Haitian restaurants in Montreal and surroundings

The first time I had Haitian food in my life, it was several decades ago.

There were things I liked from the get-go (for eg, their lambi sauce, fritaye, griot, bouillon, Haitian patty – for my taste, Haitian patty is the best of its kind, beating by leaps their African and  Caribbean competition), others I never quite understood the hype (mais moulu), some taste to acquire (légumes…omg, Haitian love cooking vegetables for a very very long time, Lol; Aranso), some quite familiar (lalo, poulet en sauce).

But all in all, I knew it was food that I would love,  the acquired taste stuff included. Because it’s food that is very flavour-forward. By now, after decades of rigorous familiarization with Haitian food, I love everything in Haitian cuisine (the acquired taste stuff, etc.).

So, the first thing I did, in my first 10 years of rigorous familiarization and study of Haitian food was to learn with those in the know. I remember posting ads on Kijiji or Lespac (I think Lespac does not exist anymore) asking Haitian mammies to help me educating my palate in Haitian cuisine. I am that kind of person: before I judge something, I do my homework (learning the right way, learning seriously, learning with those in the know). Then I judge. Which is why you will see me frowning when I see so-called food journalists being clueless about some of the food they write about.

Anyways, back to Haitian food. Exactly as with Indian food, it’s food that I hold near and dear to my heart, so you will not see me reviewing it regularly for the simple reason that it is food that I usually order to eat at home (there are still two reviews of Haitian restaurants that I did, on this blog, but they are in NY: La Caye and  Chloe’s  ) . You know, when you love a food so much, you prefer enjoying it in the comfort of home. That is what happened with Haitian food. And I am certainly not going to start doing a review on what I eat at home.

That said, I’ll keep updating the current post with my input on Haitian restaurants I would have tried in Montreal and surroundings:

First, there are currently no Haitian restaurants in Montreal of the dazzling level of Haitian food that  le Flamboyant, Riviere-des-Prairies (it closed several years ago) used to deliver. Le Flamboyant remains the best Haitian food I ever ate at a Haitian restaurant in Montreal. A close second, but less “casse-croute” and more “refined Haitian cuisine’ was ‘C’est si bon “, St Michel (they also closed years ago).

Now, my quick notes on the ones I have already tried and that are still opened:

–Fourchette Antillaise. Delicious and refined, for the most part (only their lambi failed to leave an impression, for me. It was not bad, but there are better Haitian lambi preparations in Montreal and surroundings, and cheaper as well). Can be pricier than their competition, though (so perhaps the buffet would be a good option).

–Marché Méli Mélo. A take-out counter. I particularly like their bouyon, but you cannot go wrong with any other food items.

–Sissi et Paul. It has been a while that I haven’t went back. But I liked them a lot. Good portions of food. Tasty food. I can’t remember anything that I did not like here. Nice service.

–Steve Anna is one of the OGs (it has been around forever). One of the first Haitian eateries that I have frequented, decades ago. They are rare, the OGs that survived, but Steve Anna is still around and still appreciated by Haitians of all generations. I was there recently, and indeed, it continues to be good, even though the portions of food used to be more generous I found. Their griot has also improved (it used to be more greasy, it used to feature way too much fat for the quantity of meat, etc. But now, the griot is fine, here. The griot has now the proper meat/fat ratio). They are now a proper restaurant (which was not the case, in the days, as it was essentially a take-out counter).

–Patisserie Suze. This is in Laval. It’s not a restaurant. Madame Suze bakes cakes (Patisserie is French for Pastry shop) . But she can bake Haitian patties (chicken, fish, beef, herring) , too. And they are good. But you need to call her and book in advance (she told me that calling 1 or 2 days in advance is fine).

There are Haitian restaurants that I tried and liked, but they do non Haitian cuisine as well (or mix Haitian cuisine with other influences), therefore I can’t include them in the current list (I’ll try to mention them elsewhere on this blog as part of a larger Haitian/International cuisine’s post). But I’ll keep the current post updated with any new relevant updates.

 

Chloe’s Restaurant & Lounge, Brooklyn, NY

I wanted to try my usual go-to Haitian eatery in Brooklyn, La Caye, but the wait was too long. Therefore, we went for Chloe’s which is another Haitian eatery in Brooklyn.

We ate:

-Lambi boucané (Grilled conch) was prepared exactly as they do it in Haiti: not tenderized, not boiled. Straight to the grill. Great grilling flavour and superb pickling technique for the onion/red pepper that was served with the lambi boucane. 7/10

-Crab cake featured plenty of fresh crab meat and was enjoyable with a batter that had proper airy crispiness (flaky and tender), the cakes holding together well. 7/10

-Tassot de cabrit (Fried goat meat – upper left corner on the previous photo) featured tender tasty goat meat (flawless marinade of the meat, they have masterfully balanced the acidity coming from the lemon element with the necessary subtle spicy kick this dish requires) 8/10

The sos pwa (bean sauce – In this instance, a red bean sauce made with shallots, garlic cloves, thyme, parsley, etc), one sauce that is simple and yet utterly delicious and beautifully textured in its prime, was, here, edible, for sure, but tired-looking and has certainly been in its prime, at some point, but not when it made its appearance at our table (the vibrant red bean flavour of the sauce was only present in our wishes).  1/10

The diri kole ak pwa  (rice with red kidney beans, flavoured with thyme/parsley/cloves – right side of the previous picture) was almost bland. I am not sure why some Haitian eateries outside of Haiti do not invest a bit more time and care in the work of the diri kole as Haitians, back home, are used to their diri kole being flavourful. Not here. Too bad, as the Haitian diri kole is usually the most flavourful  of all the  versions  of this dish found in other Caribbean cuisines. I had more flavorful diri kole  at many Haitians eateries elsewhere. However, this is an example where many food reviewers confuse personal taste with technical flaws. Not flavoring the rice is not a technical flaw, in this instance. It is the choice that the kitchen made. A choice that I do not like, but not a flaw. Overcooking the rice, burning it when it is not supposed to, etc..those are technical flaws. Theirs was technically well executed: it  was not dry and it was freshly prepared.

 

-Grilled red snapper was dry throughout, therefore had virtually no flavour 0/10

-Akra ( fritters made of Malanga — a type of root vegetable —, garlic, scallion, peppers, flour ) was freshly prepared, the texture exactly as the one of a perfectly genuine Haitian Akra, though a tad oily but this is not a gourmet restaurant that is looking after such little details and rustic Haitian cooking has the « bit oily » feature as a perfectly legit/genuine part of the Akra experience. 7/10

The pikliz – a condiment made of raw chopped vegetables such as carrots/bell peppers/cabbage that are pickled in white vinegar alongside scotch bonnet peppers and seasoned with garlic, whole cloves and onion had proper genuine taste. This pikliz was certainly great in its prime (meaning if it was timely served) but it arrived at our table with the characteristics of the lesser pikliz: its crunch was a feature of the past, its dryness a  reality of the present tense. A pikliz without crunch and texture is not what one should be looking for (in the same fashion as a slaw —as pikliz is essentially a sort of pickled spicy slaw — if it is not going to have crunch and texture, it is better not to serve it). Too bad, as it was evident that the technique to conceive that pikliz was on point (5/10).

Bottom line: An erratic performance. Not in the league of La Caye, for sure. I would still go back for the tassot de cabrit though, as well as the Akra and will try their other dishes (lambi, poulet en sauce, for example). Overall food rating: 5.5/10 (tassot de cabrit, akra and lambi boucané were good, the pickling technique generally superior, but all of that was marred by a sos pwa, some pikliz as well as a red snapper that should have never left the kitchen) Service: 6/10 (doing the basics , polite) Chloe’s restaurant Addr: 9413 Ave L, Brooklyn NY, 11236 Phone:  347-770-9051

La Caye, Brooklyn (USA)

THIS RESTAURANT IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED –  THIS REVIEW IS KEPT ONLINE FOR HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION

La Caye is a Haitian restaurant situated in the heart of downtown Brooklyn.

My starter was a faultless acra, freshly fried,the texture nicely crunchy (not dry as it is often the case elsewhere) on the outside, superbly soft on the inside (sadly …commonly mushy at most tropical eateries), the taste genuine (exactly as a talented Haitian Mammie-cook would cook it, but here the texture  is more refined than rustic) and  great. 8/10

The Missus went on with a  lambi  (stewed conch) – the seafood  of superb quality, cooked to a perfect chewy texture, the sauce well made. Again and again, talented Haitian Mammie cooking quality, with refined presentation.  The Missus is Haitian and happens to be a superb cook. Her opinion of La Caye was that this is as great as Haitian cooking will taste like in North America.  8/10

Faultless is also how I  would describe my red snapper, broiled to perfect moist consistency on the inside, the skin lightly crisp as it should, the seasoning well judged. Hard to improve upon that one. 9/10

Rounded off the meal with an excellent  Pen Patat/Pain Patate (sweet potato bread), the potato flavor particularly  exquisite 9/10 as well as a pineapple upside down cake which was technically  baked properly and tasted fine, but I had pineapple upside down cakes which pineapple flavor was more expressive than this one.

Pros: A first-rate Haitian restaurant

Cons: No Rum at a Haitian restaurant (there was none on the evening of my visit) …………….??? … Really?..LOL…Sak Pase ???? …………………………………

Overall: 8/10 (Categ: Finest Haitian restaurant in North America) Many restaurants cooking caribbean food  suffer from occasional issues such as rice not moist enough because it was not cooked to order, fried bananas bathed too long in oil, overcooked seafood, etc. In a nutshell, issues due to a problem of time management. And yet, you get used to it. But during this meal, not one single item could be faulted on the aspect of the timing (cooking of the fish? timed right. The plantain bananas. same thing. the lambi, same thing, etc). For someone like me who expects a certain degree of mastery (mastery of the timing of the cooking in this example) at a restaurant, the level  of  perfection found on this evening had to eventually  jump to my attention. I liked La Caye (a small but tastefully decorated interior, bathed in dark wood, good service) as it offers  refined food that is  genuinely Haitian. But it  can be  pricey  ( fresh quality ingredients, which is what they use — especially seafood — is never going to be cheap, obviously  ). La Caye, Addr: 35 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States Phone:+1 718-858-4160  http://www.lacayebk.com/#!menu/c24tf

What I think weeks later: Sometimes people ask me if it is possible to have an accurate opinion of some food if you are not from the country of the food you are assessing. You do not need to be from  the country of the food you are talking about. I do not need to be Haitian to understand genuine Haitian flavors.  You can be Haitian and have no real interest in Haitian food. The key, if you can’t afford travelling, is to reach out to a Haitian friend’s Mom and ask her to  cook some Haitian food for you and teach you how genuine Haitian food should taste, smell  and feel like. Ask the same thing to 2,3 other Haitian Moms and next time you will know what you are talking about, lol.  That said, in North America, most Haitian eateries  do usually reproduce the flavors of the homeland effortlessly —- that is widely confirmed by Haitians of all generations. And that is what La Caye does.