I went to Cartel last year and was greatly disappointed. Recently, I received an invitation from Cartel’s chef/owner to try out Cartel again. He said my experience on Cartel might change if I give it another try, especially when the location has been changed. I was awed by his approach, showing that customer’s opinion matters to him.
At first, I was very worried about this invitation because I was afraid how I would tackle the review. I was afraid that I had to compromise my honesty once accepting the invitation. However, the owner did not give me any pressure at all. I was doing my own thing and he would check at our table once in a while. So rest assured, my review is not biased.
And here goes my second experience at Cartel. Almost 180 degree turn around! It was what I had hoped to experience the very first time I visited Cartel.
New location.
This is definitely a drastic change. It’s no longer on Crescent. It’s on Fairmount, close to st-laurent. Which I find the neighborhood is much more suitable for the restaurant’s concept. I did wish that Cartel could show something different on Crescent, but it just isn’t fitted for the crowd. As the sun went down, the restaurant just got more and more livelier. It seemed like Cartel has already gained popularity around the corner!
Because it has changed location, the decor of the restaurant is changed as well. I find it much more aesthetically pleasant and representative to the concept. It’s casual dining with a hint of chicness. With the lights resembling lanterns, it almost felt I was actually on the street in some asian country. I only wished it added a few more red “lantern-like” light hanging on the ceiling to emphasize on the concept. But i guess that could be overwhelming.
One big like is that their tables are designed for groups. This means I could easily come with a group of 6 and more people without any problem!
Another thing that I find it quite a unique experience is their bathroom! I didn’t take any picture…but you will understand what I mean if you go to the ladies room. I really like the door’s concept.
Nothing pretentious. But it’s still a nice place to drink and dine with your friends.
If some of you have read my old reviews, I am very picky when it comes to…serving water. I expect water to be the first thing to be served within the 5 minutes I get seated. Well… Cartel did not meet that. I had to ask for water after they had served my drinks, shown below. ok…diva rant is over.
Asian Pear
I remembered I wasn’t impressed with the drinks last year. Drastic change! This asian pear…I love it SO MUCH. No exaggeration. It was sweet, very fruity, just like the name says!
The drink is made of sake, orgeat syrup, lime juice, pear nectar and ginger beer. I think most girls would love this drink.
Old Fashioned
Mr.Butter ordered Old Fashioned. It was STRONG. I tasted bourbon alright! Mr. Butter was satisfied with the drink.
Tacos – Camarones del Diablo – Porc Grille
So, the day we went was Tuesday. What does that mean?! TACO DAY! 2$ taco as long you purchase a drink. Indeed, the tacos are small. But! I assure you, they fill you up very quickly. To be honest, I was 75% full when I ate my third taco… just to let an idea of how filling it was. And so was Mr.Butter. And, in case you don’t know, we don’t eat very little.
Camarones del Diablo – the taco on the left.
Meaty shrimps. Another reason why it’s filling! This taco was warned by the chef that it’s REAL spicy. Well, I didn’t believe him, because when people tell me it’s real spicy, it’s just a bit spicy for me ( I love spicy food, remember?) I have to give him credits that he was speaking the truth. This taco is spicy. Just spicy enough for me to handle it, without suffocating and killing my taste-buds that I wouldn’t be able to taste any flavor anymore. I adored this taco, way better than anticipated. The ingredients were screaming fresh and light. No grease at all. This is my favorite taco of all the ones I tried in the evening.
Grilled pork – the taco on the right.
This has to be my least like tacos of the bunch. Why? I find the pork way too stiff. The meat was getting stuck to my teeth too! The chef did mention that the pork was local but that did nothing to me… it would if it wasn’t so hard. Aside from the pork, lychee was one of the ingredients of the taco. I wouldn’t have known if it wasn’t actually written in the menu. The lychee added nothing to the taco. Why? Their sweetness was near to none. I could only taste it just eating it by itself. The problem here is that the lychee is from cans. Fresh lychees would be a different story, but then the wallet would bring a lot of more issues… Another thing, it could be that I ate the other taco first and left this taco sat a bit, this taco became a bit soggy…so little warning, either eat your tacos fast or have it come one by one.
Taco de Mole
This taco was with chicken. I can’t exactly depict the taste of it. It was something new. I preferred this one over the Grilled pork one for sure. However, this one was one greasy taco… Other than that, it tasted decently good.
Taco Baja Fried Fish
This fish taco was recommended by the waitress and chef. It was light. So light that Mr.Butter had trouble tasting the fish. That wasn’t an issue for me though. However, I don’t see the “punch” of the taco. I would go for Camornes del diablo!
Basil Mojito – Dark and Stormy
Second round of drinks. I was VERY tempted to re-order the Asian pear. But it’s the occasion to try new things. Mr.Butter ordered the Dark and Stormy while I ordered the Basil Mojito, as suggested by the waitress.
Basil Mojito
The mojito isn’t very strong here. Highly infused of sweet lime juice. It is a very girly sweet drink, obviously the reason why I like it…
Dark and Stormy
A drink I would normally order because I still can’t find a place served it better than Blizzart. I shied away from it this time because last year I had one in Cartel and I wasn’t impressed at all. Mr.Butter still ordered it in pure curiosity if it improved. Well, it was sweet…maybe a bit too sweet for a dark and stormy…But it’s still missing a something something from Blizzart.
Lobster roll
Mr.Butter really wanted to try the lobster roll because last time, they weren’t available. The lobster was meaty! They aren’t being cheap with the portion at all. Mr.Butter said that it was better than the average lobster roll, but cannot be compared with the one he had in Maine. He loved how he could taste the butter on the lobster…go figure how come he’s named after butter…
As for me, I don’t see the appeal of lobster roll as I find the bread conceals too much of the lobster’s fresh and light taste. I find there are better ways to bring out the flavors of lobsters…therefore, I am not one to judge lobster roll…
However, I can definitely judge the fries served beside the lobster roll because I am a total fries junkie! or…expert. lol. The fries have improved so much. I remembered they used to be thicker and much more soggier, which results greasier. Not good at all! Not the case anymore! Their fries are addictive! They are julienne cut! Thinner and crispier! But too salty! Remove the salt and I’ll approve!
Arroz verde
In the menu, there are many meals that aren’t full blown menu – just like the concept says, street food! However, Arroz verde is one of the exception.
At this point of the evening, I was completely full. Not hungry at all. It’s when you’re not hungry that you know if the food is good or not. Because if you are full and still want to continue eating it, it’s because that thing is damn good. Arroz verde fits that description.
Arroz verde is a peruvian dish, where it has cilantro rices and a choice of meat. In our case, we had a duck leg. And you see those orange things? They are sweet potatoes! YUM! You squeeze the lime into the rice. And mix the rice with all the goodies in the dish, let it be the sweet potatoes, pieces of onion, bits of the duck leg…sums to GOODNESS.
I have to emphasize on the duck leg. This is how we should all cook duck leg! Or duck meat in general… The skin was crisp! Yet, the meat was not overcooked that it was mushy. The meat was nicely defined into pieces. The best way I can explain it is that the meat kept its form in perfection – if that makes sense at all.
I was full and I kept eating this! This portion is generous! There was so much rice. This meal is good for 2 normal people. Good for 4-6 people if you are ordering other stuff.
It could be a bit greasy, but that could be ignored at how great it tasted. The dish did get a bit heavy eventually, which is why i suggest to share…
Highly suggested dish!!
Churros
You know how girls are, before we even get to order, we are already checking out what’s for dessert. Well, I saw no dessert on the menu! I was sad at first but sort of glad in the end because I was so full. But guess what! The chef let us know that there was churro for dessert! I love churro, how can i refuse!
The churros served here was spanish style. I don’t know what’s the main difference from other churros… I think I have only eaten american style churros…you know, from DisneyWorld and other parts of United States.
What’s different here from what I am accustomed to is that we dip the churros in the chocolate. The chocolate wasn’t that sweet, so no need to worry about how sweet it would get. However, what I usually like about churro is their crispness and intense cinnamon flavor. Although the churro was very nicely made, it was too thick to my own liking and lacks cinnamon. So in the end, it just tasted like a fried plain dough shaped like a churro, ready to be dipped in chocolate…
I did not enjoy it very much.
All in all, I already recommended some of my friends to check out Cartel. It has definitely changed a lot, which I am grateful of. It would be somewhere I would bring my group of friends, just not a place for 2 people. The price of the menu is very reasonable. Cartel surely brings something new to the table in Montreal’s restoration. Looking for street food? But can’t find any off from Montreal’s street? Cartel can fix that!
Kazu was in my list to try since 2 years ago. But I was hoping the hype would die down so I wouldn’t need to wait outside…well guess what? The hype never disappeared!
I waited for 45 minutes on a chilly winter evening. Remember to bring pleasant companion…or the wait will be painful.
What I like about Kazu is that the staff is very knowledgeable and everyone is 100% aware of what is happening. There is so much chemistry between every staff. All I could notice it’s how harmonious they are working together. Constant flow. And Kazu would always has a smile on his face. It’s quite endearing.
Because Mr. Butter didn’t warn me that we were going to Kazu, I couldn’t do research on the MUST ORDER dishes…so I wasn’t prepared and frankly a bit stressed because I didn’t want to “lag” the flow of the restaurant.
And, we ended up with good stuff! That goes to say, maybe there isn’t any bad dishes in Kazu!
Pork Cheek
The tortilla was warm. The pork cheek tastes like any kind of hummus spreading. It was good.
Yuzu tasted like a sweeter kind of normal lemonade. I enjoyed the drink very much. I especially like the yuzu pieces on the bottom of the drink. A must try!
Buta-Don – 48 hours pork bowl
I would think a marinated pork for 48 would taste heavy. But this isn’t true. I can’t quite tell apart from pork marinated overnight. Not a dish to try. Nothing special. It could be that I eat similar pork done like that at home already.
Soup
We weren’t aware that their ramen is only served during lunch time. Because of the long wait outside, all we wanted was a good bowl of hot ramen. But i guess a soup would fix it. This soup was good with all the vegetables. However, I wouldn’t say it was special. But it was good.
Tuna sashimi
Ok – there’s a funny story behind this dish. Quite embarrassing one. You see how there’s 2 spoons on the actual dish? Not only that, I was also offered a fork and a knife when they served me the dish. So I was quite confused the purpose of the metal spoon placed on the fish. Mr. Butter said the metal spoon was for the soya sauce. So I went ahead and used my knife and gently cut the tuna sashimi. And Kazu noticed my very special way to eat the tuna and took the leap and taught me that the spoon is to scrape the meat off the tuna bone. OOOOOOOOOOOH! I laughed embarrassingly. And he was so amused the rest of the night…
Anyway! Back to the dish review. This is quite an original way to eat tuna sashimi! Albeit there wasn’t a lot of meat in that bone, I enjoyed the unique presentation of the dish and experience to eat tuna sashimi.
Grilled chicken cartilage
If I remembered correctly, this is chicken cartilage. Or some other animal cartilage then! The sauce is delicious. I believe it’s teriyaki sauce, I may be wrong…or just another kind of Japanese barbecue sauce.
Home-made ice cream
I think this was the winner of the evening. The home-made ice cream is heavenly. So smooth. We had rum on the left and wasabi on the right. I really liked the rum! The flavor was especially tasty on the bottom. I can only imagine how this ice cream would be perfect for this summer.
Overall, I can definitely see the appeal of Kazu. But I still don’t understand why would this restaurant earned this much of a hype because there are many restaurants just as good as Kazu. Maybe it’s the people working there that won all our hearts. To say that Kazu is like a Izayaka in Japan, I have to strongly disagree. It’s a nice reproduction but definitely not the same. Should you try Kazu? Yes for the experience. As for the food goes, it’s good like many other places.
You know how I’ve always glorified Mikado as the BEST sushi place. Well, I think I overdid it. I went recently and it’s not the same anymore…
It seems like one dish after another one, I became more and more discontented. I was so saddened that it’s no longer good. Yes, I said no longer good – not “as” good.
One exemption I would say is that their service is just as good as before, and their sashimi is to die for.
Scallop to heaven
This a dish that we always ordered. Their scallop remained the same, big portion and fresh. Cooked in perfection. Not a hint of overcooking. The noodles are so cripsy, but not overly oily.
Assorted sashimi
This time, instead of ordering sashimi one by one from the sashimi menu. We tried to order from the grand menu. All of this is only 29$! Not to mention, their sashimi is SOOOO FRESH! You know that bottom left salmon? It’s pacific salmon! I think it’s the first time I’ve eaten it. It’s not comparable to atlantic salmon. It’s a whole new level of goodness!! It almost tastes like tuna! I still approve Mikado’s sashimi. So nicely cut. Thick and fresh. Yum!
Tuna sashimi
That’s why we had to order more sashimi!! TUUUUUUUUUNA!
So I randomly picked some rolls while ordering, and this is one of them. Not too bad. A decent average roll. A bit underwhelming since I ate better things in Mikado… And because I so randomly picked this roll, I couldn’t remember which roll this is…I am so helpful.
Chardonnay
And while trying new things in the menu, I saw Chardonnay, which I remembered I adored so much last time. I ordered it expecting it would make my taste-bud go party mode! But, it actually killed the party instead! It was awful. It didn’t taste like anything I remembered it being. Worst of all, somehow, it tasted so greasy!
And to make things worse, I had randomly chosen the worst roll I’ve ever tasted in Mikado. You see those fried stuff? I think it’s fried carrot. That thing made the whole roll a disaster. It was drenched with greasy flavor. All I could taste was basically oil.
Maybe they were having a bad cuisine day…who knows? But it was so disappointing because Mikado was so highly regarded by me…that I always suggested to people that it’s a MUST TRY! Now, I had to correct myself… Their sashimi is must try. Their rolls…try your luck!
I think I may have over referenced Breakfast Club in my restaurant reviews but never had a proper review about it…How ironic.
SO. What’s the big fuss about Breakfast Club that made it remained in top position for breakfast all these years in my list?
Their freaking waffles. Yes. Waffles.
Their waffles are executed in perfection. Just how waffles should be! Crisp but not too crisp that it’s hardened. Soft in the interior once bitten but not soggy.
Mhm. That’s how I want my waffles to be.
Here’s an example…this day, I paired my waffles with multiples of fruits, but my favorite it’s to pair my waffles with strawberry, banana and chocolate chip!
I really like how they pair it with more “exotic” fruits, like FIG! I love figs…
Other than their amazing waffles, what else do they offer? They serve a big variety of breakfast choices. Most would be satisfied. In the past, I usually tried something new off their menu and hadn’t had anything that I wasn’t satisfied with (although some were less successful than others, but in general, I was very content with their food). However, after years, I just couldn’t resist their waffles anymore. Now, I have to always order them.
Here’s a dish other than waffles..
The omelette was just your typical omelette from other breakfast places. Nothing note worthy.
But what is worthy to mention is that they serve AMAZING FRIES. Yes they do! Just like the ones McDonald’s serves but less chemically modified. And, Breakfast Club serves mussels as well, which in the past used to be one of my favorite dishes to order, however I haven’t kept up with their mussels lately to claim if it’s still as good.
And another mention, you could ask for their pizza menu, which is the menu from the other side of the restaurant. Their pizza is cooked in the stone oven and the crust is very thin. I find them very good as well.
Is Breakfast Club for you? Most people I went with are pleased with their food. Therefore, very likely yes!
P.S. I love how we can freely take their magazine to read as well. They are tons of fashion magazine and they are recent issues too. BONUS!
I think Sushi Yasu is the restaurant I’ve remained the most faithful so far! After all these years (about and around 10 years if not more), I continued visiting it. It’s the most consistent restaurant in terms of sushi quality. Definitely one of the tops in south shore.
This restaurant is owned and managed by Japanese, which is always something I sought after. There’s something about food that we feel it’s more authentic when it’s served with the original ethnic people. But to my experience, it’s not because they are the original ethnic people that would mean that the food would be super good…However, this does not apply to Sushi Yasu. They serve great sushi and other japanese dishes. But I have to say that I rarely try anything other than their sushi.
If you are looking for creative and fun sushi, you are at the wrong place. Sushi Yasu does not have much varieties. They serve the most common sushi. However, their quality is very solid. But I must say, their sashimi isn’t the best I ever ate. But because their quality is so consistent among everything , which is their strength.
Salad with their fantastic home made sauce
Their salad is very simple but yet very delicious. Apparently, it’s so popular that they are starting to sell the sauce by itself.
Crabshell roll and a roll with Grilled eel
Their soft crab shell sushi is always very good. Their roll with the grilled eel is very delicious as well! What I like about their rolls is that they don’t overdo it with their sauce. More and more sushi has TONS AND TONS of sauce, which is not what sushi is about! Sushi is about tasting the freshness of the seafood! and…their ingredients (ok…maybe I am wrong, but that’s at least what I think it should be!)
Takoyaki
Every time I see Takoyaki in a menu, I am so tempted to order them…but I never really like it. I think they are just so cute and not widely available that when you see in a menu, you gotta order it. What I like about this Takoyaki is that there isn’t any big squirt of oil once you bite it.
Tempura
I don’t like shrimp tempura in general. I only eat vegetable tempura times to times. And their tempura is so nicely fried that it’s very crisp. Some might be disappointed with the size of the shrimps though. But in Japan, if my memory serves me right, they are usually served in this size!
Varieties of sushi
This dish comes in a combo. Just the look at it you can tell how authentic it is! However, like I have mentioned previously, their sashimi isn’t the best. But they are fresh – just I have tasted so much better in Mikado that I am really picky with my sashimi.
Varieties of sushi
This dish is ordered from the individual sushi list menu. Just to justify how fresh their seafood are. They taste authentically good. How sushi is suppose to be!
Like I say, Sushi Yashi can give you quality sushi but nothing fancy. There’s a reason why I am customers of theirs for so many years…maybe you’ll become one as well 🙂
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