a cross between a Vietnamese pancake and a Chinese dumpling. The pork actually took a backseat in this dish, while the garlic and shallot flavours really stood out. At four big tourtières for that price, it was a steal - two people could eat that alone and be satisfied, and that could really be said of any of the dishes at this affordable and justifiably crowded spot.

TIPS? QUESTIONS? COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF? E-mail eattothebeat@gmail.com

Lao Beijing
ADDRESS: 5619A Côte-des-Neiges (near the corner of St-Kevin, a couple of blocks down from Côte-Ste-Catherine)
PHONE: 731-8978
HOURS: Tue–Sun, 11 a.m.–11 p.m.
BEST FEATURES: The thick noodles of the cold plate
and the rich tofu dishes
ALCOHOL: Yes
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: A flight of stairs down
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: Yes
CREDIT CARDS: Yes
NO-SMOKING SECTION: It's a little ambiguous
PRICE: $5–$15 per person, before tax and tip
RATING: *** out of ****