Being with people that share the same interest always feels good. Hence, I happily had brunch with my fellow food bloggers. And bonus, the chosen restaurant was Le Cartet which was in my list to try for a long time.
These tiny spongy cake bites were offered to each one of us. To my knowledge, it was a common practice for every table. These were sure delicious. Wet, yet dense. Wish I knew what exactly they were, I need my fellows’ help!
Brunch des Cantons seemed like a must as it was ordered by 3 people in our table. One thing for sure, if you want to be charged up with protein for the rest of the day, this is the one to order! But to say it was an original and fantastic meal would be a bit of an exaggeration.
And if you want to be charged up with simply sweetness for the rest of the day, Brunch Sucre will be screaming your name! The portion was more than enough. I was having a hard time to finish it, and of course, Mr.Butter finished it for me! The crepes were good thanks to the fresh fruity jam. But the highlight would be the French tosat. It was like no other French toast, it had raisins and and hazelnut inside. Then, it was topped with blueberries and apple butter. Sooooo delicious. I would go back just for this. It is actually available in the menu by itself.
Le cartet was a fun experience. I especially like how most brunch came with a orange juice, which is rare for most restaurants, and how the price is affordable for the quantity and quality I am getting.
The day Mr.Butter brought me to KGP, which stands for Kitchen Galerie Poisson, was my first time hearing about them. According to Mr.Butter, there is a Kitchen Galerie near Jean-Talon and Kitch Galerie Poisson, which is in Old Port, specializes in seafood, hence “Poisson” attached to the name.
Once stepped in, I was greeted by this cosy and small area, which was shared by the kitchen and dining area. I loved it. I love when I can see the action from the kitchen! Since tables are scarce, most parties of 2 are seated at the counter. If that is a no no for you, be sure to reserve and have them noted that you want a table. During the whole evening, it was mostly full house. So, reservation is a must.
A large list of oysters were written on a chalkboard. Although I enjoy oysters very much, I am not knowledgeable with them. So, I simply based my selection upon the name appeal: Pink Moon (IPE), Kushi (BC) and Shigoku (WSH).
I was so glad of my choices because it turned out that they were so heavenly! My favorite had to be Pink Moon and my least favorite was Shigoku. Pink Moon has a clean and sweet taste while Shigoku is much meatier, which compromises the clean taste. Pink Moon is the best oyster I have tasted so far.
For appetizers, we had a crab cake with a side salad, and fried calamari. There were actually 2 separate appetizers, but KGP presented those 2 appetizers on the same plate. I actually liked this concept; it promoted sharing! Well obviously, we were going to share,but it just made it much easier and nicer to be all in one giant plate.
Again, the crab cake was the best that I had. It was pure crab goodness, no crabstick! So nicely fried as well. The salad was refreshing and a nice balance with the crabcake. I can actually have the salad everyday without being sick of it.
I wasn’t actually fond of the fried calamari. Undoubtedly, they were fresh and tender, but they were too thin for my liking.
For the main course, we had lobster ravioli and braised pork (that was one) and a rainbow trout (that was the second), both presented on the same plate. I loved how they were able to improvize the presentation according to what we had ordered; it made every dish so unique from other tables.
When I saw the 4 pieces of lobster ravioli, I couldn’t stop but laugh how little we were getting. But then, I realized and remembered that it came with a braised pork as well hiding behind that salad. The ravioli was rich in lobster meat. I wouldn’t say I fell hard for it, but it was nonetheless good. As for the braised pork, it was super tender. The texture was perfection, but I didn’t like how it was marinated. I thought it was rather bland. Not my cup of tea at all.
Oh and the rainbow trout. How could we dare to not to order a fish dish when Kitchen Galerie added Poisson to their name! So we chose rainbow trout – we had the option to choose the fish listed on the blackboard. The fishes were in limited quantity, so as time passed, one by one, the fish disappeared from the option list.
While there were some very original fish options, we wanted to be semi-safe and we never really tasted trout before. We did not regret our choice at all. The trout was wonderful. Its skin was very crisp, like chips. And the meat was just nicely cooked. I never had (cooked) fish this good before.
To end this beautiful meal, we had pistachio tart. Nothing to write home about, but it was satisfying.
Oops – we also had caramel cheesecake, which was smoother than butter. Noted, I am so biased when it comes to cheesecake.
After this visit, I cannot deny that KGP has made its place in my top restaurant list. I wholehearted enjoyed my experience.
I want to thank Mr.Butter making this experience happen!
When I first started checking urbanspoon, which is about 3 years ago, I noticed that Holder has plenty of good reviews. And I put it in my wishlist and seemed to have gotten lost in there. 3 years forward, here I am, ticking Holder off from my wishlist!
French onion soup,that was what Mr.Butter ordered. I tried it a bit and it was a nice soup, nothing to complain about but nothing worthwhile to compliment either.
Mr.Butter had the grilled hanger steak with shallots. The presentation of the dish was misleading because the steak was extremely tender and tasty. I couldn’t pinpoint a flaw.
And surprise surprise, I had the classic beef tartare. It was exactly how the menu named it, a very classic tartare. The beef was fresh and nicely seasoned.
I sort of regretted not choosing something a bit more substantial, like the braised beef cheek because the tartare, although good, was not a real surprise for my taste buds.
Holder is a solid French bistro. All the food we ordered met the standards, but I found that it was missing some character to be remarkable.
A little note, I recommend that reservation is made in advance, especially for weekends.
Zuuchini
There are a few “new” restaurants popping up on Taschereau in South Shore. Note I used “new” because I could be wrong how new they are and also because they already one an establishment somewhere on the island.
One of them is Tandoor et Grille. When I stepped in, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay because it was dead quiet. But then again, it was only 5 in the evening, still early for supper. Slowly, a few tables were taken. However, the restaurant is so big that even with a few tables occupied, the place still looks empty.
From my understanding, during lunch time, the restaurant becomes a buffet and during evening, it is only a la carte. This explains the arrangement of the tables, all arranged in rows like a school cafeteria.
The extensive list of dishes on the menu convinced me to stay.
We were served 2 pieces of thin cracker like bread. This was served for customers. They were so crispy and light that reminded me so much of chips. They came with 2 sauces to dip in, which were perfectly spiced. I could continue to eat this.
Mr.Butter ordered Samosa as appetizers. An order came with 2. I never had a good experience with Samosa. However, these ones were delightful. They weren’t as heavy as the ones I had before.
As main courses, we had Tikka Masala with lamb and Shahi Paneer. The Tikka Masala was satisfying. The lamb was tender, but there could be more. I wanted to try something new and vegetarian. The Shahi Paneer was suggested by the waiter. He said it was similar version of Butter Chicken but without the chicken. I listened as he said it was his favorite out of all the vegetarian dishes. To my disappointment, like he said, Shahi Paneer tasted exactly like Butter Chicken without the chicken. Sure, it tasted good and there were a few pieces of cottage cheese here and there, but I wanted something new to try.
To accompany our main dishes, we had naan and paratha. The naan was good, but Mr.Butter said it could be better. I found it soft and buttery. The paratha wasn’t as good as the one at Thanja because it wasn’t as flaky and buttery. It was a bit dry and too crispy to my liking.
Overall, Tandoor et Grille is a nice restaurant to enjoy Indian food. However, I find the price a bit high for the amount we are getting and the ambiance of the restaurant is not that welcoming. But if you live in South Shore and don’t want to drive all the way to the island for Indian food, this could be the place with a few setbacks.
Mr.Butter craved for Korean barbecue for a while. Back in 2013 to be more precise. And I kept delaying it with excuses such as ” I need to keep my S-line”. Who am I kidding? I got no s-line. Working on it though!
But little did he know, I was planning a surprise party for him! Seoul Chako was the perfect venue. It has a private area to host for a large party. But sadly, although I did reserve 1-2 month in advance, I think they messed up my reservation, so we ended up having separate tables. That was a set back,but nonetheless, we were still able to enjoy the night.
We had so much fun and were so restricted in space that I did not take any picture for the night. But luckily, there are so many reviews out there that I shamelessly took the following the picture from The Gazette.
The menu in Seoul Chako is extensive, which is great for a large party so everyone can find something they like. It is not strictly just beef. There are sushi on the menu as well. Surprisingly, some of their rolls were pretty good. Obviously, this is heaven for any carnivore. All you can eat! So I think anyone who does not eat meat is in a loser position, money wise of course.
To fully enjoy Seoul Chako experience, you should not expect fully functional bathroom structures ( their bathroom is so due for some repairs), and authentic Korean food. Without a doubt, the food was delicious for an all you can eat establishment. I have read multiple reviews having bad experience with their service. I’m fortunate to say that I was lucky enough to have quick and great service.
Now, go easy on the food or I hope you got your elastic band pants!
Zuuchini
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