Eater’s cheap eats series Dining on a Dime spent plenty of time checking off Montreal classics like bagels and smoked meat — now it’s time for something different.
This week, host Lucas Peterson is at Jean-Talon Street newcomer Jiep Jiep. Home-taught cook Shammy Chan opened it up less than a year ago, and while she focuses on dishes from Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cuisines, but doesn’t hesitate to get playful.
Chan is originally from Hong Kong, but picked up many of her skills after her family moved to Vancouver when she was a teen.
“I never really learned how to make Chinese food properly...it was fascinating to go to a store and see things I don’t know, ask about it, and go home and make it,” she explains.
Peterson notes that Jiep Jiep, with its rotating menu, is somewhat of an experimentation lab — while he tucks into some more classic items like japchae noodles and a bibimbap with spicy gochujang-glazed chicken.
Then there’s Chan’s newer creations: a shakshuka gets a sweeter kick with shiso peppers But perhaps the fusion star is the pierogi — the traditional potato-filled dumpling gets a kick with kimchi all wrapped up inside.
Dining on a Dime will release Montreal episodes weekly until late September — click here to watch all previous episodes.