juliette & chocolat (Montreal)

Juliette & Chocolat (@juliette_choco) was next on my list after our lunch here and it was just right down the street. They have 3 location in Montreal and this is the newest and biggest one; and it's all about chocolate.

Love the warm open decor which was perfect on a rainy day like that day and nothing more comforting than chocolate on a wet cold day.

Way too many choices, wish my stomach and wallet would allow me to try everything =P

Schwartz's (Montreal)

One of my bestie came back from Hong-Kong to visit last month and we decided to head to Montreal for a quick 2 day trip.... and us 3 girls make Ben drove all the way =P

We arrive in time for a late lunch and of course our first stop is to one of the most popular place in Montreal; Schwartz's for some Montreal smoke meat and one of the great thing about this place is that it is as fantastic as every other previous visit. There was a line as usual but we only end up waiting less than 30 minutes and we were welcome by a cloud of vapour from the steaming meat as we sat down.

JaBistro [Japanese]

JaBistro (@JaBistro222) by the same owner as Toronto's Guu location is doing a soft opening this month and being a big fan of Japanese Cuisine, I just have to check it out right away. Chef Koji Tashiro is the head chef of this modern Japanese restaurant and watching him behind the sushi bar is like watching a performance.

By the same designers, the decor here is very similar to Guu.

When calling back for the confirmation of our reservation, they ask if we prefer seats at the sushi bar or at a table... and of course without hesitation, I choose the sushi bar.

JaBistro mainly focuses on Sushi and with only 2 sushi chefs, there's way too many seats which results in a rather long dinner. We weren't complaining since we are really enjoying our sake and watching the sushi making process we heard a few table who did (we were there from 7:30 to 11:30). Not sure what they will do down the road but definitely an issue to be addressed.

I notice that they have an excellent and very thoughtfully design sake list... all the sake from the list, we haven't tried before which is great since most Japanese restaurant in Toronto tends to have the same stuff.

Fukumasamune Traditional Jumai Sake, Ishikawa $60

It was very clean and balanced tasting without overpowering the fresh sashimi/sushi we were having
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Chef Koji is just amazing, he fillet a whole fish within seconds, what a show of skill.

Richmond Station

Most of you may already know alreay that I am a huge fan of Top Chef Canada and Season 2 winner Chef Carl Heinrich (@ChefHeinrich) finally open his own restaurant Richmond Station (@richmondstn) which have been in the making for quite a while now. Having met the chef himself before, he did drop by our table a couple time to say hi and ask how everything was (ahem, big crush on cute chef here ♥)

The ceiling was high but the place was very narrow and from the front window looking in, I can't help but feel like I'm in a station. The Top Chef Canada champion have invested his prize money into this 3,000 square foot farm to table restaurant along with celebrity butcher, Ryan Donovan... both formally from Marben. The cuisine here is pretty rustic with a modern touch.
 

Love the big open kitchen window along the back dining room where you can get glimpse 

of the Top Chef

A big fan of local wines, I'm glad that more than 80% of their wine list are from local wineries ♥

Ordered one of my favorite winery Norman Hardie 's Pinot Gris

Nomé Izakaya

Nome Izakaya is another Izakaya (居 酒屋) that have recently open up and I went there back in September (yes I am that behind on my post) since it was recommended by a friend. Upon entering the place, it was rather empty with all the "clubwear" clad waitress but the good thing was that they are all fluent in English unlike most Japanese restaurant; but at the same time, they weren't very knowledgeable about the menu... then I realise that the Chefs are all Korean and not Japanese *skeptical

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Love the Black plates with the wood

On the house, a half shell oyster for each of us as an amuse bouche

Nigori Sake $19

Pickled Fire Fly Squid  $4.30

~ Hotaru Ika No Okizuke: Pickled fire fly squid with soy sauce.

Not sure what this was when we order it but was giving it a try notherless given it's so cheap. It was very salty and fishy tasting and we both didn't really like this dish, oh well at least we tried. 

Shiso Tree Cafe

I know a lot of my friends like to go all the time but although I go to J-Town all the time, it was only a few weeks ago that I finally went to try Shiso Tree Cafe. It's where Japan meets Italy where pasta are incorporated with Japanese flavors.

There was a drum set, I assume there's live performance at night?!

 For an additional $7, you can upgrade your pasta to a set with Soup of teh day, Salad , garlic toast and a slice of cake.

 Since we were only there for Lunch, we skipped the combo but our pasta still came with a salad

 Nori Fries $6

~ fresh cut fries tossed with homemade Wafu dressing & Japanese Seaweeds

 This tasted amazing, definitely a lot better than I expected with the flavorful. The nori was very crispy and fresh which is you would think it's among the definition of nori but you would be surprise at how many places have them soggy which makes it incredibly difficult to tear through when it's in bigger sheets. Love how they left the fries skin on and was very crispy and was perfect with the touch of Wafu dressing