La Banquise

The Rating:

2 Fat Buddhas: A wide selection of good poutine

Cheap and generous servings

The Review:

Amid looks of shock and horror at the amount of time we had spent in Montreal without visiting La Banquise, our friends directed us to this popular resto in answer to our question "So, where should we go for poutine?". La Banquise was the unanimous reply for the best poutine in Montreal.

Some of our readers (if, indeed, there are any readers at all) will not know what poutine is, so let us start with a brief description. It is a comfort food, a Quebec tradition, and reasonably unhealthy. Take one serve fries, add fresh cheese curds, top with gravy. Fairly simple, and our Australian friends will say "Hey, that's just chips and gravy with some cheese thrown in". Too true. Those from Adelaide will be asking "Yes, but how does it compare with a BBQ AB?".

La Banquise is a bright and cheery place tucked away next to Parc La Fontaine on Rachel. A Yellow facade and ornate logo open into a smallish restaurant that is a cross between a fish'n'chip takeaway and a diner. Some good music is in the air as hip, bohemian waiting staff lead you to artistically laquered tables. The place is open 24 hours and appears to be always busy.

Poutine is the order of the day, and there is a range of some 20-plus varieties to choose from, as well as a selection of burgers, sandwiches, and hot dogs, but to be honest, we're here for poutine. The classic poutine should be had for any first-time poutiner, as it demonstrates all the hallmarks of good poutine: crisp, fresh fries, chewy and tasty cheese curds, and the right amount of suitably tasty gravy. The regular size is enough for most, the large is for hungry people who can put it away. Prices are reasonable, with regular sizes ranging from $6 to $9 or so, and larges $8 to $12 or so.

Some would argue that adding any more to this combination is an abomination on the good name of poutine. Some would argue that poutine has no good name to begin with. To those people I say "Bah humbug". La Banquise does a good job of adding to poutine, but I think it is down to the eater to choose wisely. I, for one, would avoid the chicken and peas, but I applaud the bacon, the mushroom, the sausage, bacon, and onion (which was like a hot dog with the lot and fries, all on one plate), and, on a cold day, the kamikaze—a mix of hot sausage, chillis, and tobasco that had only a mild tingle of warmth to my palate. I think my preference is towards the simpler poutines, less crowded by add-ons on top.

So we've added it to our gourmand's tour of Montreal for visiting friends—now it's Fairmount Bagels for 24-hour, delicious bagelly goodness, Schwartz's for the best smoked meat in town in an unforgettable atmosphere, and now La Banquise for the best poutine at any time of day (and let's face it, poutine is, by definition, a late-night, rather drunken stomach filler).

http://www.restolabanquise.com/
994 Rachel Est, Plateau
No credit cards

Meatmarket

The Rating:

2 Fat Buddhas: Interesting, generous, delicious sandwiches

A good price for a great sandwich

The Review:

On another lunchtime jaunt, we wandered up to this cute little eatery in the Plateau, ironically enough, suggested to us by a vegan friend. The place is small but not cramped, with a clean modern finish, and a selection of local artwork on the walls available for sale. We'd taken advantage of sending an advance party who had placed our orders for us, so the service was very quick—in fact, we even required a hurry-up call, as the service was faster than we were.

The lunchtime menu has quite an interesting selection of sandwiches, although rumour has it that the burger is award-winning. We were disappointed to find out burgers are on the evening menu only. Nevertheless, the sandwiches, as well as being intriguingly named, offer a good selection of meaty and vegetarian, each with a tasty combination of fresh ingredients.

The sandwiches were a very generous size, and bursting with fillings. They were accompanied by a serve of shoestring fries—both normal and sweet potatoes. Very well done indeed. The sandwiches had the perfect combination of flavours, and were fresh and tasty.

Best of all, the sandwiches are well priced at under $10. This is a place I recommend for lunches, and will certainly be going back to try again in the evening to test out the burgers, and maybe even hit the wine and cocktail lists.

http://www.meatmarketfood.com
4415 Blvd. Saint-Laurent, Plateau

Laurie Raphael

Our Rating:

Innovative combinations of delicious flavours that tantalise the tastebuds

Very expensive, but then we did get the full degustation menu with matching wines

The Review:

Having heard rave reviews of Laurie Raphael in Quebec City, with their molecular gastronomy and innovative cuisine, we were soon off in search of the Montreal restaurant of the same name, also under the supervision of executive chef Daniel Vezina.

It's a cute little restaurant on the second floor of Hotel Germain in the downtown area. Despite being fully booked on the Saturday night, the place was empty on the Sunday, and we were one of only two tables in the place. It is nicely decorated with a modern twist, and strings of plates hanging from the ceiling that are irresistible to play with. We quite liked the window into the kitchen, where usually there would be an amount of hustle and bustle, but on our quiet night, it looked very calm and under control.

We started, as always, with a dry martini, which passed the test, as we pondered over the interesting menu. Lots of intriguing food combinations, and delicious-sounding dishes. In the end, for ease and a wide selection, we settled on the full seven-course degustation menu with, of course, matching wines.

We started with a progression of shellfish: a scallop, an oyster, and a clam, all au naturel, each with a different fruit-inspired vinaigrette, including strawberry and mango. Delicious combination with a nice acidic bite, well washed down with a sweetish white wine. Next up was soft-shell crab, perfectly cooked with a crispy coating that highlighted the soft creamy flesh, and the slightly chewy shell. This was followed by a creamy piece of foie gras, also accompanied by a seasonal fruit vinaigrette, this time strawberries and rhubarb. These highlighted the silky softness of the foie gras against the sweetness of the sauce.

We moved onto the meat courses and the red wine selection. A melting, slow cooked piece of pork belly with a layer of crispy skin came with a soft red wine from Spain, I think. this was followed by our beloved lamb, with a sweet layer of glaze onto the perfectly cooked cut.

The cheese course was something a little different—a grilled cheese sandwich, with rich brioche, and a hearty matured cheddar. Something simple, but really bringing out the full flavour of the cheese. This was followed by the richest of rich chocolate cakes with a mousse and vodka jelly. Perfectly matched against a delicate dessert wine. The perfect finishing touch to a very filling menu.

We were very impressed with the quality of the food, and the innovative combinations used that really brought out the important flavours. I don't think that it is really a fully molecular gastronomy menu in the full complexity of those techniques, but the food was still extremely good. The wines were well-matched, and the service was adequate.

It was, however, prohibitively expensive, and that is the main reason we would probably not go back (unless someone else is paying). But if you can afford it (or find a sponsor), it is certainly one to try out.

http://www.laurieraphael.com/
2050, rue Mansfield, Montreal centre-ville

Decca 77

Our Rating:
Time and again this restaurant has delivered food of a high calibre

With a $35 prix fixe 3-course option ($25 at lunch), this is great value

The Review:

A recent return trip to Decca 77 has given us an opportunity to update our review listings with this great find. It has an excellent location in Centre-Ville, amidst the action, and right near the Bell Centre (beware when the hockey's on...). The interior is an achievement in design, with a soaring ceiling, interesting use of features and lights, and warm woods giving a welcoming, um, welcome.

As we are wont to do, we ordered our usual "apero"—dry martinis: one gin with a twist of lemon, the other vodka with olives. Good examples of each were proffered, always a good sign of quality in our books. In fact, even better, one time we went to Decca 77, and the vodka martini was a little sub-par. We were discussing this, and the attentive staff overheard. Horrified, a new martini was promptly delivered, which was a much improved replacement.

Refreshments imbibed, we launched into the menus to see what new options were available. As always, the prix fixe was irresistible, with choices including fresh seafood, beef, lamb, and delicious-sounding desserts. While there are many more options à la carte, the selection and value for money of the prix fixe cannot be beaten for us. Our courses selected, it was onto the wine list.

There is an extensive and impressive wine list, and perhaps this is where Decca 77 makes a lot of their money—you won't be finding many bottles under $50, if any. Noting our perusal of the wine list, the sommelier materialised at our side to assist in our decision. We were happy, and a little surprised, to find this position held by a fellow Australian, and with that we launched into a discussion of oeneological variations within Australia, and what global wines we could begin tasting to lead us from our favoured homegrown wines to more local varieties. Extremely helpful and knowledgeable. A couple of more reasonably priced wines matched to our selected meals were chosen, and, well, the guy knows what he's talking about.

We should probably get onto the food now. The prix fixe includes 3 courses, each of which has 4 options to choose from. With a couple of fellow diners, we were able to sample most of these dishes, and there was not a disappointment between them.

For entrée, our first dish was the somewhat ubiquitous (and this is not necessarily a bad thing) seared scallop, served simply with a delicious sauce and salad. The scallop was crisp on the outside and mouthwateringly tender on the inside, melting away in a suffusion of fresh taste. Excellent. The other entrée that made it to our table was the beef tartare. Again this was fresh and delicious, with a gentle mix of fresh herbs and capers lifting the silkiness of the beef.

We leapt like Australians at the opportunity to have lamb—it's such a staple at home, and yet so difficult and expensive to buy here. On the menu were 2 lamb options, and both were among our selections. First was a lamb saddle, roasted to perfection and served with a chickpea sauce and roast vegetables. The lamb was fresh, tender, and brought back memories of home. The other lamb option was a novel "burger". This was a tall stack of a fresh tomato and lettuce atop a light burger of lamb with fresh herbs. The burger was intriguingly light, I can't think of another word for it. None of the normal heaviness of lamb, but all of the flavour. With this came a parsnip chips, a great accompaniment. On the non-Australian side of the table, roasted fillet of Tilapia was the dish of the moment, the fish with a plain crisp golden-brown crust, and meltingly flavourful inside.

Already with satisfied tastebuds and stomach, it was time for dessert. Firstly was a trio of profiteroles, each with a different filling: butterscotch, white chocolate, and dark chocolate, each with matching sauce. The profiteroles were light and fluffy, the filling rich and decadent. Across the table was a banana marmalade, which was a uniquely textured and banana-rich dessert. There was also a rich, yet light on the palate, chocolate option, which did not last long enough for a thorough analysis.

This was yet another great and varied meal, with very fresh produce presented in interesting and diverse fashions. The service was attentive and helpful, our courses appearing in a timely fashion, all our needs attended to, and with many a tolerant smile at our conversing in French.

One of the best parts about the prix fixe menu at Decca 77 is that it changes every week to include seasonal produce and the chefs' latest inspirations. So that means it is perfectly reasonable to go every week to taste the newest dishes. Isn't it?


http://www.decca77.com
1077 Drummond, Montreal
Closed Sundays

Maison Kam Fung

Our Rating:

2 Fat Buddhas: Authentic Chinese cuisine in a traditionally hectic restaurant

A big meal for a good price

The Review:

It seems that the only place we've really been to for Chinese food in Montreal is this one, La Maison Kam Fung, hidden away upstairs in the heart of Chinatown. Why is that? Well, mainly because that's where our Chinese relatives recommended as the best such restaurant in town.

It's a very busy place, on the upper floor in La Place de la Quartier, just up from the corner of La Gauchetiere and St Urbain. If you arrive at peak times, which seems to be just about any time anyone would normally want to eat, you may end up waiting some time on the benches in the corridor, unless you have a reservation—in which case you may not have to wait quite as long. It's a big dining room, crammed with tables for large family gatherings, and a few smaller ones in between. The waiting staff zip along the walkways, so watch where you walk. This is authentic Chinese restaurant. You can tell by the population of Chinese diners who frequent the place. Despite the size, it is not overly noisy, and the atmosphere is one in which you can sit back and people-watch.

The service is quick and relatively friendly (for a hectic chinese restaurant). We've been on a number of occassions for dim sum. The selection and freshness of the dishes is great. All the traditional dishes, as well as a few different ones. All well-prepared and hot when they arrive at the table via trolley.

Dinner here is also very good, and we highly recommend the Peking Duck and Lobster set menu. The duck is brought out on display after you order, then whisked away to be carved in the kitchen. The lobster is generously sized and nicely presented, and this is all accompanied by a good selection of fish, vegetable, and meat dishes. It's well priced, and it is rare that, even with our big appetites, we can actually finish off the entire selection.

This is our regular haunt for Chinese cuisine, and will continue to be so in the foreseeable future.


1111 St-Urbain, Chinatown, Montreal

Coco Rico

Our Rating:

2 Fat Buddhas: Tasty rotisserie chicken and ribs on the run

A filling plate of meat and potatoes for under $10

The Review:

With a gruelling night of music at Osheaga ahead, we decided to grab a quick bite to eat on the way at the recommended Coco Rico on St Laurent. It's a bright, little place on the corner with Napolean, the front windows filled with the large rotisserie ovens stacked with chickens. There's a simple service counter along one side, and a bar with stools running along the mirrored wall opposite.

We were greeted by a cheery face behind the glass counter front, which made it terribly difficult for either of us to hear what the other was saying. For a good sampling of the fare we ordered the chicken and ribs combo, the roast pork will have to wait for another night. A good pile of roast potatoes, a quarter of a chicken, and couple of meaty pork ribs definitely filled the plate out. We settled in on a couple of stools, watching the passing crowd come for their dose of chicken at the counter.

Where to begin? Potato first... Not too bad, well cooked, chilli dusting. Nice. Then into the chicken. The tender, succulent meat was no match for my plastic cutlery, although the foam plate did suffer at my unwieldy hacking. The chicken almost fell apart with my prying, leaving me with a collection of juicy meat. Quite flavoursome. Unlike many other rotisserie chickens, this did not have that greasy mouthfeel, or leave a pool of oil on the plate. This I attribute to the amount of fat that comes showering off the chickens in the rotisserie—if you sit in the right spot as the sun is setting, it shines through the glistening diamonds of fat like a sparkling waterfall in the rotisserie. Quite impressive.

Onto one of the meaty rib duo next. Again, tender enough to yield to my plastic cutlery, although much easier to tackle hands-on. Also quite juicy and delicious, with a good coating of sauce. Again, not oily or greasy, but certainly not dry.

Belly full of meat and potatoes, washed down with a can of drink, set me back just over $11 all up. A satisfying, quick, meaty meal. I may not recommend the venue or the menu for a romantic date or business dinner, but if you're after a quick and tasty meal (or some roast chickens, ribs, or potatoes to take home), I'd give this place a whirl. I think we'll be heading back when we're in the area before (or after) a night out.


3907 Blvd St Laurent, Plateau

Pizzeria Napoletana

Our Rating:

1½ Fat Buddhas: Decent pizza in a noisy environment. Not worth the wait

Reasonably priced, but not cheap.

The Review:
Apparently this place is an institution among pizza fanciers in Montreal. Located in the heart of Little Italy, it is reputed to put out thin-crusted, wood-oven pizzas and authentic pastas to a thronging crowd. Well, we thought, we best try that sort of place out, then!

We arrived early on a Saturday night, around 5:30, actually. We were off to the semi-finals of the Roger's Cup tennis, and thought a good dose of pizza would see us through. It surprised us that there was already a line-up outside the place. Half an hour wait. Well, we thought, it MUST be good then, so we hung around, and used the time to peruse the limited selection of wines at the depanneur across the road to take advantage of the BYO option (or "apportez votre vin", so that would be AVV, I guess).

Finally inside, it was a noisy and hectic place with long communal tables and a somewhat bizarre inclusion of a fake tree in the middle of the dining room. The service was brisk and not altogether friendly, but the cork was out of the wine within seconds, and orders taken as quickly as a menu with 34 options of pizza and 34 options of pasta, plus other stuff, would allow. And then it was a waiting game. We knocked off the bottle of wine with only some decidedly average bread rolls to accompany, well before our meals arrived. And that has less to do with the speed at which we drink than with the waiting time.

Our dishes arrived one-by-one: gnocchi in a tomato sauce, pizza verona (with zucchini and eggplants), and a pizza napoletana (mushrooms, achovies, tomato). The gnocchi were ok, but the sauce was not too exciting. A bit thin, but reminiscent of a traditional Italian sugo. The pizza was a good size, with a crisp, thinnish base. The toppings were nothing exciting. Fairly generic tomato sauce, scattering of toppings, and light on the cheese. Really should have tried their margherita pizza, which we believe to be the true test of a pizza place. But we didn't. Oh well.

Overall the pizzas are decent. Better than other places we've tried in Montreal (granted none of them have really been pizza restaurants), but not amazingly so. Pizzas came in at around $15 each, A little less for the gnocchi. So not too bad on the wallet.

Most likely, however, we won't bother lining up for it again though. Especially in the rain.


http://www.napoletana.com/
189 Dante Street, Little Italy

Fuschia Epicerie Fleur

The Rating:

2 Fat Buddhas: Delicious, interesting, and healthy!
A cheap, all-inclusive meal that's good value for money

Our Review:

A coworker lead us for lunch to this cute little café that specialises in vegetarian meals, with a good dose of flowers in and around the food. Sounded interesting. On the quiet corner of Duluth and Coloniale, this is a small shop with just 3 tables, where we were welcomed by a lovely white dog spreadeagled on her back in the middle of the shop. The tables altogether seat probably 16 people max, and while we were there we saw a number being sadly turned away. Small groups can share, but our work group lorded over an entire table.

We welcomed the set menu of the day—two dishes and a drink—at a healthy $10. It changes daily, hence being "of the day", but is always vegetarian, often vegan, and also normally gluten-free for any people with coeliac out there. A friendly waitress saw us comfortably seated, and plied us with water, which had a faint aroma and taste of what we determined to be honeysuckle. Did I mention that everything has flowers in it? The salt was laced with what I thought to be rosemary and jasmine, and our menu of the day was an asian noodle salad (pansies), tropical fruit salad (orange blossom), and jasmine iced tea.

The salad was fresh and delicious. Lots of fresh herbs, red cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, rice noodles, with a peanutty, asian-inspired dressing. And pansies. A decent serving that was remarkably satisfying for a salad. The drink was refreshing, obviously made fresh, and not overpoweringly jasminey. Dessert fruit salad was simple, garnished with black sesame seeds, and fresh.

I followed up with a selection of cookies; this place doubles as a mini-bakery, putting out fresh batches of cookies and cakes, which obviously change every day, since the waitress has to wait to see what emerges from the kitchen before she can write the options on the board. They had 3 types out when we visited, conveniently enough for the $2 per 3 cookie price, so a sample of each was in order. Macaroon with jasmine and chocolate: crunchy and chewy macaroon, as it should be, with a small molten chocolate centre, but not much in the way of jasmine; Rose cookies: a soft and buttery cookie sprinkled with crystal sugar and rose petal pieces, again, the flower flavour doesn't come through; Chocolate and violet: delicious, rich chocolate flavour, but not so much violet. So good cookies, but not strong on the flower flavours (but maybe that's a good thing).

This is a cute and friendly shop, where one can relax and spend some time. The set menu lunch, at $10 including taxes, is delicious, fresh, and great value. A nice spot for lunch or a quick snack in the afternoon. I think we'll go back to this one again.

http://www.epiceriefleur.com/
4050 Coloniale, Montreal (cnr Duluth)
Closed Sunday and Monday

Copoli

Our Rating:

2 Fat Buddhas: Big and delicious burgers
Cheap eats, good value for money

The Review:
We'd heard tell of a little place in Westmount reputed to have "The Biggest and Most Delicious Hamburger in Montreal", and thought that kind of slogan definitely merited our attention. So it was early on a Saturday night, hungry after a hard day's manual labour, we went in search of the burger of legends to sate our appetite before the night's entertainment (the Montreal Roller Derby grand final—hooray for La Racaille!).

Situated on the corner of Ste Catherine and Metcalfe, Copoli is pretty much what a burger bar should be: peeling lino, booths with splitting vinyl, bar stools, grill on display. It's clean, it has character, and even some background music, at the behest of some regulars who arrived shortly after we did. We were duped by the lack of wines and beers on the menu, but it appeared that they do actually have a stash if you ask for it. The menu offers a selection of pastas, pizzas, sandwiches, and salads, but we were here for the burgers. Indeed, it looks as if they were the biggest and most delicious in Montreal—it said so on the menu. The burger is listed as clocking in at 8 inches ("That's not so big", says one of our female companions to much snickering), and can be shared for a small fee. So we launched into the order, for Michael the full 8 inches, with cheese and bacon, Ree shared a similar burger with one of our companions, and yet another diner ordered a salad (to much snickering).

Well, the burger was big. It filled half the oblong plate, with a healthy side of fries covering the rest. The shared burger was more than sufficient for a smaller eater, and the sharing fee appears to buy you some extra fries to fill in the rest of the plate. In comparison to the large horizontal axis (which required the whole be quartered to be manageable), the vertical appeared a little short, but still had the full complement of lettuce, tomato, pickle, and what seemed to be thousand-island dressing. Our option also saw some cheese and bacon accompanying the burger. The burger itself was quite good, some flavour of its own, which is a nice change from many other generic burgers. It's cooked fresh (you can see it on the hotplate), and almost fills the full 8 inches of custom-made bun. It's a good amount of meat. To be highly critical, it was a little dry, but this was soon remedied with some of the supplied tomato sauce or mayo. We can't argue the "Biggest" claim, these are certainly the largest constructions we've seen on the Montreal burger scene. The "Most Delicious" claim we would dispute—we have tasted better burgers—but this one is certainly passable. Perhaps it can rightly claim the joint title, "Biggest and Most Delicious", since this is the most delicious burger of this size we have tasted.

The salad was similarly generous in its proportions, and was declared good. It was a decent pile of lettuce garnished with canned salmon, some olives, and a few other bits of healthy stuff, and a good slathering of a tasty homemade dressing.

Best of all, the price is right. The full burger with bacon and cheese came in under $10, so that's only $5 or so for smaller bellies who need to share. The pizzas seemed popular and may merit a trial sometime, as well as the other burger options (there's even vegetarian).

The lowdown? We'll be going back whenever the desire for a burger arises. In fact, the proximity to our abode (and the availablity through online ordering services) means that it's a viable option for a quick meal whenever we like. So we'll probably be back to try out other items on the menu too.


4458 Ste Catherine Ouest, corner of Metcalfe, Westmount
A second Copoli can also be found on Maisonneuve, directly opposite the Vendome metro station for the late night burger on the way home.

The Burgundy Lion

Our Rating:

1½ Fat Buddhas: Hit and miss food in a nice enough place

Fairly reasonably priced pub grub

The Review:

In our continuing quest for good food and a local pub, we thought we'd try out the newly opened Burgundy Lion, not too far from our home. They're going for an English Pub theme, with a nice wooden bar and staircase, a pretty small courtyard area, and lots of English beers on tap. The place is still a bit stark, though (maybe even more so since it was quite empty early on the Thursday night we visited), without the warmth of an English Pub, and the music (an eclectic mix of 80s rock) seemed to creep louder through the evening to make conversation a little difficult.

The service was quick, friendly and attentive (and wearing suspenders). The water brought to the table had cucumber in it, which was refreshing, and pleasantly reminiscent of our favourite gin, Hendrick's. The wine list, however, is quite limited, especially when you're drinking by the glass—only a couple of decidedly average wines available. The beer list is better, with many imports. They have their own Burgundy Lion Ale on the list which was not very good—tasted like a cheap draught beer with a nasty aftertaste. To redeem them, they do have Bierbrier beer (try ordering that after a few) on tap, which is an interesting ale from a local Montreal micromicrobrewery.

We had some help on this review, which meant we were able to sample a wider range of their offerings than if it were just us two. Good thing too, since we managed to order some pretty average dishes, but our fellow diners picked some good ones. The food appeared in a twinkling of an eye after ordering, making us wonder how much was preprepared and just quickly heated up. It was all nicely presented, and looked quite appetising. Upon the raving review of the waiter, Michael foolishly chose the Portobello vegetarian burger over the meat version. It was somewhat disappointing: the mushrooms (there were 3 rather thin specimens) were not thick and juicy, and were accompanied only by some plain cheese (the burger not even hot enough to melt the cheese), lettuce and tomato. Kind of plain. The chips were pretty good, and a generous supply of tomato sauce and mayo were provided, along with a small bowl of some generic packet gravy, which did not add much to the plate or palate. The bangers and mash were also disappointing—who'd have thought it could go wrong? The sausages had an odd, lumpy, and yet somehow floury texture, with very little taste. They appeared well-cooked, but tasted undercooked. The mash was uninspiring, and reminiscent of Deb, that delightful dehydrated packet mashed potato. Just add water. All this was drowned in some dark gravy, which, again, did not add much to the plate.

Thankfully our fellow diners had more luck than us. The fish & chips were excellent—the fish thick pieces of firm, white, tasty fillet, encased in a crunchy thick batter without any trace of excess oil. A good sized portion too, with a pile of chips, coming with tartare sauce and, oddly enough, a small bowl of mashed peas. Maybe that's supposed to be English. The other dish ordered was their "Colonial chicken", which was a cardamon-heavy tikka masala style. It was tasty enough, and what we'd expect to be seen in an English Pub. One thing that was a little on the annoying side were the flies that seemed to be attracted to our meals. We had quite a little fly party happening for a while there.

The food was reasonably priced, between $13–$16 for the mains we ordered; wine and beer was also in the average price range. All up this decent meal, with a couple of drinks each, set us back about $60 for the two of us, so it's not overly cheap, but still reasonable value for money.

Not too sure we'll go back, however. The food was ok, but nothing that would merit a special trip to the place. The atmosphere was ok, but I also wouldn't make the trip there for drinks. If we were in the area at the right time, then perhaps we'd stop by.


2496 Notre Dame O., "Little Burgundy", Le Sud-Ouest
http://burgundylion.com

Ye Olde Orchard (Prince Arthur)

Our Rating:

2 Buddhas: Good food, good service, nice atmosphere
Cheapo!

The Review:
Ever since this latest chapter of Ye Olde Orchard opened 20 metres from Michael's work in March, he, and a lot of his colleagues, have been regular visitors for a weekly 5 à 7 after-works drinks (to the point where Michael can now just order his "usual"). In addition to a good selection of local and imported beers at reasonable prices, there is also a broad menu of typical pub foods ranging from wings to burgers to salads to curries. There is nominally a British-type theme to the place (Irish music, staff in kilts, Scotch bottles on display, Premier League football on TV), but the food is actually decent, so the theme falls down a little there.

This newest addition to the fleet of YOOs is conveniently on Prince Arthur Ave, right next to Blvd St Laurent, and, as mentioned, literally a hop, skip, and a jump from Michael's work (as proven one night after the 5 à 7). Good location. The interior is what a pub should look like. Clean, reasonably well lit, wooden tables, stone walls, and waitresses in short kilts. There are, unfortunately, in my book, too many TVs in the place, so no matter where you look, you get distracted. It's seems a global phenomenon that when there is a TV in a bar, one tends to watch it rather than socialise, no matter how boring the show. Let's face it, it's usually golf or ads, and surely our bar companions are more interesting than that. That aside, the staff are friendly and attentive, the music at a pleasant volume (with a good selection of British/Irish music), and the seats comfortable.

So, onto the food. There are a number of choices in each section of the menu, and nearly all the choices made so far have been met with satisfaction. The sweet potato fries (with curry mayo if desired) is quite popular, but I find them a little limp. The home fries are, however, crisp and good, and cut nice and thick, as they should be. The soups seem to be popular, but nothing overly exciting, and we've never tried them. Same goes for the wings. Winners on the menu are the selection of burgers ($9–$15). Good-sized, tasty, not full of fat. The selection of pies is also quite good, although I always question the definition of a small baking dish covered in pastry as a pie (~$10–$12). Surely a pie should have crust on the bottom as well? Either way they have so far been meaty (real chunks of meat), hot, and delicious.

But to be honest, you don't really go to the pub to eat, normally. But if you're in the neighbourhood, and looking for a quick, reasonably-priced meal with a beer to match, this is the place to go. It's a good local to have.

We're regulars here. Normally for drinks, but for food as well when the time is right.

20 Prince Arthur Ave Ouest
http://www.yeoldeorchard.com/
Other locations on Monkland in NDG, and Montagne in Centre-Ville are similarly good by reputation.

Thai Grill

Our Rating:

1 Buddha: Mediocre food with terrible service

Overpriced for what you get

The Review:
The location is easy to get to on St Laurent and Laurier, and the restaurant decor certainly transports you to a stereotypical Thailand vista with the use of Thai Gods and Goddess statues, and a rather unusual use of fountains in the washrooms! The atmosphere was good, even if you did feel a little like you were in a Thai brothel (not that I've been in one, but all the red, the dull lighting, and the ornate partitions fits with my impressions of Thai brothels). Maybe the brothels aren't quite so fancy.

We went in wanting to catch a quick bite before heading to one of the comedy festival shows.
We expected that the appetisers we ordered with a glass of wine wouldn't take too long to prepare (can you see where this is going already?). There were some impressive dramatics by who we assume to be the head waiter, in just laying plates on the table, but even that was not enough to keep us entertained whilst we waited for half an hour before our drinks were delivered. Half an hour to get 2 glasses of wine. Nice glasses, mind you, but very thirsty by that stage. Then, we pressed the urgency of our timeframe upon our flamboyant waiter to see if we'd actually any food within the hour, he said he'd hurry the process along. Another 20 minutes later, our shared appetizer plate arrived. Not too impressed, because that left us only 10 minutes before it was time to leave.

The restaurant professes to provide savoury and succulent dishes, and in our experience the appetiser plate was reasonably good. It included three different dipping sauces and a nice arrangement of mango salad in the middle. Shame the mangoes were not quite ripe, or maybe that was the texture they were going for? The prawns appeared to be strangled by some fried noodles, which looked pretty good and thank goodness for the dipping sauces, otherwise they would have tasted quite bland. The standard chicken dumpling, satay chicken shaslick & spring rolls were ok, but nothing overly impressive. And certainly not worth waiting the best part of an hour for (especially without wine). How hard is it to chuck a few things in the deep fryer?

On this small sample, the food seems reasonable, but generously overpriced—the appetiser plate turned out to be an unexpected $14 per person. The wine list seems to cater for a large variety of people with most of the wines by the glass costing around $9. So for a handful of spring rolls, satay, and dumplings with a glass of wine for two, the bill was up over $50.

If you're after a quick meal though, this is not the place to go to. And if you're after a cheap meal, this is not the place to go. And if you're after an authentic Thai cuisine experience, well, our small sample didn't really allow for full assessment of that. At least it's a purely Thai restaurant, and not a cross-cultural mix, like the Szechuan–Sushi place down the road.

We most likely will not be going back to this one.

http://www.thaigrill.ca/
5101 blvd. St-Laurent, Montreal

And so it begins

After 9 months in Montreal, we have yet to find the basic necessities of life - decent, reliable, well-priced restaurants. So we've decided to keep track of our ventures in this area with a series of reviews of all the restaurants we visit. In the past months, we've been to a number of places, some of which we may return to at some point. So far, from memory, we've been to a few restaurants below. There are a number of others that we've been to, that are not memorable enough to be remembered...

Excellent (the full 3 Buddhas )

• Le Mitoyen, Laval
  
• Decca 77, Rue Drummond
• Chez L'Epicier, Old Port
  
• Schwartz's (has to be here), Blvd St Laurent
  

Good (let's say 2—2.5 Buddhas )

• Le Convivial, Rue Sherbrooke, Westmount
  
• Brontë, Rue Sherbrooke
  
• Ye Olde Orchard, Prince Arthur
• M*Brgr, Montagne (but overpriced)
• Weinstein and Gavino's, Crescent
• Le Cartet (for brunch), Rue McGill, Old Port
  

Mediocre (1—1.5 Buddhas )

• Maestro SVP, Blvd St Laurent
• Ghandi, Old Port
• Le Cap Vert, Rue McGill College
• Hurley's, Rue Crescent
  

Terrible (0—0.5 Buddhas)

• La Casa Grecque, Prince Arthur
• Tamales, Prince Arthur
• The Winston Churchill, Rue Crescent