A bit more than year ago, I had my first fresh Schwartz’s deli…and if you ask me what I thought of it, I can’t recall much. It says much, right?

This comes to the difference in Main Deli Steak House, which is just a few meters away on the opposite side of the street. I had it last week, and I still remember how much I liked the smoked meat sandwich. It could be because it is still fresh in my mind since it’s only a week ago and not a whopping 1.5 year ago…My point is, Main could be just as good as Schwartz, but somehow left out by the crowd.

I felt very nostalgic once I sat down. The ambiance strongly felt like restaurants back in the ends, where I was only a few years old kid…Nothing fancy. Nothing like nowadays where it’s either industrial, vintage, glamour or modern themed.

Before I jump right into the deli, I ordered the curious “latkas”, wondering what it could be.

This is my first ever consumed latkas. My impression was a thicker version of a hashbrown. I quite like it. It wasn’t delicious, but very addictive. Although it was burnt on the sides, it still tasted good and crunchy. I could see the oil, but my throat and tongue were not affected at all!

And could you see the side dishes? It was crazy how many things came with the the ribs! Fries, sausage and liver! Except for the fries, the sausage was a plain hot dog sausage and the liver is not my kind of food. I liked the fries as they weren’t sandy.

The star! This deli was simply good. The meat had interesting texture that Schwartz did not have. It was tender and very nicely smoked. Perfect for the days I feel like a carnivore. In some parts, there were too many black peppers, but that I could forgive as the meat itself was nice enough to justify its flaw.

The salad was good as well. It was sour enough to boost my appetite!

Here comes the big disappointment, not mine since I ordered the deli… These ribs were almost awful. It was tender,but the sauce was horrible. It was thick and too much was poured onto the ribs. It has a sweet taste and something more that I can’t describe. It was just a strange taste… It was very difficult to swallow the ribs…The sauce was just too overwhelming.

If you passed by Schwartz, give Main a go instead! The smoke meat sandwich is delicious and it’s only about 5$!

Zuuchini

Kazumi Sushi Lounge is situated in the east of Montreal. We actually took an extra mile to travel all the way there hoping for great sushi. Why? My mom saw some amazing pictures and thought it would an unforgettable experience.

It started nicely and it changed its course half way through.

We had the omakase, which consists of 6 services upon chef’s choices. The waitress told us it would be the most popular dishes. Ummm… I totally forget to tell her my preference in sushi…Since “popular dishes” usually mean what their clientele ordered the most, I don’t think I belong to their targeted clientele.

The miso soup was a great surprise. It had generous portions of seafoods such as scallop, salmon and shrimps. Not the usual tradional miso soup, but I really liked it. It was just perfect for the cold weather. It could even be one of the top miso soups I had.

This octopus salad was splendid as well! The dressing was nice at first, but near the end of the dish, the sourness was a bit too overwhelming.

This semi raw salmon was delicious as well. Swimming in a sweet and sour liquid very similar to the salad dressing, the salmon were slightly blazed on the top; this technique of cooking did not add much to the taste.

These tartar served on a deep fried Japanese mint leaf were spectacular for presentation, but it was rather difficult to eat it without having the tartar falling all over the place. I think I would have liked this more if the tartar was served alone without the deep fried leaf. The fried leaf did not taste freshly fried. It seemed like it was fried for a while and it soaked so much oil that once eaten, the oil was still caught on the tongue and the throat.

Deceived a bit, we were served something that seemed to be light. Wrong. The shrimp tempura was taking over the whole maki flavor. The grease was so strong that the rice that was wrapping around it couldn’t even compensate it.

To end it all, we had another fried dish. My mom did not even bother to touch it. I took a bite…and afterwards, I had to take out all the fried part and ate what was suppose to be the filling… But even then, I couldn’t handle it anymore. There were bits of fried tempura bits in the filling as well.

Maybe their clientele loves fried sushi. I am very difficult with fried food, especially with sushi. So far, I have only tried one fried sushi that I actually liked which was from Kanda (go figure…it was so good I ate the whole roll).

For me to accept fried food, the grease should not clog my throat. And Kazumi’s sushi did exactly that. It could be my fault that I did not warn the waitress that I do not specifically enjoy fried sushi, but I should expect that whatever they decide to serve should be nicely good.

I don’t think I will be returning to Kazumi, especially it’s not around my area. With what I have paid for this omakase, I rather paid 10$ more and go to Park restaurant.

Zuuchini

To welcome back my friend to his homeland, we decided to go to Olive & Gourmando for brunch. Plus, I have always wanted to return since I had such a good experience with their Cubain sandwich.

First thing first. Coffee was a must for my attendees to feel awake.

Sadly, my opinion differs from my mom, who thinks the coffee was extraordinary. I must have been spoiled by my work’s coffee machine… Although, I do agree it was pretty to look at!

#24 Salad

Paying 16$ for this salad was well worth it. Totally refreshing! It may look little, but it was quite filling since there were soba noodles. The sauce was the winning point of the salad. Being sweet and sour, it simply made the salad so appetizing.

Poached egg on your face panini

This panini was pure goodness. I simply wished it was actually my order. It came hot. The cheese was goey. The tomatoes were juicy. Any stomach would be happy to receive this panini to start the day!

My illogical brain told me that I should get the Cajun chicken sandwich to compensate the cold weather. Yes. Cold against cold. The results were obvious. I did not enjoy it much. I desperately wished that it came hot. Then, I think it would become a wonderful sandwich. Although some would say that it shouldn’t be good if it’s served hot as it has avocado. Well, simply toast the bread and then add the fillings!

And of course, with the charming pastries greeting you at the entrance, it was almost impossible not to order any…

Pumpkin cupcake. It was fine, but I wouldn’t have any additional ones. Tasted it, move on.

Same here. Apple muffin. I can walk away…

I have yet tried a tasty pastry at Olive & Gourmando. Better luck next time!

I really think Olive & Gourmando make amazing hot paninis and salad. And I still think summertime it’s a a better time to go with their opened windows.

Zuuchini

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!

Zuuchini