Most foodies probably watched Anthony Bourdain’s show where he brought famous Montreal chefs to eat at Big in Japan. And that was where Big in Japan had came up on my radar. But negative reviews were more abundant than positive ones, so I became reluctant to go.
But because friends wanted to go, I abided…
Kakuni Kale
This braised pork in curry was nothing to celebrate about. It was very dull in flavor and in texture as well. Skip.
Miso Ramen
Mr.Butter was standing his ground when I told him that the ramens didn’t receive compliments in the review. And he wasn’t able to prove the reviews wrong. Or at least, I agree with the reviews I read online. This ramen tasted very salty and a bit bitter…
Okonomiyaki
I bet you $1000 that you wouldn’t have known what is this if I didn’t write the name of the dish! Possibly, you are in disbelief that this is an actual okonomiyaki.
This okonomiyaki was like no other. A generous salad sat on top of the hidden “pancake”. This salad was dressed monstrously in an indescribable amount of salty sauce. I think it would do me more harm than good to finish this.
I feel like I am a big bully in this review. But I really can’t find any positive thing to say. How about skip Big in Japan, and go to their bar instead. Big in Japan Bar remains one of my all time favorite bar.
Yes it’s Ceviches again! I really liked it that I had to share with more people! There’s another reason why I had to go again. I totally missed out on their paella!
So, it is no surprise that I made sure to order paella this time!
Before the main course was served, we had a a soup of the day, which I believed it was a chick pea soup.
The soup was extremely aromatic. It was largely spiced with curry which made it very savory.
Going to Ceviches, I just cannot skip their ceviches! This time, I chose mango and avocado to go with the fish. It was just as good as my last visit!
The highlight of the meal – paella. I was so happy when I saw the paella being beautifully deposited on the table. I was even happier when the paella was being digested by my stomach. The flavors were bursting in richness. Every scoop was filled with seafood. Ceviches needs to add paella in their name. Ceviches & Paella.
Let me say: Not the slightest regret to return to Ceviches so soon.
Embarrassingly, this is my first time at the Just For Laugh festival. Shame on me for not knowing how great this event is. It was so fun that I went for a second time.
It became inevitable that my hunger needed to be alleviated. That was when my path ended up to 2 food trucks.
Pas D’Cochon Dans Mon Salon
For the first vist, I had the pulled pork sandwich at Pas D’Cochon Dans Mon Salon. The portion was incredibly generous, to the point where I wished there were less pulled pork and more lettuces. The existence of the lettuce was only known as the end of my consumption, where I saw 2 leaves of lettuce shyly peeking out from the end of the bun. The beginning bites were very satisfying until half-way through, the sandwich became too heavy. I’m good without pulled pork for a few months. So far, I think this is the only food truck where the price is justified by the food.
P.A. & Gargantua
In the search of Le Cheese Truck for their grilled cheese I’m much curious about. Without any sight of Le Cheese, I saw a menu filled with grilled cheese offered by P.A. & Gargantua. Why not? At the spur of the moment, a 14$ grilled cheese was simply justified. (I need to clarify, the grilled cheese itself was 8$ but I chose the lunch box option which included a drink and a salad).
The drink was a home made blueberry soda. I am not going to lie. I felt cheated. The blueberry taste was so weak that if they didn’t tell me it was a blueberry soda, I wouldn’t have known. What it tasted like? Perrier blended with like 3 ( or 10 if I’m being very generous) tiny blueberries.
The salad was fine. Nothing more. I felt I was having lettuce salad with some Kraft dressing.
And thankfully the Chilli grilled cheese was delightful, or I would have mourned for my 14$. If I have to describe the specifics of the grilled cheese, I don’t think I can because I don’t remember much other than tasting good.
For someone that has a bigger appetite, they might need to order at least one more grilled cheese.
My heart for Montreal food trucks is still very confused.
Zuuchini
Indonesia cuisine is rare in Montreal. Mr.Butter has been eyeing on Nonya for quite a while. When Nonya appeared in a coupon deal, I immediately jumped in the occasion.
When I arrived, I couldn’t stop but be mesmerized by the decor. Just the ambiance itself is worthwhile. I felt I was transported into a different country.
The coupon that I purchased was for a tasting menu. The quantity of dishes we tried were phenomenal, but the portion was rather small. Regardless, I don’t think I would have paid the full price for the tasting menu.
The service was incredibly slow. We had to wait about 30 minutes for the first appetizer. After the first appetizer, we waited about an hour and more… That really irked us. However, that was rectified once food was served after our polite notice of the long wait to the waiter.
The food was comfortingly good. Curry and coconut milk are my weakness. Each dish was well balanced, yet none really stood out among others. But at the end of the night, I was satisfied with the meal.
My very first ceviche was years ago, but I can still remember the bitter taste it left behind. Mojito and ceviche weren’t my favorate combination. But coming across Montreal Food Pictures blog post and its wonderful pictures of this restaurant that specialises on ceviches, I couldn’t take my mind off. Maybe I had it all wrong? Maybe ceviche is a wonderful dish? I had to try and see…
That’s my story about how I came to know Ceviches.
Disclaimer: my photograph skills were very poor that specific evening…but important part is that I enjoyed the food too much to care.
Appetizers were:
Tostones – plantain chips: with the sauce, it was like eating salsa with chips
Tequenos – cheese sticks in a shape of a springroll: So cheesey! Reminiscent of Pizza hut cheese stick in a positive way.
Empanadas – dumpling stuffed with fish: As far as I know, best empanadas I have eaten.
Main course, ceviches obviously! The interesting part is that we get to choose the flavor and topping. For me, I had avocado and coconut flavored. The chosen proteins were octopus and fish. Not one single regret. It was beautifully executed. It couldn’t be more fresh. While I was enjoying my dish, I was already thinking who I must bring to try this amazing restaurant.
Ceviches is now a restaurant in my recommend list!
Follow Us!