Island Illusions

      Close your eyes, picture the beach, you lying on the warm sand, sun shining in your eyes and a delicious tropical cocktail in your hand.  “Aruba, Jamaica ouhhh I wanna take you to Bermuda, Bahama, come on…”  That’s the feeling you get at Tango… a taste of the exotic right here in Laval.

Your mouth will be watering just by reading the menu. The names of their dishes, healthy French crepes and cocktails are those of the most beautiful islands and beaches of the world: Mykonos, Cayo Blanco, Aruba, and so on. Their menu includes salads, salty and sweet crepes, cocktails, delicious fruit plates, gelatos, hot drinks, cold drinks and alcoholic drinks. The prices are affordable too.

 

The decor is very modern with a hint of the Carribean: orange colored walls giving the illusion of a sunset, bamboo covered sections, palm trees, and comfortable sofas with flat screens in the lounge areas.

In the summer, take advantage of the heat on their terrace under Hawaiian tiki umbrellas and enjoy your shisha. Did I mention they have shisha? (Only available on the terrace).

 

 

 

There’s more! Music playing all day long: lounge music during the day and house music at night. Plus, it’s 18 and over! We don’t have to drive to the W downtown to enjoy a lounge anymore.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Events

• To continue with the Caribbean fever, every first Thursday of every month, you can enjoy the Cuban sounds of Ritmo Caribeño (yes! a live band) and dance the night away. Also enjoy the two for one special on all mixes and beers from 5 pm to 8pm.
• HOCKEY night just got better! Watch the game on their 200” big sreen tv. Three for two special on mixes and beer during the whole game (make sure you go early!)

 

   Flaws

Ya, so I’ve heard it too that the service tends to be a little slow, but EVERYTHING is made fresh the moment you order it. Can you blame them?

 

Whether you want to take a date, impress co-workers, or just hang out with friends, for a light healthy lunch, mouthwatering desserts, or just to grab a drink, Tango is the place to go.

If all this did not convince you, check out their website www.tangococktails.com and TRY IT OUT FOR YOURSELF!You can also look for Tango cocktails on facebook.

205 chemin Promenade Centropolis, Laval, Qc H7T 0B3

(450) 688-6588

Juliette et Chocolat: Chocolate Paradise

Attention all chocolate lovers… paradise is right here in Montreal!

Picture this: a hot chocolate brownie topped with a scoop of delicious vanilla ice cream covered with melted chocolate. How about a big crepe filled with fresh fruits and a lot of chocolate topped with a scoop of ice cream?  From chocolate fondue to delicious salads or meal crepes, whether you are going for lunch or for dessert, Juliette et Chocolat will leave you coming back for more…

Should I continue? White chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, sweet, semi-sweet or bitter, something for everyone’s taste. You want hot chocolate, you’ve got choice. In the mood for a drink? How about a Choco-Mojito? THEY HAVE IT ALL!

During my last visit I had the fruit bowl: vanilla ice cream, strawberries, bananas, pears, topped with whipped cream and meeeeeeeelted chocolate… Portion was huge and the presentation mouthwatering; though I couldn’t finish it, I didn’t want to give it away!!

A very cozy space with very friendly staff. I love the big bright red chef hats they all wear. As you step inside, the smell of chocolate is so strong that it makes you want to jump over the counter to satisfy your craving (I knew writing this article was a bad idea… I NEED Juliette et Chocolat!!!)

The ingredients and chocolate they use come from all around the world.

To keep up with the growing number of fans, Juliette has two locations, one on St-Denis and one on Laurier.

But don’t take my word for it… try it out for yourself!

Check out their website for pictures and for more information www.julietteetchocolat.com .

Garde-Manger in Old Port Montreal: If It Tasted Any Better, It Would Be Illegal

This review can be summarized with the following two words: lobster poutine. Eat your heart out, La Banquise.

My good friend Dave calls me up two weeks ago; “Want to go check out Garde-Manger? I managed to secure a table for four people. Kriss and Lindsay are coming along too, and we need a fourth participant.” There was no way in hell I was passing this opportunity, so I hastily agreed. I kept hearing about this place from friends, and I wanted to review it for Montrealing ever since I first witnessed it across from Santos.

Getting a table at Garde-Manger is a bit hard, as the restaurant is constantly packed with people. Dave had to call in a week and a half in advance to reserve a table for four people. This says a lot concerning Garde-Manger: they must be doing something right if they’re always this full. Most of the publicity this place gets comes from the cooking show Chuck’s Day Off (seen on FoodTV). Don’t let this fool you though, as the quality of the food alone would be enough to sustain their business without the extra publicity.

Friday night rolls around, and our reservations are for 9:30 PM. Since Montreal city loves digging up their roads constantly, we decided to leave early to curb traffic and cut through the mess Old Port is currently in at the time of writing this review. For reasons unknown, there was no traffic and finding parking was a breeze. This resulted in arriving at our destination half an hour early. Luckily for us, our table was already ready and we were seated immediately.

Looking around the (packed) place, it reminded me of a time where restaurants were actually in business to please their clientèle. Garde-Manger is quite warm and cozy. If this place could talk, it would say: “sit down, relax, have a coffee… there’s no rush, stay for as long as you like”. With that said, Garde-Manger is small in size. I think the whole place can roughly handle 40 seated people at a time. But great things come in small packages, right?

The only menu you’ll get here is a wine list, so you’re going to have to glance at a nearby wall that has the specialties scribbled on a blackboard. This leads me to realize that their menu changes constantly. On the left side of the blackboard are the appetizers, while the right side features the entrées. There were so many dishes I wanted to try as they all sounded great, but I settled on the short-ribs with barbecue sauce as I had a craving for meat. Right before the waitress moved on to ask what Dave was ordering, two magical words that were at the top of the appetizers list just hit me in the head: lobster poutine. Rudely cutting off my friend placing his order, I screamed it out: “LOBSTER POUTINE!”. That’s when Dave and Kriss looked at each other and said “make that three”. The waitress, smiling, wrote it down on her pad.

Lindsay, who is not a big seafood fan, decided to try the salad with cheese-balls.

Since my friends are the kind of people who love sharing, I managed to savour a few dishes in one sitting. From top to bottom, the images below feature the short-ribs, pork & mushrooms and duck meat. I can’t describe what the dishes were mainly composed out of, but what I can confirm is that everything just tasted so damn good. The pork was very tender (properly cooked) and the duck… well, I’ll simply quote Kriss: “They didn’t even ask me to cook it medium-rare… this is how it’s supposed to be. They got it right on the money.” I couldn’t have agreed more when I tried it.

I thought the meal I was having was the bomb, up until I glanced over to the table next to me. I cannot describe the monstrosity of this tray, so I will let the picture do the talking.

Finally, our night was coming to an end, but there was desert on the horizon. The four of us didn’t know what to expect in terms of sweets. Before the desert, our waitress asked us whether we wanted any coffee or tea. Kriss and I tried the espresso, Dave had Earl Grey tea while Lindsay had a cappuccino. It was a machine that prepared the coffee, so it was good, although my espresso felt a bit luke-warm. Now, choices for desert were banana cake with caramel, fried Mars bar, and the classic chocolate brownies fused with marshmellows. All three of these dishes were served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. In the order they were introduced, take a glimpse of what you will experience should you have a chance to check out Garde-Manger.

If there was a list of places I would take my first date out on, Garde Manger would be at the top. The place is small and cozy, and dimly lit for that seclusive factor when you’re with friends or a loved one. I had one of the finest dining out experiences in a long time. I’ll be coming back to this restaurant very, very soon.

Pros

• Delicious meals, all original
• Cozy atmosphere
• Great wine list
• Excellent service
• Lobster poutine

Cons

• Somewhat pricey
• Loud, but you can still have a conversation
• Reserving a place is difficult, so think in advance!
• Get ready to add on some unwanted weight with all the great food

Address: 408 Saint-François-Xavier, Old Port
Telephone: (514) 678-5044

The House of Jazz – A feast for all your senses

As the name might give it away, the House of Jazz is all about the sophisticated side of jazz, down to the last detail. From the moment you walk in, you will notice the meticulous New Orleans’ interior decoration covering every square inch of the room.

The tables are placed in an auditorium-style arrangement, converging towards the stage as the focal point of the restaurant. I highly suggest you grab a seat facing towards the stage, because as beautiful as the music sounds, half the excitement is watching some of the most talented artists play this intricate music with such ease.

With daily performances, it’s no wonder their clients stick around for many hours at a time. The Taurrey Butle Trio, a band I had the pleasure of watching, blew my mind. As a musician, I’ve always had the utmost admiration for jazz performers for it is the hardest style of music to play.  I couldn’t take my eyes off the pianist’s fingers, which seemed to be moving at a speed of a thousand miles an hour.

These men share a chemistry that is reflected in their music; they play as if they’re the only ones in the room. The pianist raced his fingers up and down the keys with agility, the bassist held up some of the best tempo I’ve ever head, and the drummer jammed away like only someone with ADHD can.

Aside from the music, The House of Jazz serves an array of dishes you can easily enjoy while watching the show. I highly suggest ordering the plate of ribs if you don’t mind getting your fingers dirty.

Montreal’s lucky to be home of such an authentic jazz establishment, with amazing toe-taping beats and a service reflecting the New Orleans hospitality.

Peter’s Cape Cod – ‘Any fresher and the fish would be swimming to you’

Having grown up in the West Island suburbs, the originality of restaurants around there was limited. What has especially bothered me was the lack of seafood places at affordable prices. When thinking about fresh seafood joints, La Sirene and Pêche Pêche generally comes to mind, along with the image of dollar signs.

However, Peter’s Cape Cod in Ste-Anne de Bellevue has been open for years and, despite the area’s seasonal wave of clientele, has managed to stay open through the vacancy in the winter times. The portions are generous and the freshness of their product is taken seriously. The Fish N’ Chips platter is definitely a favorite. I suggest you don’t try to be too health conscious and skip out on the fries, they’re some of the best I’ve tried!

Peter’s Cape Cod has a look that doesn’t scream overpriced. As good as the food may be, I highly discourage taking a romantic date there. The décor would make you believe a fisherman’s ship threw up all over the walls, but the tacky objects are worth putting up with for the giant terrace and view over the water.

http://www.bar-resto.com/peterscapecod

Restaurant Lordia: Laval’s Only Good Resto

I’m never too keen to hit up a middle-eastern sit-down restaurant, even though I’m considered a middle-easterner and think like one. Usually, these places are ghetto, badly run-down and the food never tastes good. When I was invited to hit up Lordia for a birthday party, I was a bit hesitant at first, but I decided to try it out anyway as I am working for an editorial website after all…

The birthday invitation said the party starts at 9:30 PM and ends at 3:00 AM. With a little bit of math and experience, I concluded I should hit the place up at 10:30 PM. Reason why I delayed by an hour was because I know middle-easterners like me always tend to be late. I was right again this time, as only half of the invitees arrived when I got there. Secondly, the appetizers (not to mention the main dishes) are always served late… always. There’s no point of going early to these types of places because you’ll go crazy while you starve. I recommend you curb your appetite with a little snack before you go to Lordia. You’ll thank me later.

Within twenty minutes of sitting down, the cold and hot mezzes were served (my timing was perfect) and they looked pretty good. There was the usual tabbouleh, hummus, basterma, soujouk, falafel, balila and stuff you would have no clue what they are judging by their names. I can assure you they all taste great, especially this one little dish that had an orange-ish cream with escargots floating in it. Escargots! At this point of my night, I was very pleased with the way things were going.

One thing people don’t know about these types of restaurants is that the main dishes are always served very, very late… I’m talking twelve o’clock here, sometimes as late as 1 AM. It’s best you feast on the mezzes as much as you can, because you might starve to death till the meat arrives.

One thing I highly recommend is the shisha [arguile] while you wait for your food to arrive. The tobacco tends to suppress your appetite just a bit and allows you to socialize with your gathering over a bottle of wine, relaxing you and all the while keeping your mind off the food. You will, of course, have access to the mezzes while you smoke and drink. When the meat and chicken dish finally arrived, everyone on my table attacked it at the same time. Both the meat and chicken were well cooked (via charcoal) and had plenty of flavour. The wait was definitely worthwhile.

I’d like to mention one thing in particular that really set the mood for Lordia. There is this one guy with a crazy-awesome moustache and red hat who walks around, making sure everything is up to par on your table and to your liking. He’s also the guy who brings you the shisha and makes sure your charcoal on the bowl is lit at all times. If he catches you touching the charcoal, he tells you to keep your hands off it and that it’s his job. I was told that he is the owner of Lordia, but I cannot verify this right now. Awesome service is all I got to say.

Pros

• Amazing shisha/arguile, one of the best smokes I’ve had
• Nice decor and atmosphere, very clean
• Professional & friendly staff members and waiters
• There is a belly dancer. Belly dancer.

Cons

• Washrooms a bit too small, no ventilation, steamy…
• Music a bit too loud sometimes, cuts through conversations
• Main dishes served a bit too late

SOHO – Population: 5. No, not the one in New York…

I have recently discovered yet another quaint hidden gem, this one located in the West Island. In other words, if you don’t have a car, you’ll have a hard time getting there and should probably quit reading unless you’re masochistic enough to spend the 1.5 hours on public transportation.

SOHO is located in Pointe-Claire on St-Jean Blvd., squeezed between Moe’s Deli Restaurant and Patisserie Gascogne, on a large strip mall. Most West Islanders aren’t even aware of its existence, probably due to the giant parking lot (which I refer to as the “no man’s land”) that physically and visually separates the passers-by on the street from its shops. SOHO is a small restaurant, and by small, I mean minuscule. There must be a total of about 30 seats in the entire place; the sushi counter taking up a majority of the area with a piano next to it for the occasional nights when you can enjoy live music.

The reason why I’m boasting about this place is because it serves some of the best quality sushi. Their menu isn’t extensive and prices a tad high, but the seaweed will melt in your mouth like nothing else you’ve ever had. Quality over quantity is what you will get. Now, I know that nearly all my reviews have been fairly positive, so I’ll drop a few bombs and criticize in hopes of keeping my journalistic integrity:

SOHO, although has an amazing freshness to its food, does make you wait for what seems like an eternity, so don’t go while you’re starving because you’ll get cranky before recieving your meal. You’ll wonder why they’re taking so long when they only have a total of about 8 people in the room: it’s because most of their clients order take-out. The prices also seem pretty steep for the lack of originality and the slow service you’ll get.

This is an authentic Japanese sushi place, which means that you will not find silly ingredients such as mangoes or cream cheese in the rolls that North Americans have added and morphed a well-respected, traditional cuisine into a monstrosity they refer to as “Japanese-American fusion”.

PROS:

• Fresh ingredients
• Good cocktails
• Nice decor/ Intimate ambiance

CONS:

• Long wait
• Not accomodating for large groups
• Sushi not served as depicted in picture

La Banquise: 25 variations on a heart attack

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve definitely heard of those two beautiful words that, when uttered, are sure to induce instant drooling to any young Montrealer. It’s one of those joints that make me wish I wasn’t writing this review on an empty stomach. Of course, I’m referring to La Banquise; the product of some crazy mastermind who one day decided to open a joint that serves almost exclusively Quebec’s pride and joy: the poutine.

If you’ve never heard of it, shame on you and go get some friends, but let me give you a quick recap:

The place first opened in 1968 as a dairy bar, also serving hot dogs and fries. By the 1980’s, the poutine started to gain popularity across Quebec and as a result, was added to the menu. When more and more people were introduced to this glorious artery-clogging dish, it hit a peak in the 1990’s and by 1999, La Banquise’s menu already listed 23 different kinds of poutine.

Now I bet you’re thinking: “Silly girl, how the hell can you make the ingenuous mix of fries, cheese curds and gravy any better??” Although you can never go wrong with the classic recipe, La Banquise offers 25 variations that are sure to especially satisfy the meat lovers. You can find combinations of ground beef, sautéed onions, merguez sausage, bacon… The list goes on, and I assure you that the choice is never an easy or quick one to make when seated in front of the menu.

Their poutine is only half the excitement. Since they’re open 24/7,  it’s no wonder that their peak hours are usually when the clubs shut down and a swarm of drunken party-goes, overcome with the munchies, invade the place. Don’t be surprised to find a lineup at 3:30am on a Saturday night. The place isn’t huge but trust me, the food is definitely worth the wait. Call me cheesy (pun!), but you always remember your first time at La Banquise, where a special moment is shared with the people you’re with.

Prices range from 6$ to 12$ for generous portions.

Gym memberships not included.

Upstairs – It’s Jazztastic!

Just a few steps below the street level on Mackay, you will find a quaint little hidden gem called Upstairs Jazz Bar and Grill. This place caught my eyes from the moment I glimpsed in through the window and saw an upright bass musician jamming away. As an avid jazz fan, I squealed like a little girl and excitedly walked in.

The place: dimly lit room. Very jazz-y and intimate. The Chicago 1950’s feel, complete with brick walls covered with an array of frames, takes you away from the downtown Montreal feel the moment you walk in. All that’s missing is the cloud of smoke hanging in the room (damn this ban!). The food is simple yet tasty and the staff is remarkably friendly. The ditsy, large breasted blonde bimbos you’d find as a nightclub bartender working for tips would not fit in to this classy, old-fashioned joint. Surprisingly, the prices are extremely fair. This place has a vibe I haven’t seen in a long time in Montreal, which is always a bonus since it seems that so many places follow the same template nowadays. A generally older crowd (30+) can appreciate this cozy, laid-back feel where people can share their passion for music.

Several times a week, you will find live performances by jazz artists. For that alone, it’s worth to check out Upstairs. Don’t get me wrong; you don’t have to adore jazz to go. When the performances are done for the night (roughly by midnight), the crowd gets back to it’s lively pace.

I fell in love with this place the moment I walked in. There’s a certain warmth in the personal interactions you can never find in a nightclub.

Their wine list isn’t too extensive, so I’d stick with the drinks. If you’re in the mood for a quick bite, get the Antipasti for 2, you can’t go wrong with calamari, smoked salmon, grilled chicken and a few other ingredients to pleasure your taste buds.

Bonus: Check out their website for scheduled performances as well as special recipes with step-by-step instructions.
www.upstairsjazz.com

Chez Liang – Starving Students, Rejoice!

There’s no doubt that Monkland village is a booming area of the city, located in N.D.G., just a few minutes west of downtown. Monkland Avenue is packed with small shops, bars and restaurants that are sure to offer something for pretty much everyone. As much as the strip is attractive, especially in the summer time, some good restaurants tend to be somewhat pricey. Fear not, for I’ve just discovered this great little joint located on Côte Saint-Luc, just a block north of Monkland, that offers some of the best Chinese food at a great price, called Chez Liang (also goes by the name Imperial).

I’ve actually walked in front of it many times and never thought much of the place since it always looked deserted. Apparently I was fooled; most of their customers grab their food to go, or even take advantage of their delivery service (however the delivery menu’s not as extensive). The interior decor is nothing spectacular, but sometimes those types of little family-run restaurants are the ones that offer the tastiest meals.
I had the General Tao chicken, which was some of the best I’ve ever had. And believe me, I’m a girl who loves her General Tao. Accompanied by a friend, the two of us ordered off their Table d’Hôte list which included a soup and spring roll. And get this, the bill cost 17$, total!

I forgot to mention the best part – it’s a BYOW! So really, there’s no reason not to go if you’re strapped for cash, are starving, and feel the need get tipsy over dinner. I can assure you, I’ll be eating there very often, and it’s not only because it’s located literally at the corner of my street… it’s because I’m cheap and can’t cook.

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