Friday, November 8, 2013

Nocochi Bistro & Salon de Thé ~ #TasteMTL [Montreal]


For my first TASTE MTL (#TasteMTL) experience, I was paired up with Montreal Blogger Janice (@KtchnHealsSoul) for dinner at Nocochi Bistro & Salon de Thé (@NocochiMontreal).

Let just say at first I was rather skeptical about it since it more like a cafe than a restaurant and I don't think I want a salad or sandwich for my dinner but was I surprise.

Located near the Montreal Museum of Fine Art, it has a very relaxing art gallery cafe feel to it. Known for their delectable gluten-free Persian pastries, European-style coffees and large variety of all natural teas. Their menu consist many vegetarian and gluten-free options. 

The picture below show that the place was empty but it was taken at the end of the night when we were leaving but nonetheless, the place wasn't pack when I got there around 7:00pm. I guess TASTE MTL isn't as popular as our Summer/Winterlicious series in Toronto yet since it's only their 2nd year after all.


Taste MTL three-course dinner for $29pp
There was only 2 options for our 3-course prix fixe menu; meat and vegetarian.
Since Janice decided to get all vegetarian dishes, I opted for all meat so we could try everything.


Beef Carpaccio
This was incredibly thin and creamy.


King Oyster Mushroom & Avocado Carpaccio
Love the idea and the flavors here but wish the oyster mushroom was cut a little bit thicker to give it more texture in contrast to the creamy soft avocado and creamy sauce


Sous-vide Fillet Mignon w/ Blueberry Sauce, Wasabi Mashed Potatoes, maple glazed vegetables & Charcoal Herbs
I do love the sous-vide steak since it gives you the perfectly overall cook steak without the grey area when its cook on the grill and it's usually seared to finish up with a crisp crust/outside. Here the sous-vide was done pretty well but they didn't give it a crisp enough outside which result in a rather one dimensional texture especially for a fillet mignon which is already extremely tender. Plus I don't think it was seasoned apart from the salt sprinkled on top. But I do have to applaud them for the presentation and I have to say I did like the wasabi mash. Plus props to the herbs charcoal powder idea but frankly taste wise, it had barely any herb flavor compare to fresh/dry ones and it sort of disappear when you have it with the steak.
  


Noodle Soup w/ "onsen tamago" eggs, vegetables and maple pearls
This was a rather large bowl of noodle and Janice couldn't even finish it although half of it was just veggies. I didn't try this one so I can't say much about it but Janice seems to have enjoyed it and I love the idea of the maple pearls in it to give it that pop of surprise.


Maple ice cream, Hazelnut Crumble & Strawberry Coulis
.

Lime Mousse & Mint Pearls
Like it but wish they were some kind of crust to it
.

They had a whole menu just for teas, I sort of regretted of not having try at least one of them.

Handmade Persian and Middle Eastern Sweets with nuts and a touch of traditional spices. I bought a 2 of the small boxes at $16.00/ea (1st picture), one for myself and one as gift. Read a lot of good reviews online about them, I thought it does live up to their reputation and price tag. It was not the sweet treat that I somehow expected which I love and although of their long shelf life of 2-3 months, they were crumbling soft and love how it’s all packed with different kind of spices.


Verdict:
I notice that their regular menu are more café style with salads, crepes, omelets, sandwiches and pasta which is totally different from what we had
Although there was some hits and some misses, I did enjoy my meal here.
The service was incredible attentive and friendly, would love to experience afternoon tea here.


See my re-cap of my TASTE MTL trip here

*** This meal was complimentary but opinions are my own ***

Nocochi on Urbanspoon


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