Happy food

>> Le Jardin du Nord gives a big boost to Szechuan flavours

by IVY TOLCHINSKY

The minute you walk in the door of Le Jardin du Nord, a 10-year old family-owned Chinatown establishment, you'll be primed for an uplifting culinary experience. This minimalist-designed Chinese restaurant is a tad more classy than your average Chinatown joint, sporting serious starched white tablecloths (not a thick layer of vinyl sheets) that are contrasted with sunny, lemon-banana cream-coloured walls.

Four of us met here for lunch because I was told the table d'hote ($6.95-12.95) was irresistible (a full menu is also available for lunch and dinner). They didn't lie. A variety of choices featuring Kung Pao Gai, lemon chicken, orange chicken or beef, soba noodles with veggies and crispy spinach with beef, all include a soup--won ton, hot and sour or Chinese vegetable--and a spring roll or Hunan dumplings, rice, coffee or tea and dessert. So, your pants feeling tight already?

We all decided on combo plates, any two choices, in order to sample as many dishes as possible. But, isn't that what Chinese food is all about? First out, the soup, with only the hot and sour worth mentioning. The spring roll was crispy yet standard, but the accompanying plum sauce tasted like real plums, even retaining their deep purple colour.

The Hunan dumplings, which I consider the Chinese equivalent of Caesar salad, were scrumptious. Their unique flavour was distinguished by the addition of sweet soy sauce over the spicy peanut sauce.

But it was really the main dishes that stood out so brightly. Firstly, the combo platters are huge. Secondly, they're tastefully presented on oversized plates with--get this--yellow borders. Maybe they thought we slipped into a depression while waiting for the rest of our food?

Both the orange and the lemon chicken won us over with their cheery dispositions. The lightly breaded lemon chicken was crisp, tender and well-matched with a refreshingly more-tart-than-sweet lemon sauce. Citrus lovers will also appreciate the orange chicken, stir-fried with orange peel for an authentic fruit taste rather than the orange lollipop flavour we often encounter. The orange beef was deep-fried and super crisp but the sweet sauce was in diabetic coma range. The ginger beef, also deep-fried, contained an intense ginger burst with each bite. Worth the heartburn I knew would follow.

The soba noodles, stir-fried with bean sprouts, black beans, garlic and soy sauce were a welcome salty addition and a good balance to our unintentional candyfest.

As if offering outstanding Szechwan food wasn't sufficient, the Jardin du Nord also offers some Thai dishes. I chose the chicken with Thai sweet basil, a dish of chopped chicken, carrots, celery, onion and pineapple. The bright orange sauce surprised me until I learned that it was the chili paste that gave it that hue. The basil was subtle, but strong enough to underscore the gentle heat of the sauce.

Needless to say, this was not the tuna on wholewheat lunch I was accustomed to. I was full, but happy. A trip to the Jardin du Nord may be a better alternative to any anti-depressant. And a heckuva lot more tasty.

Le Jardin du Nord

Address: 78 de la Gauchetière W. (corner St-Urbain)

Phone: 395-8023

Hours: Mon- Fri 11:30am-3pm, Sat & Sun, 4pm-11pm

Best features: distinct yet subtle flavours, sunny atmosphere

Alcohol: Yes

Vegetarian-friendly: yes

Fish and Seafood: yes

Wheelchair access: street level

Credit cards: Yes

Price: $17/person including tax & tip

Rating: *** out of ****