Saka-Ba, Japanese Ramen on the Plateau

The man behind Saka-Ba is Junichi Ikematsu, the brilliant chef behind Jun-I, often described as an amazing French-Japanese Fusion Sushi restaurant. Junichi's background, prior to Montreal, was in French cooking, but it doesn't show at this place. Made to look like a casual bar-like restaurant, from the Pachinko machine to the old Japanese movie posters, this place looks like a fun bar. I won't mind spending my afternoon sipping cocktails in the place.

The Drinks

A Highball

This one been a Bourbon and Soda, probably Jim Beam. A highball is the traditional name for cocktails which contains an alcohol mixed with a non-alcoholic mixer. Decent drink, but I'll probably order something different next time

Sapporo Freeze

 Why is there a quirky frozen slushy made out of Yuzu and beer on top of the beer? Why, WHYYYYYYYY. Because it's refreshing and it's summer, that's why. Meh, not my kind of drink, I dislike slushies/slurpies in general, but I would order if the day was burning hot. Hell, I'll get myself one of those machine.

 Octopus Salad

Flavourwise, it was good, some chili oil, soy. This is quite close in flavour to Northern Chinese food/Korean food. Quite decent actually. Goes great with beer.

 Yaki Buta, Pork on a skewer.

Quite simple, but good. Pork pieces skewered and grilled. 

Ebi Ramen

Lobster Broth, Japanese style ChaSiu, Corn, Bamboo, bean Sprouts, Green Onions, Noodles

I mean, the ramen noodles were ok, I personally think they could have a bit more snap, the charsiu was good, the side were decent, but something was lacking. In all the very good ramen bowl I had, it was a downright dirty experience, the broth was borderline muddy, but so damn complex. I think they are trying to showcase the lobster from the lobster broth, the small inherent sweetness from it, but this is not for me. I guess it was an ok dish.

Karage Chicken Fried till crips, with a decent spicy mayo. Would order again.

Yakitori

Chicken skewers, simple but good.

Would i come back? Maybe for a pint of frozen Sapporo and some snacks.

Old World Pub: Ye Olde Ochard

After an interview with a horrible company, for the record, I was offered the job, I declined, I refuse to work for under the minimum wage. I swung by Ye Olde Ochard, the original one, which a few street away from where I had my interview. It is quite a charming pub.

sorry for the shitty pics, this time they were taken with a potato cam.

Drinks:

A 5$ 5-7 pint, my friend who accompanied me in this folly had a pint of cider.

Bacon Jalapeno Cheese Burger

It's pub food, but well done. Fries were great.

Since my friend is a vegetarian, she had a vegetarian burger. I guess she thought it was OK. The sweet potatoes fries were from actual sweet potatoes tho, not that frozen stuff.

I mean, it's a great place to blow off steam, foods good and beer is good.

Would return if I'm near, Monkland Tavern/Mikado is also a good place to grab a bite in that area.

Liban sur le Plateau: un vrai Tripe de Bouffe

Well, I was hanging out with Gabby, and after quite a a few drinks at Billy Kun, we headed in front at Tripe de bouffe for a quick bite.

Cheese Eggplant Thing on Rice. Creamy, tomatoey, full of flavour. It was absolutely delicious. 

Tabouleh and an eggplant salad. Both were Fresh the eggplant salad was particularly amazing.

Fatayer, both meat and spinach, Kibbeh and Falafels. They were all really good, the Spinach fatayer was especially good, a lot more balanced than what I was used too, not as sour. The falafels were amazing. We came back the day right after to grab a few. Sober. 

Would return, the food was dirt cheap too.

Late night in the east side: Italian at Milano.

This place holds a special place in my heart, mostly because I spent countless night drinking espresso and beer in that place. The sandwiches are awesome, I would rather go there than at any chain in the city, and the sweets are pretty good. 

 The Milano Special

Well, it's the new kid on the menu. I usually get the old school sausage or steak sandwich, with extra eggplants and hot peppers, but this chopped up frenzy of steak, peppers and onion stir fried sounded too good. 

The Macchiato.

Cannoli, some of the best in the city. Creamy, cheesy goodness.

Lobster Tail, I think the cannoli is better but they are still amazing.

Will return.

indian in Park-Ex: Maison Indian Curry

Gabby LOVES Indian food, and didn't have any since she moved to Montreal. Laughing at her, I took her to one of my favourite area in town, Southern Park-Ex, also known as Little India. I didn't know where I wanted to go, there's plenty of good choices in the neighborhood, Chand Palace, Pushap Sweets, 786 Halal, and many other amazing places covers the plethora of South Asian food pretty well too, but I brought her to Maison Indian Curry, which is a pretty solid Indian restaurant. 

The Idli Sambar

A true staple of Southern Indian cuisine, Idlis are made by steaming fermented black lentil and rice batter. Big puffy tasty ball of dough. Comes with a spicy sambar, a really tasty one too, although I do prefer it to be a bit spicier and a fresh raita. It was really delicious.

The beer is from a micro-brewery in Bromont, decent beer, an IPA, a bit short on the hops, but it works well with spicy food.

The Mango Lassi. A thick, sweet lassi. I happen to prefer salted lassi, but this was a decent sweet one.

The Shrimp Byriani. Delicious rice, baked with shrimps and spices. I should have asked to have extra spice, but this is good as it is. Plus I don't think Gabby could have supported the extra spice. It is a good version of a Byriani, sometimes, it is too wet, sometimes, it is dry. This is a delicious version.

The Raita that came with the rice. Amazingly salty, and it cuts through right through the spices. Really refreshing.

Matar Paneer, Peas and cheese, with tomatoes, yogurt and garam marsala. It is delicious, green peas, making a bit sweet, snappy, delicious paneer, which is one of my favourite thing in the world. 

Tikka Masala, just like General Tso or the Hamburger, is a dish that is a mutation from the old country. Popularized in Great-Britain, Chicken Tikka is roasted Chicken in a tandoor, and they put it in a tomatoes sauce full of spices. Not too sweet, juicy chicken with bread. Delicious, full of peppers.  

 

The Naan, freshly baked, great with both curries.

Would Return again.

Coffee: Café Myriade and Vasconia Boulangerie

The coffee at Myriade is actually quite a well-known coffee shop around the city. I believed it was the first third wave coffee shop in Montreal, and it is amazing. This was one of the very first place I saw high quality foam art, and not only is it pretty, it is actually a really good cappuccino/macchiato. Sitting on the terrace, sipping on this coffee, looking the people passing by, enjoying the weather, was clearly one of the funnest activity to do in this city. I love this coffee shop.

Vaconia Boulangerie

Vasconia is special, because it is technically not a coffee shop, it is Colombian bakery.

The coffee was solid, but I would have love it more if it was a tad less foamy.

The mango juice was a fruity delight. Light, tasty, not too sweet. I would order during the summer if I am in the area. Really good.

 Baked Goods: 3 Cheese Bun and a Cheese Croissant

The croissant, like a lot of the South American croissant that I experienced, is actually a little bit sweeter than their french version. It is softer too. I actually like it a lot, it is really close in texture to the cake-like consistency of a Italian cornetto, and it is deliciously filling. The cheese bun was delicious. Full of flavour and it had a really interesting texture, one that can only be achieve if corn flour was used. I would a few baked goods to go next time.

Britannia in Montreal: The Burgundy Lion Pub.

This quaint British pub is located really close to some of Montreal's best restaurants, the Joe Beef/Liverpool House/Vin Papillon trifecta, and it is near the gorgeous Atwater Market. This pub is located in la petite bourgogne, a once working class neighborhood that has started to gentrify massively over the years. This pub has one of the greatest whiskey list in Canada, ordered 2 scotches randomly, both were amazing, a bit on the harsher side, because of their youth. Would go really well with cigars, if you are into those kind of things.

This review is a summary of 2 articles, once during the winter with A.,Ozzy and V., and once with Gabby.

The interior is absolutely great, lit just enough. The atmosphere is rowdy and fun.

The back Patio is gorgeous, specially under a beautiful day.

Scotch Eggs, delicious, meaty sausage, creamy egg, great dipping sauce. A must have with your pint.

I'm sorry, it was poutine week. Rabbit Poutine, great gravy, great sauce, decent pulled rabbit.

Gabby decided to go full British and ordered a Pimm's Cup, while I had an Hops and Bolt IPA. Truly a good beer in my opinion.

The Fish and Chips. Fresh fish, fried to a golden brown perfection. Chips are amazing. Served with malt vinegar, tatar sauce, mushy peas and ketchup. Everything was amazing, but I think I just dislike cold mushy peas. Would still order again, I love fish and chips.

Sarson's Vinegar, kind of a hard find in Montreal.

Cheeseburger, great one too. They seriously have great fries. 

Would return for a pint, a quick snack, or to watch a game in a lively atmosphere while eating good food.

Concordia's Vegetarian Good Eat: Thali, the local indian restaurant

Well, stuck in downtown near Concordia, hungry, and not a lot of money? What about Indian food? Thali has been a local fixture, serving hungry students from Concordia, for years. I think its a delicious, incredibly cheap, option. The Byriani is great, the meat Thali are also good, but I wanted to try the vegetarian option. I got Palak Paneer, a curry made by stewing eggplants and Potatoes, and a spicy concoction made with lentils, eggplants and spice. The Entree was Onion bhaji and a vegetarian samosa. They are ok, the Onion Bhaji was not too try, which is a big pet peeve of mine, and the samosa was plump and and full of delicious potatoes and spices. I would only eat them for lunch if I could. The curries were decent, the bread fluffy and the papadum was crunchy and delicious. I'll order the byriani with a side of tandoori next time, because those taste better.

The Kulfi was good, rose-water, almond tasting ice cream. The Gulab Jamun was tasty, albeit a bit too soft for my taste. 

The Chai is good, not as good as the one I tried in Toronto, but still good.

Will go again if in the area and hungry.

Izakaya in Montreal: Kazu, the fine dining background turned into casual pub food

When this restaurant opened in 2010, which I think might have been the best year for Asian food in Montreal, with joint like KanBai and QingHua popping up, it became an instant hit. The Chef trained in some kaiseki in Japan, and when he moved to Montreal, he worked at one of the greatest restaurant in the city, one that probably deserve a michelin star, Toqué!. He opened this cute little joint in the Concordia ghetto, and the food, is amazing. This blog post sums up 2 meals Iv'e had there, once with 2 good friends of mine, B and C, and once with my sister and her friend. The first meal was an alcohol fueled affair, with beer and sake, while the second one was a beer cocktail affair. Most of the dishes overlapped, we only had different specials, but the rest of the menu is pretty stellar too.

Chicken Yakitori

A simple Chicken Yakitori, with soy, mirin/sake and something sweet that I wasn't able to identify. It was pretty good chicken Yakitori. Even better with kirin Beer.

Grilled Octopus. This dish is a daily special, I think this is one of the best octopus based dish in the city. The octopus is extremely tender, but not soft. It still has a certain texture to it. Fresh, snappy octopus in a delicious sauce. I didn't expect the dish to be this good. Surprise is a really hard thing to pull in the restaurant world, this one just did. 

Beef Ribs and rice. This dish is good, but it is quite similar to what my parents makes, sugar/honey, soy, and other type of spices went into the marinade. It's good, but I won't order again, just because they have so many more interesting dishes on the menu.

That's B's Sake Ice Cream, it's sake and soft serve, what's not to like? 

Calcium Salmon, B's favourite dish. The Calcium salmon is delicious salmon bones that have been pressure cooked, mix with spices. There's some Wasabi, some sweet chilies, it is an amazing spread. Delicious with the tortilla they serve it with.

Shrimp Burger

The sauce, a mix of probably mayo, mustard, ketchup and probably something to give it umami, Worcestershire sauce maybe?, was good. The bread adequate, and the salad and tomato, fresh, as would be any salad and tomato component in the sandwich. So what makes this dish so good? The shrimp patty is fresh, sweet and amazing. Actual shrimps are used in this burger, and they are one of my favourite quick bite in the city. It is so damn good. 

Salmon and Tuna Rice Bowl. The meal filler. It is delicious. Fresh, melt in your mouth tuna and salmon, some sauce, some greeneries to counteract the heaviness of the rice and the fish. Topped with fried noodles, probably a vermicelli of some sort. Really good.

Grilled fish head, actually one of my favourite things to eat in the world. Delicious, moist, fatty, FRESH salmon head, there is seriously nothing better.

Will return often, for lunch or sharing plates at night.