Yang's September 2011

My first attraction to this new establishment at 988 St Laurent was the decor, not to mention the attractive hostess at the door. The decor is rich and luxuriant with strong wood overtones. The first impression is a small cozy dining area with large windows and post modern seating. Of particular interest is the large table in one corner that looks like it is cut from a large log..too cool. the wall hides a second room much larger that also houses the sushi bar. All in all what Chinatown needs a fresh clean place reminiscent of what you find in most cities in China versus the drab un-adorned and let's say it dirty establishments that now occupy most of this area. Where the quantity and low prices often trumps quality and care.

I visited the restaurant and spoke to the manager before I actually ate and he noted this Establishment is an extension of restaurants in Toronto. I have eaten at about 20 chinese restaurants in Toronto over the past years and they run the gamut of yuck to yummy. So on a rather dreary day I decided to try Yang's. It was early in the week and there were only a few patrons. I ordered a simple meal of  Agedashi, Tempura soup and and a sushi dish from the menu.

I am not sure if this is true of all restos but there are always small tell tale signs of restos that try to be something they are not. In this case a very classy look overall but there on the front window written by hand on a colored paper was the daily special announcing meals starting at $8...why

It was also clear that the wait staff was unfamiliar with the profession. The food began appearing immediately and in no particular order. Dirty plates were not being removed etc...and glasses of water not refilled. All this with only 3-4 tables occupied.

I do not know all the customs of when soup is served , but when in doubt ask..the soup arrived between he tempura and the sushi plate.

Food Agedashi was OK and this is where a finer restaurant will distinguish itself, the tempura was actually good and generous with the shrimp still moist, unfortunately I ordered this dish for my companion not being a big fan of tempura. The soup a Udon that was shared was Ok although I found the broth to be flavored mainly with fat.

The sushi was well the same variety found in any fast food take out sushi place.

Overall it was not as memorable as expected.. As is my custom I will give this place another chance before I make my final decision on a hit or a miss.

Moti Mehal May 24th

1024 Jean Talon West
5143158801

One of the so many Indian restaurants in what I remember being the Greek area of Park X. Since today is Dylan's birthday all I can say is the times they are a changing. At times for the better and at times for the worse. Being an amateur of all things Indian I am often drawn to this part of the city for the food. I have sampled most Indian restaurants on this strip. I had a few years ago tried this restaurant and noticed they offered Balti dishes which immediately made my mouth salivate with the memories of the Balti chicken from the Shahi Palace on Sources. Well it seems the owners of this restaurant were part owners in the Shahi Palace which I consider to be the best Indian  in Montreal.

Now  a few years later I returned with 3 friends for some late Friday victuals. The room was full and we managed to get seats after another couple were displaced...this only happens in ethnic restaurants it seems.
We ordered the Nan some Balti chicken  Beef Palek (hope I remember that correctly)  Okra and a vegetable briyani.
We also started with 2 dishes of Chnan samosa which had been hand written in the menu..this street food seems to have gained quite a following in Montreal Indian restaurants.

All the food arrived quickly and was either warm or hot which for me is a big plus. I would say I was impressed with the briyani not because it was to die for but I expected less as with many of the area restaurants that soak this dish with oil.  The beef was cooked with the pureed spinach and was fair with not enough discerning flavours for my taste buds. The bread was also acceptable but not noteworthy. The best dish of the nigh was the Balti chicken which has several layers of flavours. The okra a beautiful vegetable on its own was completely devoid of flavour once mixed with the onions and sauce , luckily it still retained some of its crunchiness.

I was glad to have been asked how hot we wanted our dishes and having responded with medium is what we got.

Overall a good experience with he servers being attentive and pleasant. If however you crave something more do make it to the Shahi palace. 

Gourmet D'Asie May 2011 2481 Fleury 514 3818883

I have eaten at this restaurant more often than any other in the last 10 years, on average 1.5 times a month.

It's features are proximity to my work, it is relatively inexpensive, it is a BYOB restaurant and to a great extent the owner Mai is absolutely charming.

The table d'hote is always a good deal despite the standard Vietnamese offerings of brochettes. The stand out here is the soup which has a rich textured flavour with something other than broth. My companions are also fond of the wonton soup although I have yet to try it myself. One thing I must try is the pad thai which one of my companion eats regularly and swears that it is the best he has ever had.There a few interseting dishes such as the lotus root salad and the beef salad which unfortunately is sometimes served with too much dressing that masks the wondeful  flavours.

The large seafood soup usually fits the bill with soem tasty scallops shrinp and the obliging clams that amkes the dish look pretty.

Meals are ususally between 12-18 dollars including tips. Fridays and Saturdays are busy so reserve. They have a terrasse at the front  but the view is  blah some flowers and vines to hide the drab street would be an improvement.

One word to those that do not like salt stay away from any of the breaded fish dishes.

Ma Grosse Truie Cherie

!801 Ontario Corner Papineau.

This is another restaurant that has shot to notoriety in an area best described as changing. The exterior of the building has been decorated with a stand out piece of art resembling what else a Sow.

Sitting around and wondering where to eat my companion asked to go somewhere nice and new. Having just been told of this restaurant I called and got a 6:30 reservation which suited us just fine. On arrival our hostess led us to our table via the kitchen which I thought was WOW. As we walked on she asked if we could leave for 830 since another group had reservations at that time. I mentioned 2 hours should be sufficient give or take 5 minutes.

The room is to my liking with some old and new but decor is not what I long for in restaurants. The menu is a one page list with a few appetizers , and 5 mains all revolving around pork safe for a fish dish and some beef.

We ordered a soup and the foie gras as appetizers. Our server suggested a Spanish wine in the "modest" category which turned out to be the best thing of the evening . It matched beautifully our meal and just seemed to get better as the night wore on. For mains we had the pork ribs and as I mentioned to our server I just had to try what a $28 burger tasted like.

The soup arrived with the foie gras. I am no fan of foie gras nor too fond of soup but my dinner companion loves both so we shared . Not being a fan of soup I especially do not like lukewarm soup. I mentioned this to the server and the soup was returned piping hot which suited me fine. However her comment that the soup was hot but maybe the container was cold just killed it.

The soup was a beef based broth with pieces of smoked ham as best I could make it with some Quebec cheese that really cut through the soup very nicely indeed. The foie gras was as my companion mentioned good as she has never had bad foie gras. The mains arrived and the hamburger looked delicious with some well caramelised onions a large grilled mushroom and what should be a succulent piece of foie gras to enhance the veal patty. All in all a very tasty burger indeed but the foei gras really did not add  all that much. I must say I only ate a third of the burger as the soup was quite filling. The burger was accompanied with parmesan coated fries which were good but not spectacular.

My companion had he ribs that were accompanied with slaw and the same fries. The ribs were succulent and moist with a sweet sauce. Very well done. The whole was presented to the table in a large  square casserole that really did not fit in , but who am I to say. The rack was al;so too much for us to tackle and both the ribs and burger were placed in small Chines Food containers a s doggy bags a cute touch.

Now back to my reservation, as the night progressed my companion noted that she felt rushed with her meal with the server asking if she had finished with her plate as she was actually pulling fries from the dish. At 8:10 our server mentioned that a reservation was coming at 8:30 and could she ease the bill in. Immediately following this another employee began rearranging tables all around us in a loud manner disrupting our conversation.

My entire tab with tip was $178 not the most expensive meal I have had but certainly not a cheap ticket and it was spoiled by the greed of this Establishment. Had I known this would have been the case I would have chosen another restaurant and made nothing of it. It is my opinion that once the Establishment is committed then see it through.

I can overlook this somewhat but my companion will never return under any circumstance.


My suggestion is go to La Boucan on Notre Dame  ( will review again soon) the food is as good the crowd is hipper and the cost is as you can guess cheaper

Phuket Restaurant May 11 2011

Les Trois Maries April 28th

Tre Marie

6934, rue Clark coin Ave. Mozart O.

Montréal, QC, H2S 3G2  |  Petite-Italie

 514.277.9859     Voir la carte/itinéraire   De Castelneau

 

I always liked this place, The servers are relaxed and attentive. The front room is fine simply because the seating is better spaced than the brighter and newer back room. With the exception of cold winter nights when drafts wreak havoc.

 

I rarely choose Italian restaurants to just drop in since I can usually prepare most of what passes for Italian cuisine at home with little muss or fuss.

 

This restaurant stands out simply for the the simple things like delicious bread , clean tables & cutlery and of course the killer minestrone soup which if I was more brazen would be the start and end of my meal.

 

The soup is is a blend of cabbage, beans and anything else floating around the kitchen...just kidding.

The broth is thick and simply unctuous..meal in itself.

 

Most times I order the spaghetti with tomato sauce and a meatball..last time I was rather disappointed with the sauce which had a strong taste of clove that overpowered everything else. Today the special was whole wheat penne which I ordered with tomato sauce and a meatball. Quite simply delicious with the pasta perfectly cooked, arriving piping hot with a baseball sized meatball sitting proudly in the center. The meatball is moist and fluffy with just enough of a hint of spices.

 

I tend to think this reataurant has the right mix for salt, itis simply not conspicous.

 

The price at $25 including taxes and tips for one is a little high, although there was more food than I could handle Even without the coffee and dessert.

Homey feeling nice folks and food that you would expect at your friend's Maria house.

 

 

 

 

Friday April 22nd Maison India Curry House

Whew it is such a hard thing to review a restaurant that charges such low prices. It makes one wonder where you can buy boneless lamb, cook it serve it and charge $9.00.

As food goes this is standard fare with its slew of butter chicken, korma this and not a trace of ultra spicy anything. I

For sure the food is all about layers of flavours and while most dishes missed I always enjoy any p;lace that can even serve a dosa and this place is actually tasty and generous.
The chana somosa was just fine lacking in the layered flavour department. The fly in the ointment is in the version of bryaNI THAt uses too much oil making the dish a clump of rice that was hard to swallow.

All told 60 for 4 including tips and beer...what can you expect