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