Sumo Ramen

Finally, we have a ramen restarant in Montreal. It is located in China Town and the owner is Chinese. So, naturally, being so skeptical,  4 questions came to my mind. 

1. How authentic is the Japanese ramen experience? 
2. How comfortable is the seating arrangement?  
3. How clean is the place? 
4. How bad is the customer service?  

I admit I have my stereotype about Chinese restaurants. They are usually not very clean; they care about serving you good food but do not believe in customer service. They also tend to care less about the atmosphere/seating area because it’s all about the food.

The first time I went in there, I was pleasantly surprised.  You can tell that they have put some effort in their decor. The place looked very clean (though it should be the case since it is newly opened). They seem to focus heavily on customer service which is really rare in a Chinese owned establishment. But that level of customer service ( attention to your needs, smiling at all times…etc)  really helped create the authentic Japanese dining experience.

As far as the ramen is concerned, I didn’t have a good first experience there. They used canned bamboo shoot which gave off a very unpleasant smell and tarnished the taste of the miso soup base. However, I went back a few months later to give them a second and third chance ( there is unfortunately nowhere else to go when you crave for ramen!), I applaud them for stop serving the bamboo shoot in their ramen. Kudoos for their quick reaction to customer feedback.

What really makes Sumo Ramen stand out is its commitment to excellent customer service. That alone makes me want to go back. It feels great when a place promotes “customer is king” philosophy. Ahh, how I miss Japan!

L' academie

Recent visit to the relatively newly opened l' academie turned out to be a big surprise. I have been to their St. Denis location many years ago and was not impressed ( bad service, lukewarm soup...) But since there aren't that many inexpensive BYOW restaurant, we decided to give the chain a second chance.

To my surprise, the experience was very good. The decor was classy and spacious. The waiters were courteous. The food was excellent( My cabonara was al dente and not too salty). And with the $10.95 for all pasta dishes and mussels from Sunday to Wednesday dinner deal, it is really a great pick for downtown resto.

Moreover, I'm glad to say that I have discovered a new place to go for crème brûlée that is worth my while! The burnt sugar was not too thick, the taste was just right. The texture was ever so slightly on the runny side, but it was still very good. If they start using orange water and make it slightly richer, it would be perfect!

Linsley signature house salad

Too many have asked me for my house salad dressing recipe. So, I think it's time to share it to all.

Greens used:

-Usually baby spinach or arugula

Toppings:

-Barlett pear

-Roasted walnuts

-Blueberries

Dressing: ( for 4-5 servings)

-6 tsp olive oil

-2 tsp rice vinegar

-2 tsp soya sauce

-2 cloves of garlic, minced

-3 tsp honey

-2 tsp lime juice

-1/8 tsp Dijon mustard

-3-5 leaves of fresh basil and or parsley, minced

Depends on whether you want the dressing to be more sweet or more salty, you can fiddle with the amount of honey, lime juice and soya sauce.

Cabane à sucre @ APC

Finally went to APC's Cabane à sucre with a group of friends. I'm glad we went. It was quite an experience to have a gourmet version of sugar shack outing. It was simply put: good and satisfying. However, Martin Picard tried to showcase too many dishes. It was kind of like a " menu de dégustation". So, there were a few that was pale in comparsion to others. I highly recommend the tourtière, which was my favorite dish at the shack. The desserts were excellent as well. I don't know how I can go to any " regular" sugar shack ever again. But I aim to find more interesting and new sugar shack adventures next year...

Until then.

Braised Shitake Mushrooms

I love mushrooms. And so is my husband. Chinese " flower" shitake mushroom is one of my favorite kind of mushrooms because of the pungent flavor. I used to think oyster sauce and Chinese wine was the key, as told by many. But recently, I discovered the contrary, thanks to the amazing celibrity chef Susanna Foo, who shared with us her secrets in her cookbook.

The wonderful marinate for shitake mushroom's secret weapon is actually balsamic vinegar!

I don't ever follow recipies :p But here is what I do for 15 mushrooms

• 1 tbsp Soy sauce


• 1 cup Mushroom water ( from the soaking)


• 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar


• 1 tbsp Sugar


• 2 gloves of garlic, minced

1. Soak the mushrooms overnight.


2. Cut the stem and kept it for later if you want to make more broth.


3. Heat up the garlic with some olive oil.


4. Throw in the mushroom caps.


5. Pour in the sauce mix ( sugar, soya sauce, vinegar)


6. Throw in a cup of mushroom water.


7. Cook until there is no liquid left!
   
   
   

Cream of leek

I made a very tasty and fibrous * healthy* soup tonight. In order to remember it, I've decided to blog it!!

Creamy leek soup, Charmaine style!

• 2 leeks, chopped up
• 1/4 cauliflower, chopped up
• 1 small leafy stalk of celery, minced
• 1/2 large Fuji apple ( OR 1 small yellow apple)
• 1 can of Swanson chicken broth and 1 can of water
• 2 small oinions, minced
• 3 gloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoon of cream or milk
• A few drops of truffle oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Stir fry onion and garlic.
2. Add the veggies until fragant and sligtly brown.
3. Add apple, broth and water.
4. Medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
5. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
6. Add cream or milk and mash the soup up with hand-held mixer.
7. Drizzle a few drops of truffle oil on each serving.
8. Salt and pepper to taste. Done!

Yule log cake

My Christmas log desaster! I followed the Cook Illustrated recipe to make a Yule log cake with meringe. Chad said it looked more like a submarine!
Luckily, it was moist and tasty!

Unagi-don/Kabayaki

Lately, I have been feeling all Japanese and Korean mode in the kitchen. Endless Chap Chae, sukiyaki, okonomiyaki marathon.

On New Year's dinner, continuing with our Japanese theme from Christmas, we had
-ほうれん草のおひたし ( spinach with bonito flakes)
-蒲焼 (かばやき, kabayaki, grilled eel) with some not so fresh anymore 新米( new rice )
-榎茸おでん と椎茸 ( Oden with enoki and shitake mushroom)

It was yummy!

Bronte

Chad and I were very happy that we found a restaurant in Montreal that was almost comparable to our experience at Initiale in Quebec city. Brontë is on Sherbrooke street,corner St. Matthieu, inside the Meridian Versailles hotel. The presentation of the food was exceptional, the amuse-bouche and all the appetizers tasted better than they look, which is not easy task to accomplish. So, kudos to the chef! Chad had the braised rabbit pappardelle. The pasta was perfect and very fresh. That was really the winning dish of the night.

The main courses were pale in comparison, but still very decent. The excessive use of foam on everything makes it less appetizing, no matter how fancy the foam is supposed to be.

The major set-backs are the service being not outstanding relative to the dining experience and the dessert chef tried too hard to impress.

By the end of the night, the waiters are coming less and less to fill our water. We waited 20 minutes to get our tea refilled. The one thing they did right is to bring the tea before dessert, which I really appreciate.

We heard the pastry chef is half Japanese, half Mexican. I was expecting an amazing fusion of Japanese delicacy and Mexican excitement. Fusion it was, but the desserts were so complicated that it took out the joy of the ordinary " enjoying sweets after dinner" expectation. I ordered a dessert with a long list of ingredients. But it turned out to be 4 separate dessert that hardly went well with each other: palm sugar donuts, roasted banana with cheese, chocolate and chiptotle ice cream and pine nut foam with mole. The chocolate was too spicy to my taste. The donut was as ordinary as any fresh donuts. Chad had a butter squash bread budding that looked nothing like bread pudding and tasted like watered down cheesecake. It didn't taste bad, it just was not as amazing as it marketed to be by its fancy ingredient listing on the menu

All in all, we had good company and good food. I would still go back there and bring my mom, who loves fancy food!

Beaver Hall

Beaver hall is a fancy place for a work lunch. The over-sized plates, the nice butter holder with the cute lid, the modern steel vase with fake grass on your table makes you believe that they are attentive to details and presentations. The decor with the merry-go-round and toy soilders makes me feel like I am on the set of Nutcracker rehearsal. The food is not exceptional, but very decent and fresh. A two course gourmet lunch for under $25. I think it's not bad deal.

1073, Cote du BeaverHall

Okonomiyaki revisited

I usually make Okonomiyaki for dinner parties. But I was craving for it the other day, so I make okonomiyaki for two! No patience to grate chinese yam, I settled for premixed okonomiyaki flour where yam/starch powder and flavor has already been accounted for!

Dough mix:
1 cup of okonomiyaki flour
1 cup of water or broth ( I used 1/4 cup of mushroom broth and 3/4 of water)
2 cups of minced cabbage
1/8 cup of minced picked ginger
1 cup of Tenkasu (天かす) or tempura batter
1 cup of bean sprout
1/2 cup of sliced cheese ( any kind)
2 gloves of garlic, minced
1 scallion, minced

Topping:
Okonomiyaki sauce
Japanese Mayo
Katsuyobushi ( bonito flakes)
Aonori ( 青海苔 )Seaweed flakes

Chap Chae

Thanks to all the Dae Jang Geum episodes, Chad and I have been craving for Korean food for the past month. I'm glad my first attempt at Chap Chae had quite good result! I'm surprised how easy it is to make this dish! And you can add any toppings you want!

• 8 oz yam noodles (Korean grocery on Decarie!)
• 1-3 pieces of imitation crab meat, julienned
  
• A handful of large spinach, pan fried with garlic and oil( no baby spinach because they are too thin and soft!)
  
• 1 carrot, julienned, stir fried with garlic or boiled
  
• 1/2 a cucumber, julienned, don't cook it!
  
• 4-5 shitake mushrooms, rehydrated, cooked( with soya sauce, basalmic vinegar and sugar) then sliced
• 1/2 Tbsp Sesame seeds, roasted
• 2 eggs, pan fried ( add 1tsp of mirin and a pinch of salt), sliced length-wise

1. Boil the noodles for 3-4 minutes until cooked ( kind of chewy texture)
2. Run the noodles through cold water and strain the noodles
3. Mix the noodles with the sauce mix
4. Toss all toppings ( except sesame seed) into the noodles.
5. Sprinkle seasme seeds on top before serving.

The sauce

• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1. Heat the garlic and canola oil.
2. Add soya sauce.
3. Add sugar after the soya sauce has warmed up.
4. Add sesame oil and let cool.

This dish tastes best when served cold.

Food Mosaic

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