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1732 St-Denis (near Ontario)
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Open for lunch M-F and for dinner every evening; Tel.: (514) 281-0077
like the colour of the walls in this place. I like how the non-smoking section is in the front. I like how the windows open right up onto St-Denis (I wouldn’t like to sit at one of the front tables, though, because the panhandlers come right at you through the window just as you’re putting a piece of sashimi into your mouth).
The atmosphere – the bustling outside of busy Montreal contrasted with the stillness inside – is quite outstanding. The walls are pale yellow, the archway at the top of the stairs is lacquered maroon. There’s one large black and white picture in the front and the rest of the walls are bare. The mahogany coloured tables are close together with bamboo placemats, and everyone (but me) is completely French and do not strike me as tourists.
The menu is a combination of Japanese and Thai, of rice and noodles. My waiter is Chinese. He seems to speak neither of our country’s official languages, and his mute disposition is the only real downside to my dining experience. The Phara ram seafood is $14.95, noodles with veggies is $8.95. The sushi is moderately priced ($4-$5 for a 6-piece maki roll). This Girl from Vancouver is a bit particular about her sushi, and I search for a California roll with real crab (none) or a chopped scallop roll (none).
Imperial rolls
My appetizer of Imperial rolls arrives and it is then that I realize that this place is big on presentation – the room, the lighting, the food. The garnish on my plate indicates a prep cook somewhere in the back who spends his entire shift making carrots look like flowers. The spring rolls are hot and crunchy with indefinable insides that could be vegetarian but it’s hard to tell.
California roll
My next course is a California roll, which arrives in a little boat. It’s beautiful, and thankfully soft (I really do hate chewy seaweed). It is high on visual appeal but surprisingly bland (the crab needs to be saltier). I dip repeatedly in my small bowl of wasabi/soy sauce … is it possible that the soy sauce isn’t salty either? Are they using low sodium soy sauce? I can taste neither the avocado nor the crab stick; I’d recommend increasing the price to $7.50 and using real crab. It is, nevertheless, better than most of sushi I’ve had since moving to Montreal.
Red curried chicken
To complete my meal, I order red curried chicken which comes with a small bowl of sticky rice. The garnish is a ‘bird wing’ kind of decoration (I discover its inedibility after I try a bite). I was expecting a bowl of mostly liquid with chicken and potatoes, heavy on the coconut milk. Instead i have a lot of good quality white meat chicken, a generous portion size, and a ton of vegetables (carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, peppers). The prep cook’s handiwork can be seen again with the waffle cut vegetables. The flavours, though, are a bit too flat. The dish is not spicy enough and the sauce creeps dangerously close to gravy.
Of course, when I reread this review I realize that you think I’m trashing the place, but I’m not. I will come back again, if only for the colour of the walls and the big high-ceiled space. It’s close to where I live, it’s kind of a flashy place to bring out-of-town guests, and dinner was $20. -- Reviewed by Shelley MacDonald
