Pass up on this new Izakaya wanna be restaurant: Kinoya

It has been one year already since the last post. I have decided to do something I haven't done in a while which is to explore a new restaurant. Since I was dining alone I would have to eat a bit more and not share the rewards or disappointments.

Kinoya bills itself as a contemporary izakaya which is promising but with all the recent Japanese joints we had in Montreal, there is still no true good izakaya as in Toronto/Vancouver (Guu) or New York City. I didn't have very high expectations on this place based on the confused menu with a bit of everything in Japanese cuisine.

As I sat down I asked to skip the cold water and go for the green tea for this cold winter night. It was an ordinary green tea although it turns out to cost me 3.50$ for the pot! It's like a slap in the face after a disappointing meal. Many restaurants may list a price for the pot of tea but I have never been charged for one so far.

They gave me an amuse of "chicken salad" which has tasteless sliced boiled chicken, a thick piece of cucumber and a peanut sauce. It was blah. I ordered from the front of the menu, getting a bit of every section and not reaching the rice dishes or the noodles dishes. At the end of the meal I was given a card for a free appetizer on the next visit.

Takoyaki - 4 pieces for 5.75$
Typically cooked in a specialty iron pan, these are not prepared as such. It looks a lot like the frozen ones you can get at Imadake and the octopus was rubbery as you would expect from frozen seafood. The Worcestershire type sauce and shavings of dried bonito were authentic.

Agedashi Tofu - 3 pieces for 4.50$
This is a terrible dish both on taste and quantity. The tofu looked good with soft inside and crispy outside but biting into it revealed it was lukewarm and not freshly fried. I tried to cut through them with my chopsticks but the outside skin was too rubbery and would not cut cleanly. The sauce was too sweet for this preparation. Small points are awarded for the nori strips, grated daikon and minced ginger. This dish is best prepared at Furusato.

Kara Age - 5 pieces for 5.50$
This dish is best prepared at Imadake where you get real chicken wings with bones, tasty meat and crunchy skin. Here it's slightly better than the chicken nuggets at Azuma but they were still nuggets with a soggy skin. I think this is another reheated dish like the tofu. I was saddened by the side of mayonnaise in the bowl and the thin slice of lemon which didn't squeeze very well. The shichimi helped a bit but could not save the bland taste of the chicken although it was leg/thigh meat and not breast meat.

Yakitori special - 3 double skewers for 10.05$
The specials card says you can get up to 3 choices of yakitori but there are only 3 choices to choose from: Momo (chicken leg with sweet tare sauce), Sasami (chicken breast with same sauce), Tsukune (japanese sausage with same sauce). The Sasami was so bad I didn't finish the 2nd skewer. It was tasteless even with the generous drizzle of sauce on top. Clearly this was cooked ahead of time without any marinade or sauce. In NYC (Torishin & Taisho) the yakitoris came to me piping hot and tasty. The Momo was tasty because of the leg meat and the sausage was tasty too but I was getting full and it wasn't good enough for me to eat the 2nd skewer.

Kinoya roll (eel, fake crab, avocado, crispy rice with extra slices of avocado and eel on top, sweet sauce) 11.50$
This roll's quality is comparable to what you can get from Sushi Shop or Sushiman. The rice was dry (old?), the fake crab was cold, the eel was cold and chewy, the ginger tasted funny and was extra strong (old?). The crispy rice was soggy and tasted spicy. My tongue was burning from it and it was a good thing this was the last thing I ate because I couldn't taste anything after. For the best eel preparation in town go to Furusato for their eel/avocado roll or eel in rice bowl.

I felt sad by the end of the meal and was tempted to go to A&W to wash it all down with a good Mozza Burger. I would have to be accompanied next time to try the rice dishes and the noodle soups. You can have my free appetizer card.

Menu of the Day- November 18

The week is ending but here is my lunch.

Quinoa cooked in a chicken leg and beef rib stock. Ground pork hash. Fresh avocado slices. Herbed cream cheese.

For dessert, greek yogurt and a melon/orange/cardamom jam.

Meat hash recipe

This is a common building block as it can become spaghetti sauce or a casserole. You can use ground meat of any type: chicken, beef, pork, turkey.

1/2 lb of ground meat
1/2 a large red onion, diced
1/2 a bulb of garlic, thinly sliced
500 ml of crushed tomatoes, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking oil

1. Sweat the onion and garlic in oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes
2. Add meat and cook on high for 5 more minutes until meat is browned. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add tomatoes and lower heat to simmer for at least 15 minutes. Gently stir.

Fou d'Ici or Fous Desserts?

Fous Desserts is a great cake/chocolate/tea/croissant store near Laurier metro. It sells my favorite croissant on the continent. It carries awesome & decadent cakes and desserts. In the summer I drop by every Saturday to get my fix.

I don't know why I never told you about it before, maybe to keep the secret to myself. They were a participant in our croissant Dishcrawl back in October 2010. They were also chosen by La Presse as the best croissant in Montreal.

The best dessert I had is called "l'ecureuil" or "the squirrel". It's a tart with salty caramel filling and covered with nuts. You cannot eat more than one slice at a time but it's out of this world.

Another favorite is the King Kong and Belle Helene viennoiseries. The first is a mix of banana and dark chocolate while the second is poached pear and dark chocolate.

Fou d'Ici is a new gourmet grocery store in the Louis Boheme condominium complex at Place des Arts metro. They have basic staples as well as fresh producce, dairy section, cheese section and a butcher. The prices aren't outrageously expensive when you compare them to the nearby Provigo or Metro supermarkets.

I explored the bakery & pastry department first of course and was delighted to see they carry desserts from Rhubarbe, a really great cake maker (they are located near Fous Desserts and also a Dishcrawl spot). I tried a basic croissant and found it better than average with a crust that is buttery like at Fous Desserts.

I was also happy they have Chef Daren Bergeron from Decca77 participating as the kitchen chef as I enjoy many of his food already.

They carry other Montreal businesses items such as the corn chips from Maya (best tortilla chips).

Answer to the question: both Fous Desserts and Fou d'Ici deserve your attention and stomach space.

@foudici
@FousDesserts
@rhubarbe_mtl

Restaurant Review: Deville Dinerbar

This place recently opened near work so I decided to go explore it with coworkers for lunch. Service was efficient and quick and we were able to leave within 1 hour.

This 50s styled diner looks fancy and the staff is dressed accordingly. The bar seats are uncomfortable so don't linger too long on them. The menu is presented in a tall leather bound booklet and the pages are in thick card stock. Prices may seem steep for a diner but it's supposed to be luxurious and the portions are big.

First we had the "Disco Fries" at 10$ which is simply a fancy poutine with matchstick fries, veal demi-glace and a cheese mix. This was very good except at the end when it was too salty due to the demi-glace sitting at the bottom of the dish.

A coworker took the bacon wrapped meat loaf which looked huge but he was satisfied with it. 

I had the Chicken Schnitzel and Spaetzle at 19$ and it was a lot of food. I ended up eating 1/3 in the restaurant due to the Disco Fries. The chicken has a layer of ham and cheese underneath the crust and was generously doused with lemon and capers.

Another coworker had the Deville burger at $16 and it was a double burger with all the fixings.

This new addition to the downtown core is different than what currently exists and although it's not an exceptional discovery it's good enough for people to try it.

http://www.devilledinerbar.com/

Restaurant Review: Zenya

Don't let the downtown location fool you, Zenya is not a tourist trap but a capable Sushi joint provided you know what to order. The restaurant is very large and has the decor fit for the downtown scene.

I've been here 6 times in the last two years and the food has been consistent: what was bad/good the first time stayed bad/good on subsequent visits. Do not order the cooked dishes!

I've been spoiled with the traditional dishes at Furusato so when I tried ZenYa's versions, they were horrible in comparison. The miso soup and miso cod are pretty standard but stick with the sushi bar.

This is my go-to place for the best amaebi (raw sweet shrimp) in town. They always have fresh Pacific salmon which is a plus. The maki rolls, the unagi (eel) and ikura (salmon roe) Are also ok like everywhere else.

They don't have the selection of Isakaya but the quality is superior.