Taste MTL is all about quality menu for affordable cost.
Early on, many restaurants were already fully booked. I can understand why as many up scale restaurants were offering a generous menu for only 40$! It’s the perfect time to try out expensive restaurants where I usually wouldn’t go unless it’s for a special occasion.
Sadly, my top choices were fully booked. So Smoking Vallee was chosen. 19$ for 3 services and it’s a BYOB! Deal!
Smoking Vallee is situated on Notre-Dame, not too far away from Atwater market. It seems like this part of the street is slowly developing into something trendy. Once I entered to the restaurant, I felt the ambiance of a mixture of Old Port and Mont-Royal.
The menu was easy. 2 choices to choose from for every service. My table decided to try everything!
Potage du moment which was a pumpkin soup. It was good, but unremarkable. The play on the flavors was weak. But I really enjoyed the light yet creaminess of the soup. It could be served a bit warmer.
On the other hand, this appetizer was much more appreciated. The different layers of ingredients made the taste much more interesting. It has smoked saumon layered with a thinly sliced pear, that added crunchiness and sweetness. At the bottom, there was a slice of beet which was on top of the goat cheese, that added more saltiness.
For the main course, there was tuna tartar. The fried herbs made the tuna tartar very different from other tartars I had. Lightly battered and fried, the herbs added more texture to the tuna. And the little hint of caviars here and there simply made the dish very fun to eat.
The pork chop was definitely a surprise. Not only I rarely see it being served, it was perfectly cooked. I am too used to braised pork, where the meat is super tender without much structure. This pork chop was different. It was thick but juicy.
As desserts, there were parfait and creme brulee.
The parfait was ordinary. I felt I was eating greek yogurt with a few fruits.
The creme brulee was unique. Unlike traditional ones, it was orange flavored and very liquid except the burnt top.
Smoking Vallee was a fun experience. But to come back paying the full price, I will have to think again. But BYOB does help!
I would have never came across Flyjin if it wasn’t their kind invitation. It is easy to miss Flyjin if I didn’t know the address. It doesn’t help that it has an obscure door leading to the underground.
To be honest, once I arrived, I felt that there was too much thought process on the atmosphere and the decor that the food would be compromised. I was told that it was a fusion of many asian cuisines, and also like an izakaya. Once I heard that its concept is Izakaya, I was weary. This new trend of Izayaka is showing up everywhere, and is never executed in its true form.
Luckily, my first impression was quickly dissipated once the dishes presented themselves…
Sacree Printemps
I wanted something sweet and sour. And I was served exactly that. Actually, the sourness of the yuzu was so smooth that it left nothing acidic on the tongue nor the throat. I can hardly taste the alcohol, but it was present (the effect did not take long to kick in). Definitely a drink I would order again.
Yellow Snake
This was sour and smooth as well. But not comparable to Sacree Printemps.
Flyjin Spicy Seafood Soup
I don’t know about the the spicy part, but I can agree with the seafood part. Both soups were different and can be identified by the seafood served on the top of the soup. The one that has a lobster is almost like a lobster bisque, very infused with lobster flavor. I was a bit disappointed with the claw as I find it a bit too cooked. The other soup is served with salmon, although I cannot take the salmon broth, I preferred it over to the lobster one.
Both were generously filled with scallops. Unlike the lobster claw, the scallops kept their fresh texture.
Flyjin Tropical Salad
This salad is inspired from south eastern asia, where the unripe papayas are cut into thin slices. These salads are difficult to taste to bad. However, I wasn’t impressed as it was missing…character. I think with a pinch of freshly diced chili pepper would really bring out the “characters” of the salad. While I was eating this, I was reminiscing how much I loved Satay Brothers papaya salad…
Lobster Gyoza
Like I had mentioned before, I am not fond of Japanese gyozas. Their skin is always made too thin. I prefer a thicker (not too thick) texture to achieve optimal crispness! However, compared to all the Japanese gyozas I had, I have to admit that the Gyozas at Flyjin were quite good. But, I couldn’t taste the lobster. Despite its shininess, I did not have a cluttered throat, which simply means the oiliness is rightfully handled.
A variety of Japanese oysters
This was my first time tasting Japanese oysters and they were delightfully sweet! One of them was a bit more herbal. Oysters cannot taste bad as long they are fresh. These took no time to finish!
Mignon tartare and salmon sashimi
This is a masterpiece. I was completed awed. Food is simply an artwork. I believe that this dish was combined with 2 dishes ( or even 3…). I have to confess that I was too attracted by its beauty to pay any attention of the description of the dish. I am bad…
The sashimi bowl was intricately and interestingly placed. When digged in further, there were further layers of miscellaneous fruits and vegetables. As for the sashimi, although freshness was not an issue, I wished they could be sliced in thicker. The cut was too thin for my full enjoyment.
There were also shrimps in the bowl. Those were rather dull…
The tartare tasted very different from anywhere I had; it must be due to the blueberry oil giving a floral taste to it. It was very delicious, comparable to Marche 27 quality.
I had such a fun time eating this dish. There were so many varieties. A real surf and turf! I could jump from one place to another. It was as if the chefs knew my palate!
There were 3 different sauces to be accompanied with my surf and turf. I didn’t use them much, but they were very tasty.
I added the following picture (taken by Flyjin itself) because I thought their picture was much better than mine to showcase how beautiful the dish was. I felt so lucky to have it!
For the finale, of course, I had dessert…S. There is bound to be one that you like! My favorite was the most right one, the white looking one. To say I knew exactly what I was eating was a lie. All I can remember that it was very moist, which is my preference for cakes. For the others, they weren’t very particular.
What I really liked about the desserts is the little strawberry chocolate shaped like a mountain used as separator from the cakes. I love them! They can be bought in asian grocery stores!
To conclude the meal, we had Stairway to Buddha and Deep Clover Leaf. It wa sa bad idea to have them, I didn’t enjoy them a bit, I think it was because I just had dessert so I found the drinks to be very bitter and dry to swallow. But I heard Stairway to Buddha is a very popular drink. Another trend for drinks, burning cinnamon sticks.
My experience at Flyjin was a very pleasant one. The staff was helpful and not intimidating at all. The crowd is mostly young professional. Price is not cheap but well justified as it is situated in Old Port. The decor really enhances the overall experience. Flyjin is also suitable for dates, as they have prepared more private sitting areas for 2. I can definitely see myself coming back with a group of friends or even colleagues.
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All summer long, my friends and I were awaiting for Coq O Coq’s opening. With their colorful logo, it can hardly be missed. Not to mention, it’s halal!
With words passing around “Best fried chicken”, Mr.Butter and I had to see it ourselves.
I had the combo 3, which includes 2 pieces of chicken, a bun, a coleslaw salad, fries and a canned soda.
Best fried chicken? Not quite. The skin had hardened too much to be considered as crispy. However, the chicken inside was tender and soft, like how a roasted chicken would taste like.
The coleslaw tasted more natural than KFC, but there wasn’t much more to say other than than that.
The fries were identical to the ones served in Costco, not my favorite but I know some love them.
Coq O Coq isn’t what I wish it could be. It is far from winning the title “best fried chicken”.
Received Atame’s invitation to their grand opening to the media, I was quickly intrigued by their aphrodisiac concept and burlesque performance.
It was a busy evening, so it was very difficult for me to jot down information. The purpose of the evening was simply to give a glimpse of the overall nature of the restaurant. We had bites here and there and a peek of the performance.
Some dishes really had me going. Some just left me unresponsive.
The performance was difficult to enjoy as the crowd of the evening was not the most tamed. But, I could grasp the intention of the performance, and how fitting it would be to the whole concept with the right crowd.
My pictures aren’t the best to capture the restaurant sensual side. My lens really can’t handle almost non-existent light setting. But here are some to give a general idea.
I really liked my drink, which was mixed with yogurt. Tasted like bailey.
The oysters were a disappointment. The passion fruit and the lychee overshadowed the sweet delicate taste of the oysters. All I tasted was the passion fruit.
This duck and the quinoa salad had to be my favorite dish of the evening. The contrast between the two was perfect. The quinoa was especially tasty and fresh!
This filet mignon has to be the most tender filet mignon I had in a restaurant. The texture was just heavenly.
The brownie was a nice finishing touch. It was sweet yet spicy.
Atame is most suitable for a more mature crowd, 25 years old at least. I can see it a perfect venue for intimate private parties. If you are looking for great food tasting, this is not the place. If you are looking for more than decent food and a very sensual experience, this is the place.
For my birthday celebration, Mr.Butter brought me to Marche 27 , a much awaited destination in my wishlist.
Instead of going for the typical tasting menu,we opted for what we really wanted to try because greedy old me thought 50gr for 5 flavors wasn’t enough especially if I have to share it! Soon enough, I realized we ordered more than what our stomach can take!
My first choice was a 100gr fresca scallops. It was actually the least preferred tartare in our order. Not that it wasn’t good, it was good, but it did not stand out as much as the others. I need to note that the dill was rather strong and I could not taste the jalapeno at all. Maybe fresca was more meant for a meat that has a stronger flavor, but then I thought a hint of dill and jalapeno could bring something interesting in the scallops. Sadly, it wasn’t what I thought it would be.
My second choice was a 150gr indian tuna. This has to be the best one. The curry powder was marvelous! It was so unique and unexpected for a tartare. I really felt I was eating indian food in an Indian restaurant.
Mr.Butter first choice was a 100 gr french duck. It was typical way to make tartare. Very good and safe choice.
His second choice was a 150 gr spicy beef. This has to be my second favorite tartare of the evening. I loved how they amped out the spiciness with real chili!
On the sides, Mr.Butter had the normal fries while I had the matchsticks fries. Both equally good.
I had a wonderful diner at Marche 27. Everything was so fresh. I thought I would have enough tartare for 3 months…but the next day, I was craving for more Marche 27! It was that delicious! I would like to note that our order was a bit too much for both of us. It would have been better if we had 200 gr each in total, instead of 250 gr each.
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