Decca77 was a restaurant I wanted to try when I used to fancy eating at upscale restaurant. But the desire died down quickly as bad reviews came to surface one after another one. This explains why I was hesitant when I received an invitation to try out Decca77.
I told myself…I can’t judge it until I try it!
One of the biggest transformation in Decca77 is their new chef who worked previously for Toque. I actually didn’t care this bit of information until after I had the meal and realized what difference it makes when a chef really knows how to maximize every quality and harmony of food. It is mind blowing.
Starting off with a nice cocktail. Loved it! It wasn’t sweet to the point where I couldn’t taste the alcohol. Very well balanced.
Although this little potato cake looked like it caught on fire, I didn’t taste a hint of burnt. Nothing really particular. I felt I was eating a hashbrown.
These oysters must one of the sweetest oysters I have tasted so far. This could be explained by the chef’s excellent use of tiny diced strawberry that added a great dose of sweetness. However, these pieces did not mask the oyster natural sweetness. All went so smooth. I wished I could have 10 more, actually I wish I can always have these oysters to start off every meal I have for the rest of my life.
This lobster salad is one the most memorable dish of the evening, or even of the year. The flavor is very simple. But the play of the fresh ingredients simply lifts up the salad to heaven. Every ingredients made the salad very enjoyable. The sweet grapefruit, which wasn’t bitter at all. The green onion somehow beats of all the green onions I had in my life…And the lobster! It was so meaty! It was one big fat chunk of lobster claw being served! I couldn’t believe how delicious was the meat. The texture is unbelievable. You know that bouncy feeling, but not chewy? That’s the only way I can describe it. The meat was so fresh and dense that it felt like it was bouncing against my teeth when I was chewing it.
Both appetizer was paired with a white sauvignon, which I loved very dearly. Smooth to throat. Perfect for light seafood.
The picture does not reflect how big the scallop was, the one of the right. The scallop on the left was a typical size. But the right one, I was imagining how big the scallop was before it was shrunken by the heat! It was slightly bigger than the size of a golf ball. Once again, the scallop was delicious. Very meaty. Cooked to perfection that it was so silky smooth in the inside. However, I cannot say the same for the smaller scallop which was still very good, but a bit too cooked compare to its sister.
The wine that was paired was a Beaujolais Blanc. The first 3 seconds, it felt dry, but quickly dispersed and became so smooth. I am going to stock both of these white wines!
After a few light dishes, the total opposite appeared! The cavatelli was cooked with ricotta cheese (hopefully i remembered right…) and mushrooms. Sounds very heavy right? Wrong! It was so well balanced that it never reached the level that I couldn’t take it anymore. Not to mention, the cavatelli was so pleasant to eat, texture once again is superb. It reminded me greatly of gnocchi, but much less starchy.
This was paired with a pinot noir to lift the heaviness of the meal. However, I don’t think it was necessary as I explained early, the dish was so well balanced that I never felt it was too heavy to consume.
This was the biggest lamb rack I had in my life. The rack was actually sliced in half, so the bottom half was stacked under the top part. The first thing I noticed was how aromatic it was! Sadly, its size was its downfall. Due to its size, it must had taken longer to cook, which made the meat on the sides overcooked. Discounting that fact, the taste was very savoury. The berries, the peas and the caramelized onions were not simply a decor, but were like the strong pillars of a building holding the meal together. It was sometimes salty, sometimes sour and sometimes sweet.
We had Cabernet Franc, which I wasn’t too fond of. But I did think it was one of the better choice for the lamb rack. It was enough to cleanse the palate and welcome the desserts!
This molten cake was well portioned and nicely executed. The chocolate was sweet and deep (as in, I can taste the notes of dark chocolate, yet it was sweetened by sugar…). However, I am not able to confirm how this molten cake is better than any other restaurant, let’s say Score (yes, SCORE, they have really good molten cakes!).
But, I did like the small touch of strawberry jelly, actual strawberries fruits, and I guess the small chocolate coated balls, which added something more to the texture.
And to the rescue from the heavy sweetness of the molten cake, a very unique dessert was served. What is it? Pineapple carpaccio. It is a first that I see pineapple sliced so thinly. This was pleasant surprise! It was the best way to end the diner. Finish it off with fruits!
I cannot describe how much I enjoyed my diner at Decca77. It has been a while where I am really blown away. It’s true happiness when I get to taste food that is so thoroughly balanced in texture and taste from start to finish.
I really wish Decca77 will maintain its quality so when I recommend to my friends, they could witness the same joy of this evening.
Ever since the introduction of Cronut by a French pastry chef in New York, the world went all crazy mode!
And because Montreal is part of the world (no, really?), we have been infected as well!
And a mysterious force of curiosity has pushed me to pay a visit at La Cornetteria at 10 am on a Saturday, after being warned that they sell out the cronuts very early during the day.
Here they are. The precious little things.
We were asked if we wanted the mysterious flavor. I asked them what flavor is it and only to be answered with “it’s a surprise!”
Worst surprise ever. It doesn’t taste as good as their regular cronuts, which has custard cream pipped inside.
Here’s the picture to see the croissant like doughnut.
The verdict?
Is it worth 4$? No. This is outrageous how expensive these cost. I really think the market is milking this trend.
Texture? It looks different giving you an impression the insides would give you croissant vibes. But no. It doesn’t. Once I bite, everything comes together like a donut, exactly like I’m eating a honey cruller donut with custard cream.
And you better eat it right away or the donuts become stale and greasy.
Maybe the New York cronut is better…
My first introduction to Argentinian food is my visit at L’Atelier d’Argentine. So do not expect that this review is to authenticate the cuisine, and I may also add that I was told that L’Atelier d’Argentine is inspired by Argentinian, and therefore, the dishes are merely inspired from traditional ones.
May I disclose that the whole experience was offered by the generosity of the management team of L’Atelier d’Argentine.
Sparkling wine, Prosecco, to start off surrounded by a nice ambiance.
Cuarteto de empanadas
I was told this is a very popular appetizer among customers. It comes with 4 different empanadas. Each comes with a delightful surprise. I would have thought I wouldn’t like it since it seems fried. But, the oil is nicely drained. The crust is crisp but thick. There isn’t much filling, but because it is so flavorful, it didn’t go against the thick crust. Since I never had Argentinian food, I was quickly reminded that it tastes like chinese dumpling, but deep fried, especially the one that has beef and spring onion.
My favorite out the four is Fontina cheese and camerilized onion. What else to say there other than CHEESE!
I can’t stop myself from taking a picture of these breads. The butter is shaped like white chocolate! Also, it is nice to note that the bread is served warm!
Tiradito de atun
This is a slice of yellow fin tuna dressed with a grilled lemon vinaigrette. The tuna is so delicious. So fresh and delicate. It almost felt like a melting sensation, but no, it wasn’t melting.
I suggest to not eat it with the cherry tomatoes because it will cover the fragile taste of the tuna.
Terrina de pulpo
Octopus sliced ever so thinly with a dressing that is similar to caesar. Served with arugula salad. Not to mention, there are chipotle flakes making the dish so hot and spicy! I strongly recommend to eat the octopus with the arugula so the salad can lighten the saltiness of the sauce on the octopus.
I can see this as a very tasty and unique play on salad!
The sauce to be eaten with our grilled meat. The green one is Chimichurri and the other one I am clueless… Honestly, I only tried the sauce once and I never let my meat return again. Will explain soon enough.
We had watercress on the sides. I was very surprised that watercress was served as a raw salad! I only had it boiled, especially in hot pot! Astonishingly, the watercress tastes so good when it’s raw!
Aaaah! Look at all these delicious meats! They were all chosen by the host. I was highly impressed! The texture of the meat is spectacular. I wasn’t expecting this at all. I thought it would be dry. It was heavily juicy and tender! The pure flavor and texture of the beef was outstanding that it doesn’t need any sauce at all. There would be hints of salt here and there that made the beef slightly too salty, but while chewing, the salt dissipates quickly enough. Plus, having the watercress on the sides was just perfect.
As for the chorizo…it was very ordinary. Actually, it was worse than ordinary… It tasted so bland that I couldn’t tell it was chorizo. Maybe I was just too spoiled by its 2 other competitors waiting for my indulgence!
In no exaggeration, this has to be one of the top meats I have ever tasted.
I think it also helped that I had a good wine pairing that fine tuned the meat. My host suggested Malbec graffina 2011, a red wine from Argentina.
Everything was working in great harmony!
The fries were quite addictive too!
Peras en compota
There were actually a few desserts that intrigued me, but I was full enough to abstain from greediness.
The host seemed to favor the poached pear so I went ahead with her suggestion. She assured me that the blue cheese in the dessert will go unnoticed.
Wow. Once again, the flavors were so harmonious. The tiny pieces of blue cheese combined with a piece of the pear and a bit of the mascapone cream are indescribable. I was deciphering the taste slowly…it was just unique and interesting. The blue cheese, tastes nothing like blue cheese, was masked by its saltiness. And mascapone was very creamy, almost like a mousse texture. The pear was nicely poached which increased its sweetness. Just imagine all that together.
It was an interesting dessert, however I wouldn’t say it’s something that I would want to have again. It is tasty, and something to try.
L’Atelier d’Argentine is not the most affordable place to dine. However, given the location, nice decor and most importantly, the exceptional food, the price is justifiable. I would highly suggest to go for their grilled meats instead of their other main dishes as I think this is the selling point of L’Atelier d’Argentine.
I will be glad to come again!
Mr.Butter decided to take a mini road trip to Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. We were greeted by the nice scenery of a small town. I immediately fell in love.
What’s better to enjoy a stroll while eating gelato?
Ciao! was situated in the most convenient place, can hardly be missed!
Tiramisu and….mint???
Mr. Butter had coconut and mango.
I wasn’t amazed. I would choose over La Fontana’s gelato any day. However, it would be troublesome to bring La Fontana’s gelato to Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue (think of…portable freezer?). So in the end, I am satisfied with Ciao!
My good friend suggested to try Birks Cafe’s afternoon tea menu for a good catch up time. What a wonderful choice!
Indeed, Birks Cafe is situated inside of Birks, the home of millions of diamonds. But don’t be intimidated. I was dressed very casually and my service wasn’t affected at all. Actually, I think this is a place can be an excuse where you can pull out your flowery dress and act like an elite. Think of…gossip girl.
Birks Cafe has a pre-set high tea menu, where the only choice we had was the tea.
Price wise (about 26$), is typical for this kind of meal. Is it worth it? Think of high tea as an experience, and not merely a dainty meal.
A quick snapshot of our meal. Sadly, it isn’t displayed on a tiered dish. Yes, we girls think this matters a lot. Tiered dish is essential for tea time.
Little round sandwich cut. So cute! My favorite would be the smoke salmon. Nothing could go wrong with smoke salmon!
The sandwich was surprisingly extremely delicious! Every bits were intricately filled with flavours!
We also had scones which are not pictured here. They were very buttery and almost the perfect texture. I think it was missing just a slight touch of moisture. I loved it so much that I emptied the jam to spread on my scones!
The chocolates were filled with caramel sel. Not really my kind of flavors…but i like how the chocolate instantly melt inside my mouth.
The macarons were the most disappointing macarons I’ve tasted (excluding the macarons I actually tried to bake…). They were overly sweet and the flavors were not what I would like.
Unfortunately, the last tubes were not good at all. I sincerely think is because we took too much time eating and talking that when we came to eat these, they became all warm and melted, losing their original texture.
Warning to not take too much time? Then again…that’s the whole point of tea time… Although I think the price is justifiable, it is still a luxurious meal that it’s only appreciated when it’s done seldom.
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