Off-Menu Specials @ Chinese Restaurants

I've just read this article about off-menu specials:

http://www.montrealmirror.com/2007/092007/resto.html

I tended to believe that tired old line (of Montreal not being as good as Toronto/Vancouver in terms of Chinese food --Svt) until I heard an intriguing theory: Montreal’s Chinese food is just as good as Toronto’s and Vancouver’s, you just have to get to those off-menu specials. Certainly plausible, right? Hmm…

and I was wondering if anybody here knows about this practice. Have you personally tried ordering off-menu that?

never done it ,actually I had never thought of bravely ordering something off the menu while most of the time I don't even know what I am ordering from the menu.I wonder how would it be to order off the menu!!

I believe you need a native speaker in your group who will "negotiate" for you. I am assuming they're a little distrustful of everybody else.

I've ordered off menu here in Montreal in Chinese restaurants. In all honesty, I think it is more common than we realize in all good restaurants regardless of the cuisine.

From what I've gathered the prerequisites are:
1) the restaurant is usually higher end, or at least does quite well i.e. the restaurant has to be able to afford the extra investment in time and ingredients that go into off-menu dishes
2) the customers have to show that they are game to try new dishes and/or knowledgeable about the cuisine. Natives, for lack of a better word, fit that bill, but so do people who just love cooking/eating.

Once the staff know they've got an customer with a palate, I think the chefs are more than happy to prepare something out of the ordinary. It's also interesting for them; I know I love cooking for people who appreciate it! It's a pleasure.

I think the only way to know which restaurant will prepare off menu dishes is to just ask.