restaurant review

Benny&Co at Saint-Felix-de-Valois: The ultimate Benny poutine experience

Benny&Co at Saint-Felix-de-Valois: The ultimate Benny poutine experience

Yes, finally! I went to visit my cousin, which means Benny poutine time!

So why am I so overly excited for this specific Benny? The reason is: It seriously beats all other Benny’s poutine!

This Benny is very far, but it never disappoints me. Here are some pictures to show its glory:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

This is my definition of the perfect poutine! It has to have crispy fries, squeaky cheese curds and mild gravy.

While the other Benny always have the fries too soaked in the sauce, the Benny at Saint-Felix-de-Valois has mastered the perfect balance between the level of sauce and the level of crispiness of the fries.

Do I need to say more? I’m drooling by simply looking at the pictures.

Benny & Co on Urbanspoon

Zuuchini

Lobster roll at Muvbox

Lobster roll at Muvbox

Hullo everyone!

Summer is quickly fading away. We don’t have much warm days left nor much days left to have a lobster roll at Old Port! Muvbox, famous for their lobster, is operating its last days of the year.  So if you are craving for a little guidille, better run!

As for me, I had my lobster in a perfect summer evening. Not a foreign practice in my reviews, the pictures were forgotten in some folder and consequently, I am late in my reviews.

To enjoy Muvbox’s lobsteroll you must first of all:

1. Love lobster

2. Don’t mind the very mayonnaise and green tasting dressing

3. Don’t mind hefty price

IMG_4270

IMG_4274

The price is justified by the quantity of lobster in a roll – I would like to say at least 2 claws. The meat was utterly fresh, but the dressing didn’t do it for me. If you like mayonnaise and very green tasting (as in a mix of celery and green onions – that were what I tasted), then this is your lobster roll.

As for the clam chowder… I was too spoiled by my Oregon trip a few years ago where I tasted the best clam chowder. So this clam chowder at Muvbox was lacking in the savory department. But definitely a great soup for the upcoming chilly evenings.

 

Happy lobster roll!

Resto Muvbox - Lobster box on Urbanspoon

Zuuchini

 

 

Big in Japan: Big in salt

Big in Japan: Big in salt

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…

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Kakuni Kale

This braised pork in curry was nothing to celebrate about. It was very dull in flavor and in texture as well. Skip.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
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…

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
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.

Big in Japan on Urbanspoon

Zuuchini

Ceviches: Not the slightest regret

Ceviches: Not the slightest regret

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.

Õ

The soup was extremely aromatic. It was largely spiced with curry which made it very savory.

Õ

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!

Õ

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.

Ceviches on Urbanspoon

Zuuchini

2 visits to Just For Laugh festival equal 2 food trucks

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
IMG_4242

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
IMG_4248

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.

Pas D'Cochon Dans Mon Salon on Urbanspoon

P.A. & Gargantua on Urbanspoon

Zuuchini

Instagram
Categories
Archives