pinkatronica's Profile
Where to eat Ottawa and Montreal
One of my favorite restaurants is not too far from the Lord Elgin in Ottawa: Whalesbone (http://www.thewhalesbone.com/). Place is tiny, so make sure to place a reservation. The bar is a great place to sit.
GOOD ramen place in Montreal?
Had Yuki Ramen (in Faubourg) for lunch today: I thought it was absolutely delicious. I don't have much experience with ramen, so I can't say how authentic it is. I had the beef soup. Broth was mindblowing. Soup had huge chunks of beef. The beef was super tender and tasty, but a little too fatty for my own taste. My bf ate it gladly. He had the BBQ pork. His broth was a little less flavourful, but his slices of pork were delicious. I wonder if they'd do a beef broth with BBQ pork slices for me? Eacher were around $7. They also have chicken, seafood ($8) and veggies. Everything is served with a side order of kimchi-like cabbage.
Do NOT order omakase at Jun i
Jun I is so overrated. I took my partner there for his birthday in December and $270 later, we were still unhappy! Yes, that's $270 for 2 people. We ordered quite a bit of good sake, which gave a nice bump to our bill, but I'd say the food still accounted for at least $170. I think we kept on ordering more food because we were waiting for something really good to be served! The sea urchin and the fish eggs were really not at their freshest: I was surprised they even served it, considering their price-range. I'd never go back.
New Scichuanese Restaurant in Town-very authentic and delicious [KanBai restaurant]
I'm on the fence with Kanbai. I love, love, love their cabbage dish and eggplant dish, but the meat dishes (pork and beef) have left me rather unsatisfied. Last time we were there, we ended up having a very silly argument with the waitress that made me really dislike the place. My partner ordered sweet and sour soup. Server brought a won ton instead. No big deal. But she wouldn't take the soup back. We argued for a good 5 minutes: she was convinced he had ordered won ton, and said the kitchen wouldn't exchange it since it was our mistake - not hers. We would have gladly kept it, both neither of us likes won ton soup. I just couldn't believe she would make such a fuss over $2.50. Very annoying.
Poutineville
They took over the Bistro Porto restaurant (1365 Rue Ontario Est), but still aren't open.
Is there a GREAT restaurant in or around (30 mins) Montebello?
I should also mention Les Fougères (located in Chelsea) but it's a bit of a drive (maybe an hour?).
Is there a GREAT restaurant in or around (30 mins) Montebello?
I had an absolutelly lovely diner at Le Pot au Feu a few years ago. Everything was delicious, and I thought it was pretty romantic.
Le Pot au Feu
489, rue Notre-Dame, Montebello, (Québec) J0V 1L0
Téléphone : (819) 423-6901
Le Flambard - An underwhelming evening
Visited Le Flambard (851 Rachel Est @ Saint-Christophe) for the second time last night after having bought a Ilovemtl coupon. The first time we went, I was really not too sure if I liked it or not. The supper left me feeling very heavy and stuffed but I couldn't tell whether to blame the kitchen or my poor choices of dishes. I had the menu fixe. The soup was good, but I felt like I had had enough food after the appetized. I had the mushroom app, which arrived in a cream sauce and a puff pastry. Very, very filling. Then I had the tartare de filet mignon, which was ok. No complains except that I wasn't really hungry for it at that point. My partner had the filet mignon, which was good if only slightly overcooked. The filet mignon was a nice size (big, not like the morcel they serve at l'Académie).
Last night, I kept that in mind and went light. We put the menu fixe aside, since we felt it was way too much food last time, and went à la carte. We shared the célerie rémoulade, which I expected would be fresh and light. It was actually surprisingly heavy, the celerie bathing in a thick mayo. It was surprisingly flat and unidimensional too. We made an effort to finish it.
Then I had the Salade aux lardons as an appetizer. Boring as all hell. I was in a good mood, so I didn't fuss too much over it. But on a different day, I might not have touched it. Some people might have been impressed or suprised to find shaved carrots in a salad thirty years ago, but I think the consensus is that you need a little bit more than lettuce and carrots to constitute an appetizer salad, even if you sprinkle it with overdone bacon bits.
For the main, I had the scallops. This was my evening's major disapointment. The scallops were quite big (at $24 a plate, I think that's a given) but they did not have a sear (even I can do that) and they must have forgot to season them, because they were extremely bland. They were covered with an apple cider foam which was also quite sweet. Given the scallops' natural sweetness, the two tastes did not balance well at all. I did add table salt, but it somehow isn't the same. The side dishes served with the meals that night baffled me. I am by no means very good in the kitchen, but it would never occur to me to serve scallops with mac&cheese and zucchini sautéd in pesto. The whole thing was very....postmodern.
My partner's escargot were ok but very rustic, swimming in a goat cheese sauce. His bavette was probably the best item to find its way on our table (besides our wine, the place is byow). It was tender, not too chewy, but the ticker part went from saignant to just plain blue.
Service is good (but probably too relaxed for those in a hurry - towards the end of the evening, the server literally disappeared leaving everyone waiting to pay their bill), and the restaurant has a very pleasant feel to it. But this second experience confirmed that there are serious problems in the kitchen. Everything straddles a fine line between just ok and amateur. The total bill for two without drinks or desserts came to $73. I'd rather spend that money at L'Express.
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L'Express Restaurant
3927 Rue Saint-Denis, Montreal, QC H2W2M4, CA
Ice Cream Highs 2011
I was just at Fruzishling on Ste-Catherine West (@ Bishop) where service was absolutely terrible (about as bad as it was when Mr. Sub was there, which makes me think they are indeed the same owners). The advertised price for an iced cappucino is 99 cents. They charged me $1.79 +tx. When I asked why they were charging double, they said it was because I ordered a flavored coffee. I paid while asking how a cappucino could be cappucino flavoured, and how it would differ from a non cappucino-flavoured cappucino....Back outside, I noticed the sign clearly said that all flavoured coffees are 99 cents, so I went back in asking to be reimbursed the extra I had just paid...which led to the most ridiculous of arguments. They agreed I should only have paid 99 cents, but they somehow could not reimburse me because the register could not be opened and they could not figure out how much they should give me back. In high drama, they all looked through their wallets and paid me back in nickels and pennies - making it clear that I was stealing the employees their money...I have rarely met such rude people.
Montreal Croissant Update Please
I really like the croissants and the almond croissants from La Cannoise (1301 Ontario East @ de la visitation).
Your favorite BYOW restaurant?
I was at Les Infidèles in January for a Christmas party (group of 12). Many of us were generally disapointed with both service (absolutely terrible) and food (uneven and very underseasoned). Some dishes were good (the cerf), but some made no sense whatsoever (the warm scallops, served on an ice-cold plate with a fruit salad - just thinking about it makes me feel funny). On at least two occasions, some components of our dish were missing (the chocolate cake with maple crème brûlé was served without the crême brûlé, the scallops with coconut milk were served without any coconut taste, leaving them quite bland).
It seems like a good deal since the menu sounds exciting and the menu dégustation is quite reasonably priced, especially since it's a BYOB. But then the kitchen doesn't seem to know what it's doing and clearly, no one's on quality control. Same goes with service. We had a reservation for 9 pm but our table only became ready at 9:45 (partially, no glasses or cutlery for half the table for a long while). We had to go wait in a bar accross the street for the table to be ready since the restaurant was too small for us to wait inside. What almost made me turn around and leave was, however, the server's reaction when we showed up at 9 asking for our table. He simply looked at me and said "Things happen". No indication as to when the table would be ready. It wasn't just that server either. When some of the people in our group switched seats the food got served to the wrong people (understandable). When I indicated to the server where each dish should go, her answer was "You're going to have to figure this out, 'cause I can't remember all this". No one was offered coffee or tea at the end ot the meal. Staff was actually nowhere to be found.
Looking for food recommendations for rue Sainte-Catherine East, Montreal
I've been living in that area for the last two years and there really isn't. A bit further West (on Amherst, between Sainte-Catherine and de Maisonneuve) you'll find Chipotle and Jalapeno, a pretty good Mexican restaurant.
A new bakery has also opened on Sainte-Catherine between Papineau and de Lorimier (I forget the exact name, but I think it's called Bagel etc.). The owner is German, and they have sandwiches, sausages, salads, and a variety of pastry. It's pretty good.
There are also a few little "marché" with healthy food and take-out: one on Amherst, just south of Sainte-Catherine, Folie en Vrac on Sainte-Catherine between de la Visitation and Beaudry, and Gourmet Tutti Frutti on de Maisonneuve between de la Visitation and Beaudry.
I find some of the sandwiches at Kilo (on Sainte-Catherine, close to where you'll be) to be OK. Nothing fantastic, but descent. I used to like their veggie burger a lot, but recently it hasn't been doing it for me. The desserts and the soups are not really worth it.
La mie matinale is a pretty wonderful place for breakfast, snacks and coffee.
I would avoid Mozza, Club Sandwich, Steak & Frites Saint-Paul and Tomato.
Dieux du Ciel beer (bottles) downtown?
We get them at IGA (Place Dupuis) and a small grocery store on de Maisonneuve (at Beaudry) called Tutti Frutti (or Gourmet Tutti Frutti?...something like that).
Sri Lankian Resturants in Montreal?
I tried calling Simeon/Rolex last night and apparently the phone has been disconnected. Anyone knows if the place is still open?
Thinking it might be closed, we tried Jolee (on Victoria) instead: the food is simply amazing. My new favorite restaurant. We had the vegetarian thali ($6.50 I believe), the fish string hoppers ($7.50) and the Chicken Kotu Rotti (my favorite. Also around $6.50). Everything was delicious, and portions are huge - enough for two lunches today.
There are plenty of tables, but the bulk of their business seems to be take out. They also have many desserts.
What's good in Kanata?
Thank you so much! I just went to La Provence bakery and had the almond croissant. That is indeed a serious contender for best almond croissant I've ever had. I'd say better than the Boulanger Français, and maybe even better than première moisson. I only wish they had a least a table or two.
Can't wait to go back!
Planning a trip to Ottawa
Hands down Whalesbone: http://www.thewhalesbone.com/. It's a tiny, cozy place with marvelously tasty food. Located downtown. Reservations probably required.
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Whalesbone
430 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K2P1Y8, CA
Ottawa breakfast?
I lived downtown for a few years (Somerset and Elgin). Your best bet for Breakfast is definitely The Manx (370 Elgin St), a tiny pub with wonderful food and relaxed ambiance - but I'm not sure if that's close to where you'll be (the Rideau Canal covers a lot of ground). Also in that area is Ceylonta, a really good and not too expensive Sri Lankan.
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Ceylonta
403 Somerset St W, Ottawa, ON K2P0K1, CA
What's good in Kanata?
Hello everyone,
I've recently relocated in Kanata-north (from Montreal) for three months and do not know the area at all. I would like to know what's good here. Any special bakery? Good places to go have a coffee or breakfast? A hidden gem, a cheap korean or a reliable sushi place? Please post your personal favorites; I love food and I eat everything as long as it's good!
Mozza (Ste-Catherine @ De la Visitation) - Long, negative, review.
Interesting. Quebec and France, it would seem like, have a different way of preparing the ceasar salad. While the wiki entry for it has a picture of the salad with chicken in it, it would never be expected to be served that way in Quebec.
If you look up a recipe for ceasar salad on the Internet or in a French cookingbook, it is common, if not standard, to see it contain anchovies (anchovy paste in the dressing and anchovy filets on top), bacon (or lardon) and sometimes capers. Arlequino in Montreal serves its Ceasar salad with big capers. Vieux Duluth also had anchovies and capers. I don't mean to say that these two restaurants (especially the last one!) set the standards, just that it's not that uncommon. Despite the wiki entry, many non-franco recipes also seem to use anchovies (including the one on this site). Quebecers and French will add porc on anything, so that's not too surprising.
Having said all this, I might have been too quick in judging them for what I thought was an oversimplified ceasar as it would seem like these are not standard items. The boxed croutons, jarred dressing and "parmesan" just sent me over the edge...
Pub hopping downtown NOT on Crescent St.
As a beer fan, you *must* make a trip to Dieu du Ciel. They always have at least 10 "home-made" beers on tap and you're sure to find the kinds you like. I also think they make the best beer in town. If you a more quiet atmosphere, the trick is to go there earlier - that's what we do. Like most pubs, they have a bar that might be less busy, but on the whole the place can get quite hectic, especially later at night. As far as I know, they open at 3pm everyday. Their "Corne du Diable" is the best IPA around, and they also make a good scotch ale (I forget the name) and a killer dark IPA, the "Pénombre".
The place is unfortunately a bit out of the way and, apart from Vice et Versa, there's not much else around.
As of late, I've taken a liking in Le Cheval Blanc. I really like their "Breakfast beer" - "Déjeuner" a stout. Le Cheval blanc has the advantage of being closer to the area you were talking about (St-Denis/Quartier Latin). I've been going during the week and the music is much less loud. There's L'amère à boire closeby. I'm personally not a fan. They specialize in Czech-style beers. In that same area, you'll find l'Ile noire. They do not have home-beer, but they have an excellent selection of scotch. In that area, you'll find other "breweries" and pubs (Les trois brasseurs, for instance) that, unless you enjoy bland, tasteless beer, you should avoid.
I would also recommend Benelux (not as out of the way as Dieu du Ciel, but also not on a strip). If you like English-style beers, I find their "Cookie" delicious. Their IPAs are also pretty good.
Mozza (Ste-Catherine @ De la Visitation) - Long, negative, review.
I recently had a fairly disapointing evening at Mozza. After reading a few reviews claiming that the place had decent food and was good value (since everything comes as a table d'hôte), I thought I'd post my own.
It must be said that the restaurant looks beautiful, has the coolest bathrooms I've ever been in, and is byow.
But the food is a lot worse than "decent". Everything comes with a ceasar salad, an app (you choose one of two appetizer offered). Three dishes also come with a desert (no choice) and tea/coffee. The fact that only three dishes featured on the menu came with desert was not entirely clear to us - and none of us picked the one of the three "full table d'hôte".
First, the unavoidable "ceasar salad". I love ceasar salad. It's not hard to make, but you still have to *make* it. Unfortunately; they're of the bottles and boxes mentality. Yes: bottled sauce and boxed croutons (the worst kind I'm sure). No anchovies, no bacon, no black pepper, and, of course, no capers. That's not a ceasar salad to me. And it's all the more frustrating since they serve it with every single dish they serve. You'd think that making your own croutons would be, at least, more economical (on top of being edible).
We all chose the same appetizer. We had to choose between the escargot (I think they always offer an escargot) and what the waitress described as a cucumber/tomato/cheese dish. That accurately described the dish, but I almost didn't touch it because I was so angry to be served something so, I don't know, church-dinner-like. It was slices of tomatoes (that had been frozen at some point), English cucumber (with skin half removed, like people used to do in the 80s when they couldn't fully commit to either keep or removing it), hard feta cheese and a olive oil/balsamic vinegar vinaigrette. I guess this was a take on the famous tomato/bocconcini/basil salad. That salad relies solely on the freshness and quality of its ingredients, something they do not seem to be aware of. I didn't think the feta mixed well with the balsamic at all. And there was not fresh basil. They sprinkled dried basil - which I thought was an abomination.
Everyone had pasta: I took the giant shrimp, scallop linguini in oil sauce. The whole thing was bathing in oil and mixed dried spices. The shrimps were ok and the scallops were actually tiny bay scallops. Not as bad as the rest of the food, but nothing I would ever want to eat again. $28
My dad had the green apple and brie pasta. It actually came with tons of dried cranberries and shrimps (which he hates - so that was not a welcomed addition). He didn't like it much. The apples were uncooked and just sitting on the side of the plate - so they were more like a garnish than a real component of the dish. $29
My sister had a sausage pasta in rosé sauce (I forget the name of that dish). She was happy with the sausage but the red sweet peppers were not cooked. Not even blanched. Again, they seemed more like a garnish like a component. Not cooking the peppers had the effect that the tastes didn't mix at all. $24 I believe.
For desert, we ordered a single "pouding chômeur". What's weird is that they call it something else. I forget the exact name, but it was spanish. So we thought we would get some sort of latin variation of the notorious Quebec desert. But it was just a good oll' pouding chômeur. It was actually very traditional and tasted like the ones made by Quebec grandmothers. You can really get the same thing for a third of the price at La Binnerie. Except that they poured cream on top. Definitely the best part of our meal, after the wine of course.
The bread was utterly uninteresting. And oh, the horror: powdered kraft parmesan. The kind that comes in a green plastic container. They didn't serve it directly from the container, but I wonder if they thought customers wouldn't notice. I don't even understand how this stuff can legally go by the name "parmesan".
The service was really nothing to rave about. The waitress made her annoyance palpable when we asked her to open our third bottle (even though it wasn't that late, and there were many empty tables).
As for price, considering that the first two dishes are not worth ordering (or eating, for that matter), I think Mozza is extremely expensive for the quality of the food they serve.
best in-store beer selections?
I often make a trip to these two places for Quebec micro-brews:
Le marché des saveurs (http://www.lemarchedessaveurs.com/fr/)
in the Jean-Talon Market
or
Les délires du terroir (http://www.lesdeliresduterroir.com/)
at 6406 St-Hubert
Tomato
:-)
I meant octopus...I always get them mixed up. The pizza had calamari ring and baby octopus.
Tomato
Tried the recently opened Tomato in the Village last night. I used to live near the other location on St-Denis and had never tried their pizza.
Last night we decided to give it a try and ordered their 4 (9") pizza for $33. Sounds like a good deal, right? We ordered the pricier ones:
1) La Mer Med (seafood), would normally be $15, or $19 for a 12"
2) La Portugaise (chorizo, red pepper) same price
3) La Princesse (pesto, spinach, tomatoes) $14 or $18
4) La Forêt noire (black forest ham, mascarpone, marinated mushroom), $13 or $16
I'm glad we tried so many different ones: it confirms that they cannot make a good pizza. The best one was probably the Black Forest, mostly because of the mascarpone cheese.
The dough and the cheese are completely insipid and the tomato sauce is extremely sweet . There's so much sauce that it completely kills anything else there might be in there.
The seafood smelled and tasted fishy, but that's all I could detect. I don't think I could have distinguished between a mussel, a calamary, a squid and a shrimp had I been blindfolded.
The chorizo on the Portugaise was rubbery and tough
The Princess didn't taste anything, the pesto used was completely boring.
They also drowned every single pizza in a mixture of Italian spices, so that the main flavour you could taste, irrespective of the pizza, was oregano.
The pizza was also very oily, but it didn't add any taste, for some reason.
I think I prefer a $2 slice from Pizza Palace down the street to this.
Portugese Chicken Restaurants
Hey guys,
I tried chicken from Poyo Loco at the Rawdon Intercultural Festival over the week end (they had a booth). I thought it was excellent. Has anyone had the chance to try their chicken at their Rosemont restaurant, located at 200 Beaubien East?
where are the farm fresh eggs
I asked the same question to a woman working in the Village market and she directed me to the market at/near the Frontenac metro station. Haven't checked it out yet.
Jean Talon market open on St-Jean?
I just heard on Radio-Canada that all public markets are open today.
Happy St-Jean!
Lélé Da Cuca: Nothing to be crazy about
We tried this restaurant last weekend. I had a good feeling about it: small hole in the wall, firmly established since 1981, family-style food with absolutely zero pretense. Definitely my kind of place.
We went all the way and ordered the table d'hôte ($21 each), which comes with soup, Acarajé, main dish, coffee or tea and dessert. We were starving.
The soup was a not too unpleasant clean broth. Nothing in it. It had a very subtle taste, and I quite liked it. I thought it was perfect for a table d'hôte, since we stil had so much more food coming.
What I was really excited about, though, was the Acarajé. I've never had it, so I can't really judge how well it was executed. It's a kind of "croquette" stuffed with vatapa and shrimp. Apparently, it's a popular Brazilian dish. I hope this was a bad rendition, because it was quite bland and tasted like it had spent the winter in the freezer. Definitely the worst part of our meal.
For mains we went for Brazilian dishes (they also have Mexican food on the menu). I had the Pernamboucain Rice; a kind of spanish rice with tomatoes, coriander, shrimp and (supposedly) chicken. Served with side salad and black beans. Not bad, but kinda bland. Generous helpings of hot sauce helped it a bit.
My b/f had the Lélé Da Cuca Chicken, morcels of chicken with beans, bacon and (supposedly) spices. Again, just all right, and still rather bland. Forgetable.
For desert we had a banana torte (served with napoletan ice cream!) and passion fruit pudding (they called it a mousse, but it had nothing to do with a mousse). The torte was better than the pudding, but that's not saying much.
We could have been happy with it (but then again, I wonder), had it not been for the fact that it was surprisingly pricey, considering the place and the quality of the food that we were served. $21 each for that? No wonder they've been in business since 1981. All you need is a few curious people each week and you have no problem paying the rent. Not going back.
Lélé Da Cuca
70 Marie-Ane Est
845-6649
BYOB\BYOW
La Popessa - opinions?
I personaly don't like it. Reading the comments, I agree, though, that it is better than fast food, cheap, and not bad. But when I go to the restaurant, it has to be better than just all right - it has to be better than what I can make for myself at home for cheaper (as I work at home and enjoy cooking, I never 'have' to eat out). And so I find La Popessa disapointing. Last time I was there, I had some sort of seafood pasta. It had a very strong fish-smell to it, and I couldn't even eat the ultra-hard tiny scallops (sand included). The trick is probably to go with something simpler. I remember that the first time I was there I had the putanesca, which I thought was quite disapointing too, but at least I could eat it.
Oh, and the bread is quite boring and not worth having.
Easter holiday schedule
Hi everyone,
I did a quick search on the internet to try to figure out if (and when) restaurants would be closed for Easter holiday without much success. Most of the information I found pertained to government services.
Anyone knows?
Thanks
