Women First! Bless Women! The Lord, then Women, then Existence! I and You and WE all exist because there is the Lord, then a Woman! If u do not dig that one, then u do not understand who u r…!

Even though the current blog has a strong focus on the dining world, it remains, at the end of the day, a personal blog. Which means that I owe nothing to anyone and I post about whatever I want, whether that pleases you or not. Hence, posts like this one. Posts unrelated to the dining world.

Now, the featuring topic (yeah…and this, moving forward, will remain the leading post of this blog, because I am not here to content myself with my foodie adventures, Rfaol…no, no and no….I am also  here to bring forward my values, some of the stuff I value the most. So life is a transaction…you come here because you need my restaurant reviews and in return, I will underline what I value…hahaha. Thank you) :

Bless Women! The Lord, then Women, then Existence! I and You and WE all exist because there is the Lord, then a Woman!

My Blog is a personal blog, therefore  I do whatever I wanna do with it.  Therefore I will go with what matters most to my existence: The Lord and Women!

Respect Women! Respect your Worth!

You are nothing without the Lord and a Woman. I am nothing without the Lord and a Woman! We are nothing without the Lord and a Woman!

Leaving you with this beautiful performance of one of my ATFs, Mrs Hill:

 

 

As well as as a song that …might..perhaps …sound controversial, to the distracted minds….but listen, listen carefully….listen very carefully….it praises Women (rightly so!, because we would be nothing without the Lord and a Woman, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing….Men made things, Men made many things, but without a Woman, they would have made nothing…..so keep calm and do not get upset for nothing…Lol..that song is praising Women, NOT putting them down………) :

 

 

I will pursue with one of my other ATFs, a woman who always had women and men equality at heart, the great Sona:

 

 

A little more of Sona:

 

Last but not least, one of my iconic songs of all time. A song that is interesting, as far as I am concerned, because I love this song but I disagree with some of its narration. I do not agree with the fact that we should put pressure on women in terms of love or whatever their choice happen to be. Women should be free in whatever they want to love, like, dislike and we should not feel offended by that. Obviously, Stephanie thrived without Axl (sorry Axl, I like you…but you know that is the truth). There is nothing, in this world that can be as pragmatic as a woman. If a woman decides to be pragmatic, she will win. Nothing, in this world. can be as pragmatic as women when they decide to be pragmatic. That aside, we have to respect their choice: it is their body, their mind, their choice and that should be respected. Anyways, Axl Rose was superb in that song and Stephanie is, for me, the #1 female super model of all time, so enjoy this epic song featuring both of them and extract the best out of it (it is definitely a song with good intent, but I am using it as a reminder that women are not a tool, not a possession, but our equal and actually way more than that, they are — no matter the highs and lows, at the end of the day  — the reason why we exist aside from the Lord:

 

 

For me, this whole equality thang has been there since day #1. From where I come,  the Girlfriend / Boyfriend game started at 19 years old….I was 19 years old when I had my first GF, she was, obviously, 19  years old too  …. it was still a very conservative land, trust me, and yet I remember saying to my very first GF that she was my equal. And I did act /behave accordingly. And she was informed  that…..if that would not fit as per her expectations, then we should just quit. So, for me, the  woman/man thing has never been a game of power trip BS  but the appreciation of the integrity and equality of both the man and woman that needs to be faced maturely and respectfully through its highs and lows as it has to be.

And BTW..Euh…Oh..why should you feel threatened by the success of women?? I mean, you exist because of them (and the Lord, of course)…so, wtf….u feel threatened by who made u what u r? so, what… u feel threatened by urself? Rfaol…C’mon !……………Wake up, take a deep breath and start enjoying urself………Lol –

Why the f…. do u have to feel small when others thrive? WTF is that? Why the f….do u need to see others down in order to feel good?? WTF?? Why the f*** do u need to feel beta, because someone else feels alpha? Rfaol. WTF? and Why the f***?? Wake up and stop bullsh*** urself!! (I am genuinely extremely polite and well educated —no need to feel childishly susceptible here, I insist on this ONLY because that is the truth….that is it, Ok —-  , but when you behave foolishly like that, you do not deserve one single second of the privilege of enjoying the fruits of  my good education, and those who relate to this, they know that this is the only language that they can understand and that they will eventually get/deserve, no matter what, Rfaol…….)………..

It is hard to break my heart,  very hard, but when I hear that a woman had no access to education, you really managed to get me pissed. Really pissed. And trust me, it is hard to get me pissed. Very hard. So hard that even if a woman cheats on me (here, I am purposely just using a common example where most people would easily feel offended) , I do not have any issue with that (it happened and I am still friends with them, Lol), where many, in my place, would cry baby cries and seek juvenile revenge. No, not in in my case. Not even near. But Yeah, on the other hand, …if you deny education to one single woman..on this earth…you really managed to get me pissed …. you really  managed to make it personal…..shame on you ….it will be, then…very P..E..R…S…O…N….A…L………….. –  the reason of why we exist, as women/men…is because of a woman and the Lord. And if you want to shut the f*** up to what makes us who we are, then  … you did help me to assess who you really are  (that speaks volume about how little you are).

 

 

 

As for you, my dear Women, let me conclude on the following: never ever accept to be miserable not even for 1 second. If it does not fit, just quit! Smell weakness. Do not tolerate any BS. Never be distracted by nonsense. Never lose focus!

After 30 years of passion for the food industry, 30 years of food blogging, All I know is that I know nothing and I am genuine about that statement.

After 30 years of passion for the food industry, 30 years of food blogging, All I know is that I know nothing and I am genuine about that statement.

As the Great Socrates rightly stated, all he knows is that he knows nothing.

The more you know the more you understand that you know nothing. Knowledge is power, ignorance always a miss (well, yeah I know, it’s a bliss too, right, but that is for weak minds, Rfaol).

30 years is long, but what a beautiful journey that was (30 years of awakening your palate, 30 years of broadening horizons).

And it is not over, Hahaha.

MY FOOD BLOG IS NOT A BLOG THAT WILL HELP YOU FIND RESTAURANTS OR CHECK WHAT IS TRENDY, ETC. THAT IS NOT THE INTENT OF MY BLOG. TO CHECK WHAT’S TRENDY IN TOWN AND WHERE TO GO TO EAT, YOU HAVE TONS OF BLOGS THAT DO THAT, ONLINE. MY BLOG IS THE BLOG OF SOMEONE (ME) WHO GOES TO THE RESTAURANTS THAT HE WANTS TO EAT AT (REGARDLESS OF TRENDS, ETC), AND HE SHARES THE EXPERIENCE WITH YOU. AS SIMPLE AS THAT. THE POINT OF MY BLOGS HAS ALWAYS BEEN EDUCATIONAL, PRIMARILY, AND NOT TO COMPETE WITH THE VAST MAJORITY OF FOOD BLOGS WHICH INTENT IS TO MAKE FRIENDS AND LOOK GOOD (AGAIN, I RESPECT THAT, I RESPECT THE FACT THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THOSE FOOD BLOGS ARE THERE TO BE TRENDY, COOL, ETC., AND I COULD DO THAT, TOO, AT A BLINK OF AN EYE, IF I WANTED, BUT THAT HAS NEVER BEEN MY POINT. AND I WANTED YOU AND I TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE ABOUT THIS). I KNOW…I SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU THAT, 30 YEARS AGO, LOL…THAT WOULD HAVE AVOIDED 30 YRZ OF CONFUSION, RFAOL…BUT HERE, WE ARE. AND I AM PARTIAL TO WHAT STOOD THE TEST OF TIME…SO YEAH, IF ALL YOU WERE LOOKING FOR IS THE TRENDY STUFF (AGAIN, ALL DUE RESPECT TO TRENDS…I LOVE TRENDS TOO, TRUST ME, BUT SO FAR,  MY FOOD BLOGS HAVE NEVER BEEN ABOUT THAT)  WHILE BROWSING MY FOOD BLOG, ALORS …OUPS…Vous vous êtes trompé de numéro, AS WE SAY IN MY MOTHER TONGUE, FRENCH.

It was amazing to have tasted some of the exceptional produce of this globe (that dazzling butter from Ferme Ponclet and anchovies from Palamos  at  Les Prés d’Eugénie Michel Guérard,  that rice that dreams are made of at Kagurazaka Ishikawa, the world class Cuckoo flower leaves at Auberge Du Vieux Puits ) and explaining to their producers how the produce of my childhood was far better than theirs (Lol, that part is a joke, as you would have guessed. I am very classy — and pls, do yourself a favour and do not be offended by such statements…acknowledging that you are classy is not arrogance. It’s just knowing who you are…finding this arrogant just shows how your mind is still locked away in past centuries …—, respectful, so even though it is a fact, in my books, that I still find many of the produce of my childhood to be benchmarks of what they are, that  is still not the business of any farmer, producer. It’s my problem. Not theirs. So Yep, I respect what people produce/create with no overthinking about things that have nothing to do with them).

Be humble deep inside of you, humble here means “open your mind”, “broaden your horizons”, do not be stuck up, always learn the ..right way (with those in the know. Respect those in the know)!

As one gentleman of the food industry told me few years ago when I asked him “how come his bagels are as great as in the old days whereas plenty of his competitors are not as good as in their glorious past“, his response was “the day you laugh at those in the know, that day you know you have failed!! The day you realize that those in the know had the last laugh, then that day you know you are on the right path!”.  So true!

Food for thought, indeed!

30 years of food blogging – Then and now………..Rfaol!

Perhaps a bit of background, to boot:

my interest for the dining world started in 1991 because in those days, Montreal had some of the best  Chefs and restaurants of this globe. To gather  intel on what was best crafted  in the restaurants in town, I had to build a network of foodie contacts and rely on them before being knowledgeable in my turn. Naturally, I had to share my findings with those foodies as well, and I used to do that via emails. It is only in 1994 that I decided to share those findings online for both those foodies and anyone else to benefit from that knowledge sharing. In 1994, I basically shared my findings via the limited web space that my internet service provider would allow me to use. But with time, I moved to several other blogging platforms where I could post more.

MY FOOD BLOG IS NOT A BLOG THAT WILL HELP YOU FIND RESTAURANTS OR CHECK WHAT IS TRENDY, ETC. THAT IS NOT THE INTENT OF MY BLOG. TO CHECK WHAT’S TRENDY IN TOWN AND WHERE TO GO TO EAT, YOU HAVE TONS OF BLOGS THAT DO THAT, ONLINE. MY BLOG IS THE BLOG OF SOMEONE (ME) WHO GOES TO THE RESTAURANTS THAT HE WANTS TO EAT AT (REGARDLESS OF TRENDS, ETC), AND HE SHARES THE EXPERIENCE WITH YOU. AS SIMPLE AS THAT. THE POINT OF MY BLOGS HAS ALWAYS BEEN EDUCATIONAL, PRIMARILY, AND NOT TO COMPETE WITH THE VAST MAJORITY OF FOOD BLOGS WHICH INTENT IS TO MAKE FRIENDS AND LOOK GOOD (AGAIN, I RESPECT THAT, I RESPECT THE FACT THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THOSE FOOD BLOGS ARE THERE TO BE TRENDY, COOL, ETC., AND I COULD DO THAT, TOO, AT A BLINK OF AN EYE, IF I WANTED, BUT THAT HAS NEVER BEEN MY POINT. AND I WANTED YOU AND I TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE ABOUT THIS). I KNOW…I SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU THAT, 30 YEARS AGO, LOL…THAT WOULD HAVE AVOIDED 30 YRZ OF CONFUSION, RFAOL…BUT HERE, WE ARE. AND I AM PARTIAL TO WHAT STOOD THE TEST OF TIME…SO YEAH, IF ALL YOU WERE LOOKING FOR IS THE TRENDY STUFF (AGAIN, ALL DUE RESPECT TO TRENDS…I LOVE TRENDS TOO, TRUST ME, BUT SO FAR,  MY FOOD BLOGS HAVE NEVER BEEN ABOUT THAT)  WHILE BROWSING MY FOOD BLOG, ALORS …OUPS…Vous vous êtes trompé de numéro, AS WE SAY IN MY MOTHER TONGUE, FRENCH.

Now, back to the main topic of the current blog post. Well, let’s just say that after 30 years of food blogging, what had  to happen…happened, Lol…

“30 years of food blogging – Then and now…”:  people ask me  what was my state of mind  ….30 years prior? And that same state of mind, 30 yrs later, Lol.

And if I had to redo things, would I do them differently?

Interesting. Listen, I am not the kind of person who lives in the past. I let bygones be bygones, if you see what I mean…….

But for the record, 30 years ago, I was very sensitive. I remember…I had that blog where I used to enable comments and I used to take the comments seriously. And that was a mess, Lol. I do not like responding to uneducated people, therefore I did shut down the comments.

30 years later, that was replaced by a “positive arrogance”, Lol. I am not arrogant, by nature, but you know…we all get there, we all get to something close to that….eventually…it’s just the nature of things…it is what it is. It is life and I am at peace with that.

So 30 years later, I have no feeling about what people think of what I write. I just genuinely could not give a damn flying f**** anymore, Lol. And I am saying this very politely, very very nicely, and I am not salty at all, trust yourself on that one ;p

I write  what I have to  write and if you are not happy, I could not give two bullocks anymore about that.

And yeah, to the question “”if I had to redo things, would I do them differently?”” – the answer is a resounding NO! You do things because you had to do them when you did them. So, I do not get that suggestion about doing things differently if you had to redo them.

So yeah, 30 yrs ago I was scared (of people’s opinions) and afraid, etc…but nowadays, I am more “playful” and nonchalant about all that. I am not the type of person who enjoys hurting people as  I have more important things to do  in life than to waste my time with such lowness, Lol, but I am having fun, nowadays, laughing at people’s susceptible side……..;p

In other words, 30 years ago, I would write something and you would be susceptible about it, I would have laughed WITH you! 30 years later, if I write something and you are susceptible about it, I will laugh AT you! You feel me? There are things in life that are just bound to happen. Rfaol.

30 years ago, it was my resolve to do this without kissing the a*** of the industry. 30 years later, I am proud of having never kissed the a*** of anyone in this industry. I have nothing against those who need  this industry to make friends, get free food and benefit from other privileges, but my motivation was not theirs. My motivation was to see things with the eyes of a normal diner, my motivation was to see things the way they are. And that is exactly what I did.

So voilà! I would be curious to hear from other food bloggers as well. How this process did unfold for them. 30 years is long and you do not need 30 years to reflect back on something like this. Sometimes, 3-5 years can be an interesting journey and it does not have to be identical to mine (if you were doing this to make friends, Lol. Why not? I know that was not my motivation, Lol, but if making friends and getting free food were yours, it can be equally fun to hear from your experience as well. All experiences, whether we do agree or not on what they mean to us,  do matter, after all).

Lylac Resto lounge, Saint-Laurent, Montreal (Takeout)

This is one rare review covering takeout food. I generally do not review takeout food, but I am doing an exception, here, as many knowledgeable local Syrian foodies who are well versed in the local Syrian food scene of Montreal and surroundings  have told me, for years, that for them, Lylac Resto lounge  Saint-Laurent  is #1, then Beroya, then the others…. (and there is, nowadays, a long list of local Syrian restaurants). Lofty, right? I know. I forgot to ask them if they have tried, as an example,  Mosaic Resto Lounge (which is one of the latest “hot tickets” for Syrian food in town), though and see their reaction. So I will try the restaurant, at some point, and I will do a proper review accordingly. Since I may not have an opportunity to visit Lylac Resto lounge  Saint-Laurent in the near future, I decided to start with their takeout and see how that fares.

And sorry, in advance, as the pictures will not look nice, obviously, as it is takeout food BUT this will actually allow us to focus entirely on the food review itself (with zero distraction from service, ambience, etc.). I’ll take, of course, into consideration, the fact that takeout food is not the same experience as eating that same food at the restaurant.

Lylac first opened in Saint-Laurent as Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent (1625 Blvd. Marcel-Laurin, Saint-Laurent, QC H4R 0B7) a while back — their first posts on instagram were posted in February 2019 — , and they were so successful that they have now a second restaurant in Laval (701 Bd du Curé-Labelle, Laval, QC H7V 2T8 ). Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent has a casual feel (compared to their other restaurant that is in Laval) and the Lylac Restaurant Laval has a more refined interior.

This food report is about the takeout food ordered from the original branch Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent, which is located in Montreal’s borough of St Laurent. St Laurent and Laval (where Beroya, another one of the preferred restaurants of the local Syrian foodies is located) do have some of the most authentic Syrian restaurants because they are mostly frequented by Syrians (which, of course, is always a great sign as it confirms how genuine the restaurant is). By contrast, the Syrian restaurants of Montreal have a clientele that is  a mix of  Non-Syrians and Syrians as well).

Before I start my food report, just the usual relevant reality check: As usual, when I eat ethnic food outside of its country of origin, I use a very practical “spice” called …. common sense: food cannot and will not always taste exactly the same, especially when the country of origin is situated oceans and continents away from the country where that same food is cooked. Different soil, different water, different “terroir”, different palates to please. Cannot always be the same. Will not always be the same! You should always use that common sense if you want to avoid delusions, trust yourself on that one, Lol. And always remember that a restaurant has a clientele to serve, obviously lol and …NOT our fantasies.

You will see, later on,  comparisons between this takeout food and a recent takeout food from Beroya (since both places are very popular with Syrians) –  To be fair in this comparison, I did order some takeout food from Beroya one week prior to this takeout food from Lylac. I do understand that food at a restaurant is different from takeout food. But No worries, I am well aware of this. I was still able to compare the level of the technique, work of the flavours, etc. I left any assessment of the textures aside as takeout food has to travel from the restaurant to my house, Lol,  — and it goes without saying that affects textures. Furthermore, anything that could be affected by temperature (I am not going to play the stupid, Lol, by starting to complain about my food being cold, to take an example…or the doneness was not achieved, Lol) was omitted for the same reasons impacting the textures. When all is said and done, Beroya’s, in my book, has the edge. And yet, it did not matter (Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent’s food  was food from a “STUD“, Lol, as you will see in the account below).

 

THE FOOD REPORT.

I did invite 3 long time knowledgeable Syrian food experts — who know Lylac since Lylac opened — to share this food with me and this is the reason: I am not Syrian and sometimes, at ethnic restaurants, if you are a foreigner, they will be careful not to serve you the genuine flavors of their country as to not shock your palate. I am not saying that Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent  is like that, I do not know Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent  and even though the Syrian food experts have reassured me that Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent  would have served me the exact same food they would have served to Syrians, I did not want to take any chance. Therefore I needed  those Syrian food experts to go and order and pick the food. Which they did ((شكرا  folks!).

 

Kibbeh Nayyeh. Beef tartare, bulgur, red pepper paste and onions. Kibbeh (considered the national dish of Syria) is a dish of spiced ground meat (generally lamb or beef), minced onions, bulgur wheat prepared in different ways (vegetarian, raw, baked, fried, grilled, etc.). In this case, we have a raw kibbeh called Kibbeh Nayyeh. As it is typical in Syria, this Kibbeh Nayyeh was served with mint and vegetables (on this occasion, red pepper came in the form of a paste which perfected seasoning and taste are generally found at a top fine dining restaurant). As argued earlier on, since this is takeout food, I was going to skip any detail about textures, because the food had to travel, therefore its texture was, naturally, going to be impacted by that. But Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent could not give a f** about that. The “Gladiator” came and overpowered his “Colosseum” (a work of textures of the elite leagues!). The genuine flavour profile at the fore (as it is typical of a Kibbeh Nayyeh that is done as it should, you will not really taste the meat but mainly the bulgur as well as the taste of the spices such as cumin, nutmeg cinnamon, etc.).  Near perfection. 9/10. I can’t believe that a takeout food item left me with no other choice but such a near to perfection mark. Not my fault, Lol. If you are stellar, you are stellar (I am not the kind of person who will feel “diminished”  because someone else is stellar, Nah, Not at all, Not even near, Rfaol..you know what I mean ;p…so if you are stellar, I will say that you are stellar, Lol. So here Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent  was stellar!  That is it….;p) I cannot hide that – Rfaol. Opinion of my Syrian food experts: “it is hard to improve upon that one“. My last opinion about this dish: it is with typical food items like this one, that you will understand how great Lylac Resto lounge – Saint-Laurent is (by Montreal/Laval Syrian restaurant standards).

 

Mortadella Halabiye, or Aleppan Mortadella – Mortadella  seasoned with spices and pistachios. By design, it is different from the Italian mortadella in that it is blanched and made from lamb or beef (whereas the Italian mortadella is cured and made from pork). Apparently, it is the Armenian immigration in Aleppo that introduced this mortadella to Syrian cuisine. This was properly made, nothing I could fault (it had the texture of cold meat that was properly executed), it is made with meat that is super lean therefore less fat, obviously, which means a texture that is a bit “dry” …but here, “dry” is not a fault, it is expected /normal/by design as you should expect from cold meat that is lean, not fat and that, furthermore, is mixed with  kaak (كعك) Middle Eastern style breadcrumbs). I even asked my Syrian food experts if they had anything to say/add, and they replied “no flaw at all , just as good as your Aleppan Mortadella can get miles away from the motherland and that is something not many Syrian restaurants in Montreal/Laval would have the balls to serve” –  Good (done as it should, the original flavour profile is there). 7/10

 

Tabbouleh Salad. Cracked wheat, tomatoes, onions, parsley, mint, olive oil, and lemon -Tabbouleh salad is essentially soaked bulgur, tomatoes, chopped parsley, mint, onion  and seasoned with salt and sweet pepper, lemon juice, olive oil. Opinion of my  Syrian food experts dining companions of this occasion  “”Syrian food is not limited to a salad and it is impossible for a restaurant outside of Syria to deliver a Tabbouleh Salad like in Syria    “”  –  My opinion: I have no problem understanding that (for those who followed my blog, you already know that I strongly believe in the concept of “terroir” – the impact of the land, the water, the atmosphere…on your food.  And yet Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent did what they had to do here: superb fresh veggies…which…sometimes…happens to be a distant dream..even for .some ambitious restaurants in Montreal….;p Did I have better Tabbouleh in Laval/Montreal: it might sound harsh to put it that way because Lylac gave their 100% here (fresh vegetables, superb seasoning), but the answer is Yes. I had better tabbouleh salad elsewhere at restaurants in Montreal/Laval. That said, the top food of Lylac is not to be judged on the back of a salad (that would be like going to a Rolex store and all you have in mind is… the looks of the staff at the store…it would be as senseless as that…) –

 

 

Fattoush salad – is a salad of mixed vegetables/greens with toasted or fried pieces of khubz (Arabic flat bread). Here, it came with the fried pieces of khubz. Opinion of my Syrian food experts dining companions of this occasion “”the way that it shows on the picture you did post, most Syrians will think it is not a Fattoush salad” – And that is 100% right. So, folks, as you can see on the aforementioned pic, there are just the vegetables, right? Why? Well, because it is “takeout” food, therefore the fried pieces of khubz   and all other components were delivered separately. I just took a picture of the salad before I did assemble all its parts. Now, and I insist…Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent did everything they could do: fresh ingredients, great seasoning. But they cannot replicate Syria in St Laurent, Ok…so I am not going to ask them to reinvent the universe here. You need the best salad in Montreal/Laval, then be reasonable, and go find the best salad in town where it needs to be expected (there are tons of specialists of salads in Montreal/Laval…..Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent did not advertise themselves as experts of salads. They are experts at Syrian food anywhere between Montreal and Laval, and at that, damn..they are queens/kings! That is all we need to know). My overall opinion of this salad is the same as the opinion I had about the previous salad.

 

Hummus. Chickpeas with tahini and garlic. – Hummus is a dip made from cooked, mashed chickpeas mixed with lemon juice, garlic and tahini.  There are several variations of Hummus. This was one had a perfect smooth and creamy texture, coupled with its expected mild flavour made of quality chickpeas and elevated by a fresh lemony taste sensation. Perfect balance of citrus and garlic (the garlic pleasant, not overpowering at all, which is what you should be looking for).  8/10 strong stuff , top stuff by Montreal restaurant standards. A Hummus  of the big leagues, by Montreal (and surroundings) Syrian restaurant standards. Opinion of my  Syrian food experts dining companions of this occasion  “this is elite hummus, but perhaps Beroya can challenge this, in Montreal/Laval  ” – My opinion “Well, the level of Hummus in Laval/Montreal is good at several restaurants, nowadays. That is for sure. But I am not reviewing them, I am reviewing Lylac Resto lounge, Saint-Laurent’s , here, and indeed, this is some top Hummus by Montreal/Laval restaurant standards” – and that is all we all need to know.

 

Muhammara. Purée de piments à base de noix.- Muhammara. Purée de piments à base de noix.- Muhammara is a  dip made of red bell peppers/walnuts/breadcrumbs/pomegranate molasses. You will see it advertised as a red pepper/walnut dip. Opinion of my  Syrian food experts dining companions of this occasion  “we do not even know if they have the guts to serve this at the other restaurants in Montreal“. My opinion is that, although a Syrian classic, I think  that the rest of the world can appreciate it. Listen, this is not a dish where you will spend your time fighting with its heat (which is relatively pleasant . unless your tongue has never kissed any minimal heat in its life, which is not a criticism, but a necessary point to make)…not at all…it is actually a dish that is very enjoyable above and beyond the “fear” of its announced piquancy (it is red pepper, anyways, therefore no piquancy to be afraid about). Now it is a question of palate/taste, etc. So, it will be up to your personal taste. All I know is that what I was having was some of the very best Muhammara I ever had in Montreal and Laval (properly thick texture as it should, perfectly balanced typical spicy/sweet/zingy/sour/nutty flavours). And that is all that matters to me. Strong stuff by Montreal/Laval  restaurant standard. It is with typical food items like this one, that you will understand how great Lylac Resto lounge – Saint-Laurent is (by Montreal/Laval Syrian restaurant standards)  8.5/10!

 

Yalanji. 4 pieces of vine leaves stuffed with rice – Vegetarian stuffed grape leaves ( with, in general, stuffing such as fresh tomatoes/herbs/pomegranate molasses/onions/spices/tangy vegetable rice) served as a cold appetizer. By now, you got the picture….Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent, in its prime, can cook some of the better genuine Syrian food in Montreal and Laval. As consequent with its stellar cooking of this specific takeout meal, Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent did deliver a Yalanji of the big leagues by Montreal/Laval standards. Only Beroya did better, as far as I am concerned, and yet, time and again that did not matter as Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent delivers some top Yalangi in Montreal/Laval. Superb (quality ingredients, the expected authentic sour/slightly sweet flavor profile at the fore, etc.) . The Syrian foodies found this top, too. 8.5/10

 

 

Kibbeh Sajiyeh. Fried kibbeh stuffed with minced meat and pine nuts. Generally, the stuffing of meat is mixed  with cumin/all spice/onion/cinnamon, black pepper, salt. Perfect crisp, great meaty/nutty flavors. Quality meat was used but then, again, you need to know what to do with that, and that is exactly what they did: bold and meaty and nicely seasoned as it should  – Again and again, some top stuff by Montreal/Laval Syrian restaurant standards. And you could see that it was freshly cooked. Opinion of the Syrian foodies: same as mine, on this one. Top stuff!  8/10

 

–Wrap shish taouk/wrap shawarma – Here, the 3 Syrian food experts and myself all agreed that this is something that is easily found in its relatively (relative to Montreal/Laval restaurant standards) “decent” form in Montreal and Laval (and that is accurate). But  Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent had a better plan, Lol. It was indeed better than at most of its competitors. But again, of a top place like Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent…if all you are capable of is to judge it on the back of a  shish taouk/shawarma wrap or a salad…then sorry, and I really do not want to sound rude here, Lol, but all you managed to do is to confirm that you are not to be taken seriously, Lol…..

 

-Kibbeh Taraboulsieh. 4 pieces of fried Kibbeh stuffed with minced meat and pine nuts. In line with the aforementioned top food items, this kibbeh was exactly what it was going to be: top, top stuff by Syrian restaurant standards in Montreal and Laval (time-tested textures and flavors – Another Kibbeh of the big leagues!). Again and again, it was easy to see (in spite of the fact that it had to travel from the restaurant to my house) that it was freshly cooked….which, sadly, some other restaurants, do not understand the importance (Lylac Resto lounge – Saint-Laurent, on the back on this meal, did understand such importance, and that, I value) . Opinion of the Syrian foodies: same as mine. Strong stuff by Montreal/Laval Syrian restaurant standards. 8/10

This was a superb experience: getting to review food alongside those in the know. But this review would have never been posted if I was someone you could easily influence. Do not get me wrong: I have no issue with people who can be easily influenced. Good or bad for them, but it is what it is and that is none of my business. That is their call, not mine. And, actually, Lol… I may easily pass as someone you could easily influence because I need things to work, the system to function, so I will always … let many things go …for the sake of getting things moving. So you will always have me in the position of the “follower” … for that that SOLE aforementioned reason. But deep inside of me, I am extremely “independent” where that counts. For example, if I was, deep inside of me, someone  you could REALLY easily influence, I would have never invited those Syrian food experts to share my meal because my opinion would have been influenced by theirs. I am not saying this to appear “tough” or whatever other BS that people do sometimes associate with independent minds, but because that is the truth: if the opinions of those Syrian food experts would have influenced my opinion, then I will let them write about their opinion and I would move on with something else (I mean…what is the point of an opinion that is influenced by others? In such case, just let the “others” express themselves, c’mon,  Lol …- )

Well, for sure, Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent has the class (and do respect themselves more) that some …supposedly ambitious restaurants in town …do miss….So those who are  familiar with this blog do remember the laughable two highly touted French Brasseries in town who did serve me some reheated French fries (in one case) and a Crepe suzette that was half burnt (in the other case). So desperate. But you know …. lol…that seems to be a new “normal” under the roof of some other eateries….just 1 week prior to my review of Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent,  a supposedly “temple” of classic Italian fine dining in the Vieux Port did serve me some frozen reheated polpette (Italian meatballs). I am not kidding. It is incredible how some restaurants take a chance with their reputation (they just do not care, they just can’t give a f*** about who they are, Rfaol). At Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent, they seem to see things the other way around, the way that I value: every single ingredient was fresh, as in freshly served, freshly cooked, no matter the price tag! That, I value!

So, you may ask,  do I  prefer the food at Lylac Resto lounge – Saint-Laurent or Beroya ??  — hahaha.  That is like asking a Gracious Mother if  she prefers her  first beloved kid or her second  beloved kid. Lol. The answer is that …you should have never asked such question, Lol. I am kidding. Beroya had the edge, here and there (as mentioned earlier on). But I insist: I love the food of both Lylac Resto lounge – Saint-Laurent as well as the one of  Beroya with zero distinction. Both of them are great in their own ways.  Both are capable of some of the best Syrian food in Montreal/Laval. That is all that matters / that is all we need to know.

 

Bottom line – For the first time, in 30 years of food blogging, I am tempted to add a restaurant (this case, here, of Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent) to my list of “coup de coeur” but that would be unfair in the current context because that would have been based solely on the food, whereas all other restaurants on  my list of “coup de coeur” had not only the food, but also the service and overall dining experience that made them deserve their mention on that list. So, I will visit Lylac Resto lounge – Saint-Laurent, at some point, in the future and if the food and overall dining experience/service  are as top as the food I just had, then I will happily add Lylac Resto lounge  Saint-Laurent to my list of “my coup de coeur“. Regardless of the technicalities,  this food was a coup de coeur, that is for sure. Back to this reviewed food, oh well…I was not expecting takeout food to deserve such top marks, Lol. I was not expecting that at all. The crazy thing is that the Syrian food experts who shared this food with me said that Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent was even better in its first 2 years..Wow, that is crazy, although I have no doubt about that, because I remember a particularly extremely picky foodie who did try Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent  several years ago and she was impressed by Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent  in those days. And No, she was not Syrian and had just discovered Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent by accident. The folks from Aleppo (many Syrians told me that Aleppo is one of Syria’s best cities for Syrian food and many of the aforementioned food  items are from Aleppo) seem to really appreciate Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent. I am not Syrian, but by Syrian standards, that seem to be a good signal. And the signal that you will get from me is generally never too far from those in the know, as it should: as always, it is about knowledge …knowledge as in knowing /understanding/educating yourself about the food in question, which is the homework I did for decades, and on the back of that, I can say that Yep, Oh Yep, Lylac, is capable of some of the very best Syrian food of Montreal and surroundings (I’ll take Lylac and Beroya on any day, and I will leave you with the rest of their local competition,  I am not kidding). By Montreal/Laval highest Syrian restaurant food standards, if you have genuinely familiarized yourself with Syrian food and have educated your palate to genuinely enjoy it, then Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent  is for you (and yet Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent  seems to cater to a broader range of diners. Therefore, let’s say that you want to eat at Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent with your Syrian friends but you do not feel “adventurous” and are not in the mood for some genuine Syrian food, then you still have the crowd-pleasing stuff like pizza, shish taouk, charcoal grilled chicken/filet mignon, etc. You know, the kind of food that the most will like). Lylac Resto lounge Saint-Laurent. Phone: (514) 507-5327. Addr: 1625 Blvd. Marcel-Laurin, Saint-Laurent, QC H4R 0B7. https://www.instagram.com/lylacrestaurant/?hl=en

 

 

What food shows do you watch?

I personally do not watch as many food shows as the foodie that I am … is supposed to watch, Lol…and here’s why:

in most of those food shows, they go to places you and I will never go to, they meet people you and I will never meet, they eat food you and I will never eat.

Many of them are completely disconnected from the reality of the ordinary people. Mostly pompous shows…! So ..Wtf? Why bother? Rfaol.

The food shows I primarily watch are those where a Chef is sharing practical tips and tricks we can realistically apply in our day to day cooking.

Here’s what I watch and what I do not watch:

Food shows I watch

-Most cooking shows as there is no fantasy/BS here, just practical tips and tricks.

-The ones that entertain like Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s kitchen, there is also Master Chef  that can be very entertaining too (watching characters like the Demon Chef was fun).

–Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern , Best Ever Food Review Show , Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted :

Fundamentally, I am against food shows where the host of the show is going to places which food I will not be able to taste as he will have no other choice but to feed me with  pure fantasy. And for me, fantasy equals BS! Therefore, completely useless to me. But as with anything in life, if you can make up for what I have perceived as useless, then I will listen, for sure. Lol. And the hosts of the aforementioned food shows do  largely make up for the flaws I have just mentioned above by delivering a highly educational and entertaining content.

 

Food shows I do not watch

All all the pompous “look at me, I am in a tribe at the end of the world, hunting eagles and eating rats…” or “as a result of my 24hrs layover in both cities, let me tell you what are the top 15 best eateries of Sodom and Gomorrah“…or “everything is uniformly amazing, so much so that I have a permanent fake “O” face“. I mean…c’mon folks…No, thanks … not even funny…

An you, what food shows do you watch?

Sicily’s favourite recipes by SIME BOOKS

Since I am a passionate gourmand, people do, at times, ask me if I have any recommendation for books of recipes.

My relationship with recipes, in general, is a bit special: normally, I do not like following recipes because the person who wrote it, is …basically …conveying nothing to you, you the individual who will follow his recipe. You are replicating his recipe, but you have no clue of what the original dish tastes like, obviously. So what’s the point?? … unless all that matters to you is to craft something generic based on the idea of the recipe
of another person.

Personally, I prefer learning alongside those in the know. As an example, Haitian cuisine has been in my top tier favourite cuisines (in company of French, Indian, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Italian and an array of African, Arabic and Mediterranean cuisines) of the past 25 years, and I was busier understanding its nuances under the guidance of Haitian Mamans and Papas rather than trying to cook it myself by following recipes.

Right now, my current sweet half is Haitian and happens to be a gifted home cook of the level of any talented professional Chef cooking Haitian food, and I am having fun replicating her recipes, but that is because she is there, and can confirm if the replicated recipe is faithful to the taste she is looking for in her own recipe. Not that I would not know that it is faithful to the original recipe, but it goes without saying that it is always better to have the creator of the original recipe having her saying on the replicated version of her recipe.

Now, I do also have couple of books of recipes at home. They are essentially books of this globe’s greatest Chefs and the reason I buy their books is because I have eaten their food before and I am therefore confident in replicating their recipes in a manner that can get closer to the original recipe.

That said, I do have a booklet of recipes that I do recommend to my friends, when they do ask me for a suggestion, and it is a book that I bought in Sicily  when I went there, years ago, in search of new culinary inspirations. The book is tiny (hence the mention of booklet instead of book …in my initial introduction of it), the recipes are exquisite and easy to follow (very basic recipes). Most  recipes are written in no more than 8 to 9 sentences, with the listing of ingredients superbly well located on the left side of the instructions. At the bottom of each recipe, there is a wine  pairing recommendation. Although the recipes are very simple, there is  still a mention of the level of difficulty of  every single recipe.  The book is Sicily’s favourite recipes from SIME BOOKS (pictured above). Be warned that there are many books with the title  Sicily’s favourite recipes. The one I am recommending is the one by SIME BOOKS. Oddly, they do not have that booklet anymore on their web site, but if you happen to be in Sicily (all bookstores had it when I was there) or can find it online, I do highly recommended it, if you are into Mediterranean food, obviously, and are looking for recipes that are very easy to follow. At the end of the booklet, they do recommend another book which title  is “Sicilia in cucina, the flavours of Sicily” (Edited by William Dello Russo) that they advertise as being an extended version of the booklet, but I do not know that book. The booklet, which  is also edited by that same  William Dello Russo, is a fun read with very pretty pictures. Easily one of the better  recipe booklets out there.

For online recipes, I recommend the recipes of Gordon Ramsay. I have never considered Gordon as a great Chef, and you will never see me eating at any of his restaurants. However, when it comes to teaching people how to cook, I think he is hard to beat. He has plenty of recipes that you can find for free on youtube (loved his recipes on how to make a burger, or on how he makes his beef wellington ) and I think they are worthy of attention.

 

Jellyfish Crudo+Charbon, Montreal

Jellyfish Crudo+Charbon is one of the most talked about restaurants of Montreal. One of its better rated restaurants, too (4.5/5 on Google, 4.3/5 on Yelp, a Top 100 Canada 2019 by Opentable, etc).

Plenty of foodies have strongly suggested that I try Jellyfish Crudo+Charbon, and JC+C was at the top of my restaurant bucket list for quite some time. It is one of those restaurants that people sometimes describe the same way they would describe a hot person. As an example, I heard many people describing it as “sexy”,  “hot”, “attractive”. I am not kidding. And that is great. I love that. Wow…never felt such “anticipation of sexiness” for a restaurant in Montreal since the heyday of Le Club Chasse et Pêche (when Chef Pelletier was behind the stoves) or when Chef Martin Picard was cooking at Au Pied de Cochon.

When I go to that kind of restaurants (where the first time comes with that kind of “special anticipation”, due to the hype), I always associate a specific song to the place and I listen solely to that song on my way to the restaurant as to add to the anticipation of the dining experience, so the first time I went eating at LCCP, it was Bob Marley’s Natural Mystic, the first time at APDC it was Le cirque du soleil’s Alegría , and this time on my way to JC+C it was the turn of  the song Hey Sexy Lady (Shaggy, ft. Brian & Tony Gold). This is not a joke: try that and you will see how special (or not) it can be (but let it come to you naturally. Which means do not force things. If the song comes naturally to you, go for it. If not, just forget that, Lol). Then after the meal, if you do not feel like listening to that song again, that means the “date” turned sour, Lol, in which case, I always play the song November Rain of Guns N’ Roses ONLY for the very specific lines “I can see a love restrained…But darlin’ when I hold you…Don’t you know I feel the same? ” – Lol. – I am just kidding. I love Guns N’ Roses, November Rain is one of my all-time favorite songs and you should never be salty after a meal no matter what.

Since this was my first time here at JC+C, I had no clue what to expect. So let’s discover JC+C together, shall we.

JC+C opened in 2015 with Chef  Mathieu Masson-Duceppe as the Executive Chef. Chef Masson-Duceppe has a diploma from l’Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) and he is a well-traveled Chef (Italy, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Jamaica, France, etc.). He worked previously as the Chef of restaurant Magia (Longeuil) and won, in 2015, the reality cooking Television Chopped Canada’s competition.

According to the media, Jellyfish, which is the name of the restaurant, had some serious thoughts behind it: a jellyfish has no precise shape, no defined  color. Which means, nothing cemented, no boundaries. Which also means that they want to be free, they want to be boundless. Those who are familiar with this blog … they already know that’s what appeals to me. But then, the food needs to seduce me or else all of that beautiful preach will not matter. So let’s find out. Let’s see.

The  cooking at JC+C  is described as “Modern European” on Yelp,  “creative dishes inspired by European & Asian cuisine” on their google profile, “Market Cuisine, Grill, Comfort Food, Casual Dining” as per OpenTable.

While perusing their menu, I was impressed by how daring (by Montreal restaurant standards) they are. Take this “Pani Puri. Lobster roll style, avocado-wasabi, cilantro, mullet caviar”. You have a clin d’oeil to both India and Japan in one single food item, here. You need to be utterly creative and fearless to mingle ideas from two very different cuisines such as Indian and Japanese. And it takes balls to do that. I like that.

So what I always do, when I do not know the restaurant (my case, here), I always check online for what’s popular at the restaurant. According to Yelpers, at the time of going to eat there, some of their most popular items are: their avocado carpaccio, tuna crudo, hanger steak, octopus tempura, burrata. According to the staff, when I was there, on top of the previously mentioned menu items, there is also the rotelle, the pani puri, their steaks and the chicken that are also very popular.

 

Avocado carpaccio, king mushrooms, homemade sesame aïoli, black truffles, parmesan, tempura – According to the staff, this is one of their most popular dishes. Normally carpaccio is an Italian dish featuring thinly sliced raw meat. Interestingly, the Chef, here, is not using any sliced raw meat. Instead, you have avocado with king mushrooms, homemade sesame aïoli, black truffles, parmesan. Online, I saw at some point, a video of Chef Masson-Duceppe with a variation of this dish that comes also with salted granola, blackened tempura, dehydrated polenta (on this evening, polenta chips were part of the dish), puffed rice, onions, etc. Chef Mathieu Masson-Duceppe is clearly not afraid to work with an impressive array of ingredients. He explained to the media that he originally got the idea of this dish by “deconstructing” some sushi he once sampled in Dubai and that the point of this dish is to cover a variety of temperatures, textures and tastes (acidity, crunch, etc.) to balance the healthy fat of the avocado and that he likes to finish this dish with truffles (for eg, on this evening, truffle oil was used). There is a lot of work and attention to details in this dish (for eg, he does marinate the mushrooms, etc) and where sometimes such complex dish can turn into a nightmare, here it worked perfectly well primarily because the combinations of ingredients, however complex they may sound, have proven to work together (for eg, avocado and parmesan cheese is a pairing you have already enjoyed while eating avocado toast with parmesan cheese, etc). This was good (fun to eat, flavours were balanced, all sorts of textures in mouth, etc.).  7/10.

The amazing potential of the Avocado carpaccio dish of Chef Masson-Duceppe. For those who are familiar with this blog, it is rare that I stop myself at the potential of a dish. Well, first I will not do that at a 2 or 3 star Michelin level (whether you like Michelin or not, that does not matter, here) , obviously, as, at those levels, the potential of any dish should be at its peak. But whenever I find a dish with a huge potential, at the casual dining level, I will insist on what I am going to write next. So this is a dish that is really well designed: at worst, you cannot go wrong (it is complex, but designed to be at least decent, at the very least decent, in the hands of a normal/standard kitchen brigade and then, from there, anything can happen: I was eating that dish and I did imagine, at some point, world class Chefs like Michele Mercuri, Chef Francois Nadon, Chef Martin Juneau, Chef Martin Picard, Chef Alain Passard, Chef Christian Bau, Chef Heston Blumenthal, Chef Grant Achatz having fun reproducing freely this dish  and I was like …OMG…this is a  dish that would be utterly fun for them to reproduce. A dish like this, reproduced by one of world’s very best Chefs, can be E.P.I.C! Yeah, the kind of dish that, at its “supreme best”, can be a 10/10 even by the standards of this world’s most experienced food experts. This tells you how a great Chef, Chef Masson-Duceppe is. And Chef Masson-Duceppe, if you read me (I know you won’t, and that is perfectly fine,  hahaha), here’s, probably, a potential suggestion for some “collaboration cooking à quatre mains” .  And if you (those reading this review) happen to find this a genius idea, do not thank me. Thank the right people. Thank Chef Masson-Duceppe!

 

Lamb shank, beans, pear, grilled fennel, pear butter, jus de viande – Lamb shank at Montreal restaurants…. is a dish that is taken for granted by … those who do NOT know the Montreal restaurant scene, Lol. And I am NOT  kidding. I know it should be an easy dish to cook, right? That, we ALL know. But I can trade only in facts. And I know the Montreal restaurant scene since 30 years now, so you better be ready if you want to argue with me on this one. So, Yeah, a  long time ago, the Montreal restaurant scene had dazzling lamb shank dishes with some of my personal all-time favorite lamb shank dishes in Montreal coming from 2001 – 2005  Ristorante Lucca (Lucca is still in operation and it is still a superb restaurant, and I do not even know if they still have a lamb shank dish on their menu, but the lamb shank dish that Lucca was cooking in between 2001 – 2005 was dazzling). This lamb shank was good (tender as it should, and tasty). Chef Masson-Duceppe hates boring stuff, Rfaol, so guess what…he did introduce some cold pears in this dish, Lol, which I found lovely, actually, but most importantly, that is his culinary philosophy, as he did mention, in his online statements (youtube, etc), that he loves “contrasts” (so here, the contrast between the cold and what’s warm). The jus de viande was flawless, the cooking of the beans perfect (not mushy, not hard, just the right doneness). Really good cooking, indeed. 7.5/10

 

Tartelette Chocolat/Ganache was just Ok – Those who know this blog, they know how I can be elaborate when it is time to talk about pastries and that, by now,  I have the knowledge to review any dessert/pastry/sweet with the level of assessment and depth  that is required to do so (we “read that book” before, we went through that before),  but listen, JC+C is a restaurant, not a pastry shop. Alright. So give them a break on this one! Ok.

Service was world class! JC+C is very charming: so they even had a sommelière dedicated to the wine pairings by …. the glass (generally, at restaurants in Montreal,  it is really at the very “high end” level that they do that…and generally, they will do that if you order a pricey bottle of wine, which was not my case at JC+C at all. And rarely on a Monday ;p …but at JC+C, they still ensured that a dedicated sommelière was available, no matter what). And my waiter, at the bar, well…most world class restaurants around the globe would be proud of him and would do anything to keep him for as long as he wish to stay with them. But I also discretely looked at the service around me, at the other tables, and that world class pattern in their service was there as well. You know….Greatness (which is what I noticed at JC+C)  is in the details as those in the know…know. A casual / average eye/mind is not educated to see the little details that make greatness what it is. An educated eye and mind will understand what I mean.  This not to put anyone down (I do not give a fu*** about putting ppl /anyone down, trust yourself on that one, as not one single penny will go in my bank account if I do that). If I write this, it’s solely for the constructive purpose to highlight what deserves to be highlighted. And JC+C’s service, all along my presence there, was a highlight across the board. That is all I need you to know. Basta.

For years, I have been asking myself … how come such a cosmopolitan and eclectic city like Montreal had hard time combining all those great culinary ideas, from around the globe, and making it work under one single roof, not in a stuck-up way but in a fun “casual-chic” way. Jellyfish Crudo+Charbon is the answer to my question: it “travels” around the Americas, Europe and Asia and come back home with its food combinations of international influences. It is also not stuck-up at all, which is a great thing,  it is “casual-chic”  if you will, and it is fun.  By Montreal restaurant standards, Jellyfish Crudo+Charbon is an interesting creative concept, indeed. But the appearance of  “risk taking” — by combining far more international ideas than most of their peers in Montreal — is actually safely “calculated” as, if you take a close look at what they do, they combine ingredients, ideas  and flavors that are already working in Montreal such as the kimchi. Kimchi is already popular in Montreal because of the popularity of Kbbq spots in Montreal. Panipuri, same thing: Indian food is already popular in Montreal, the principle of a Panipuri works with Montrealers and the filling of their Panipuri is adapted to what Montrealers already like, etc. In other words, they will not serve jellyfish to Montrealers anytime soon, hahaha. And of course, “crudo” and “grilled” food are trending in Montreal. That said,  do not get me wrong: the end result still stands out as creative and original by Montreal restaurant standards and that is what matters. Furthermore, the type of cooking found here (vast array of  ingredients and influences from across several continents) works when an Executive Chef has a kitchen brigade that is talented and motivated enough to follow and apply that concept skillfully, which, on the back of this meal, seems, for the most part, to be the case. Great for them, then. And yep, JC+C  is, dare I say it…SEXY! Lol, although a better description would be STYLISH.

 

Bottom line – For me, for what I value, JC+C is a first-rate restaurant for Montreal. As I have always stressed, it was never just about the food, but also about the “whole package”. Of course the appetizers and mains were good at JC+C, but JC+C is not the kind of dude to content himself with just the food, nah… he went above and beyond what many of his direct competitors can do, even on the  ‘sleepiest’ day of a week, a Monday! That was crazy. Wow. So, get this: on a Monday, Mr JC+C had one of  his (or “its”, right,  since it is a restaurant)  owners, at the door, welcoming his patrons (in Montreal, that is not common). That is called dedication, commitment. On that same Monday, the ambience, food, service was not sleepy at all! Ambience, food and service was top, lively! Hey JC+C, mais comment fais-tu , rfaol? A coup de coeur, coeur conquis (and that is a label that I do not throw, easily)!. I will happily run back here!  JC+C, you rock (and I know, you are not even a new restaurant, Lol, … and yet you look more trendy/more relevant/more alive/more “up to date” than any of the supposedly trendy new sh*** t in town, Rfaol…a reminder, that in life, you are great or you are not … no matter the time, no matter the trends, no matter the BS script, hahaha)!  Love it! Lol.  Love it! JC+C is one of the very best restaurants of Montreal and if I had the means to do so, I’d mention this on a roadside billboard even abroad. I am not kidding.

Common misconceptions in the dining world

Some of the numerous common misconceptions in the dining world:

1.Thinking that a food journalist is always knowledgeable.
Although a journalist is supposed to learn, gather information, be knowledgeable about what he/she writes, well…it’s actually, unfortunately, not always the case.
I wish, to take an example, that I would be in a position to tell you that some of this globe’s popular food journalists know what they are talking about, but I would lie to you if I’d get to such conclusion. First, before I get to the point I want to raise, and that’s important for you me to underline this here: this is not about the stupid infantile bashing of journalists that is trending these days a bit everywhere like. Nah, I am not into that crap, Lol. Thank you. Now, let’s get to what I am talking about: many of the popular food journalists out there are, in reality, knowledgeable about one aspect or two of what they write about.
For eg, if you carefully play attention at the writings of most popular food journalists in the West, they know Western food very well, indeed. But they are clueless about anything that is not Western. Up to this stage, it’s (relatively) still all good…
But here’s the major (and unacceptable) problem with them: why do they write about food on which they spend zero effort of genuine knowledge? You would think that, before reviewing, say, Chinese food, to take an example, they would, at least, spend couple of years alongside those in the know and then come back and know what they are talking
about…Niet..Nein…Nada..Nothing…C’mon folks….are you really interested to take your job seriously? Were you really thinking that would not show? C’mon…

2.Thinking that a native knows his food better than a non native.
Well, obviously a native should know his food better than a non native, right? Yeah, that’s a common belief that is supposed to make perfect sense, do not get me wrong about the fact that I perfectly understand that it should supposedly make perfect sense, but then, on the chess board, you need to think a bit further, and not too far, actually, Lol: is that native interested by food, to start with? Lol. And if that native is interested by food, does he have a palate? I mean, yeah you can be interested by food, but if you do not have a palate, well…it beats the point. I can be a non native, but If do the right homework to know the food of that native better than what that native does, that native  will be less relevant obviously. It might take me longer, to understand his food better that he is supposed to, there is no doubt about that, but if I do what it takes to get there, and he is doing shit, Lol…I’ll do a better job than him, again and again….obviously. So, as you can see, there are things like that, that we take for granted, but if you think properly, if you think, and not just dumbly recite stereotypes, they are not to be taken for granted at all. Far from that ………

Shabu Shabu Kagayaki, Montreal

Autumn/Winter are the perfect seasons for hot pot (dip meat and cook vegetables in a broth) and fondue (dip bread in melted cheese and wine), obviously. I like doing my own hot pot at home (more fun and less $$, obviously, and you can do your own sauces, etc.), fondue as well (you get to pick the top choices of cheese you want) but when I do not feel like doing that at home, then here’s one of the places that I visit in Montreal (here, the case of a hot pot restaurant and not a fondue restaurant, namely, Shabu Shabu Kagayaki Montreal) .

This was not my first time at Shabu Shabu Kagayaki. I know this hot pot restaurant since a very long time. But this is my first time reviewing it.

Shabu Shabu Kagayaki is known to be one of the good  hot pot restaurants of Montreal.

Although a hot pot is basically meat that you dip in a broth, different cultures have different ways of presenting their hot pot. It is not rocket science, but it is always good to quickly learn the how-to before you head to the hot pot restaurant (if you do not, do not worry, they will of course help you). So, for Japanese hot pot (shabu shabu), here’s an easy to follow “manual” of instructions: https://www.wikihow.com/Eat-Shabu-Shabu

First, you pick your broth. In this case, I picked Kombu dashi broth as it’s the classic broth for shabu shabu (but at Shabu Shabu Kagayaki, they also have a choice of “Sukiyaki soup recipe made with soya sauce” as well as a “a broth moderately spiced with the Chef Kagayaki’s secret pepper mix). For a palate that is not educated to nuanced subtle  flavors, the classic Kombu dashi may appear as far less flavored than the two other ones, as it’s a broth made solely from edible kelp and  the Japanese family of stocks called Dashi, but if you have educated your palate to also appreciate nuanced subtle flavors (which is my case — I mean, you cannot appreciate the intricacies of Japanese cuisine if your palate is limited to understanding strong flavors. If your palate can only “trade in strong flavors”, then forget it…you will perhaps be able to appreciate 15% of Japanese cuisine, that is it and 85% of Japanese cuisine will be completely unknown to you. A vast portion of Japanese cuisine is about mastering the taste of nuanced subtle  flavors and appreciating textures as much as flavors. If you can’t get there, then you are just a “casual” in that respect), then that will be for the better. Here’s how Shabu Shabu Kagayaki describe their kombu dashi broth online “”This authentic and clear broth made from dried Bonito tuna essence & famous Hokkaido Hidaka Kombu maximized the rich flavor of food.”

As far as I am concerned, I do not need the broth to be super flavorful as I will just need it to quickly cook the meat and will, anyways, dip it in a sauce. So, it is pointless, for me, to have a super flavorful broth which flavor I will never get to taste, anyways, since I will still dip the meat in a sauce…but again, it depends on how you educate your brain, in that regard: for the analogy, there are culinary cultures that flavor their rice and yet they will cover that rice with a sauce (in other words, all they do is to cancel the flavoring of their rice), but they have hard time understanding that they have just cancelled the flavoring of their rice, Lol. Another laughable analogy of that sort is when they grill chicken only to let it swim in a “swimming pool” of very thick sauce, best way to cancel the grilling effect of that chicken , but again, it is the brain and how you make it work that decides for you, right? Lol. Back to the shabu shabu, I personally prefer a more simple broth as the broth is just there to cook the meat and the flavor will come from the dipping sauce (we are talking about Japanese shabu shabu, here, as in shabu shabu the flavor of the meat will come from the dipping sauce. By contrast, in Chinese hot pot, the flavor of the meat will come from the broth).

Then, you choose your meat or vegetable set: Boneless Nagano pork belly, New Zealand boneless lamb shoulder, Boneless certified Canada AAA premium angus beef rib eye, Boneless sangenton pork loin, Boneless chicken breast, Assorted seafoods. And if you are vegetarian, then they also have a vegetarian set.

One last selection from your part: the choice of the noodles (I personally always pick udon noodles).

Complementary accompaniments included in the whole set: ponzu  (it is usually citrus soy sauce, but here they made it from soya sauce base, vinegar and dashi), goma-dare (essentially a sesame sauce, to which, here, they did add peanut butter), which are the two classical dipping sauces for your meat or vegetables shabu shabu. Steamed rice. Assorted seasonal vegetables, sides of Korean rice cake, tofu (tofu came in two sorts: served at room temperature, which is the standard/usual form. Then also in its frozen form. The reason for the frozen form is that frozen tofu keeps its firmer/chewier texture better and do absorb flavor better than regular tofu)  and the dessert of the day. So Yeap, a lot of food at a relatively good price (unless you splurge on luxuries such as Wagyu  and expensive alcohol, obviously), which is becoming increasingly rare in the dining world.

Boil the broth on high heat, lower the heat once it has boiled, start by throwing some of the vegetables that takes longer to cook (for eg, carrots) in the broth. Later on, do the same with the vegetables that cook quickly. Leave enough space in the broth as you will need to dip the meat in it to cook it, obviously. Dip the meat in the broth until it is pink (do not overcook the meat or else it will stiffen and that is not what you are looking for, here, Lol) , then dip it in either ponzu (which goes really well with meat) or goma-sare sauce (perfect for the vegetables, but you can eat it with meat as well)  and enjoy. And you do not consume the broth! Et voilà!

 

Bottom line  –  Impeccable treatment of the vegetables (even at some of the trendy restaurants in town, you will find sometimes a vegetable that is not fresh. Here, at Shabu Shabu Kagayaki, every single vegetable was utterly fresh).  Everything did taste and felt as Japanese as it can get in Montreal. Service was great and it is a well kept hot pot restaurant. For your fix of hot pot, whenever you do not feel like doing it at home, you certainly can’t go wrong with Shabu Shabu Kagayaki, Montreal, if Japanese hot pot しゃぶしゃぶ  is what you are looking for. If you want Chinese hot pot, then one of the very best in Montreal is Fondue Haidilao. Liuyishou Fondue is another one of the top Chinese hot pot restaurants  in town. For Mongolian hot pot, Happy Lamb Hot Pot is the best in town. For European fondue, La Raclette is one reliable option. If you are interested to try hot pot (the oriental “cousin” of fondue) and that will be your first time, then try to do searches, online, about the differences between the different sorts of hot pot (for me, by now, they are equally all great and I am not saying this because I am kindhearted, Lol, but because I have familiarized myself with them all, therefore I am at a stage where I can appreciate them for what they are and not from the perspective of  a neophyte…- for the analogy, think about music, an uninitiated will tell you that he prefers guitar and hates bass, Lol….but someone who really knows music will understand that both the guitar and the bass are equally important to make music). As for Shabu Shabu Kagayaki, it is exactly as the dining crowd have suggested: it is one really good hot pot restaurant for Montreal  (the broths and the quality of the ingredients are good, the flavours are genuine), indeed.  Shabu Shabu Kagayaki, Montreal. Addr: 75 Rue De la Gauchetière O, Montreal, Quebec. Phone: (514) 396-4746. Their menu can be found here.

This post is for Musicians and ALL Artists of this globe

***This is a personal blog, not a blog that owes anything to anyone, hence some non foodie posts (like this one) even though this blog is heavily focusing on restaurant reviews ***

I am motivated to dedicate  some space of this blog to praise all independent musicians of this globe.

As argued, elsewhere, on this blog, Musicians, Painters, Architects, Designers, are, for me,  the gifts of god to humanity. Not Chefs.

With all due respect  to Chefs, of course. But I am human, therefore I have my preferences, as it is the case of any human, right? Exactly. Ben voilà. Lol.

This post is dedicated to the independent musicians of this globe (and to all Artists as well…I mean, YOU CREATE…MOST PEOPLE DO NOT, AND THAT IS GOLD!). You work your as** off, for very little, in terms of financial gain, but your heart is as big if not even bigger than anyone else.

You, the real musicians (and all Artists, of course) who work with heart, and little interest for fame and $$, this post is for  You!

This is for you, Lasso & Sini-Kan. Wow, quelle musique (vous êtes de vrais fous! C’est malade ce que vous faites. Danger public, hahaha! Trop fort! Wow! Wow! Wow! Hihihi)! Bref, vous êtes world class. De vrais génies, de vrais marchands de bonheur. Vous êtes Méga! Vous méritez les superlatifs…. Mais mais de grâce, arrêtez de comparer “le grand Capitaine… avec celui qui prétend s’en inspirer“…le premier est une icône du mouvement des non alignés (plus de 80% de la planète du temps de son vivant), le second ….bof…lol… anyways or whatever…comme diraient nos amis Anglos…bref, certains ne vont pas comprendre ce dont on est entrain de parler, et c’est correct…mais de vous, je m’attends à aucun faux pas à cet égard.

Et vous, les artistes indépendants de mon beau Québec, celles et ceux qui performent au Quai des Brumes (Ouais, mon préféré), et ailleurs, bien sûr, celles et ceux qui travaillent dur .. dans les cabarets et petits bars, vous savez à quel point c’est du coeur. Beaucoup de coeur, ce que vous faites. Et avec un talent immense, à part de ça (ouain..je sais, …faut être humble, Lol, OMG…Lol,  etc…mais je m’en calisse en tabar**** – Vous êtes, vous les artistes Québecois, les meilleurs au monde…that’s it…et c’est tout ce qui me concerne! Le reste, je m’en calisse! Vous êtes payé des peanuts, MAIS vous n’êtes pas des peanuts! Oui, je sais, les filous (les faux musiciens, ceux qui font jouer leur soi-disant musique via un balladeur et qui font du lipsync)  font du cash en masse…mais vous avez choisi d’ être intègres, plutôt que d’ être des voleurs. Et moi,  je valorise l’intégrité.