Montreal: Kanda Oriental Fusion - Chinese Restaurant Edition

Well it's true, I didn't believe it at first, but there's actually a Chinese restaurant under the Kanda Sushi restaurant on Decarie/Jean Talon. The top half of the restaurant is pretty standard stuff to those already familiar with all-you-can-eat sushi places. The bottom half of the restaurant is an afterthought, just hidden away down in the basement (literally). This review is only for the Chinese section of Kanda, down in the basement.

We got there around 9pm on a Sunday, and there were still a few tables with people. The menu looks pretty standard, and being hungry we went with a some familiar plates that were "safe". Not in the mood to experiment that night.

Food wasn't served super fast, but that's OK with me, as long as it's reasonable and the food is good. And yes the food was good. Surprisingly, good actually. I've had these dishes at other restaurants before, and all three plates were as good as any I've tried before, and all in one sitting. I don't know if it's always been this good before, but I'm looking to try it again and see if they can deliver a consistent experience.

Kanda Chinese Restaurant Photos

And as usual here are the pictures I took, along with my best guesses at what I am actually eating. If it tastes good and doesn't make me sick...I'm generally OK with it.

Fried seafood mix (squid, fish, shrimp, scallops)

Green beans with bits of minced meat

Minced pork (?), I want to try this again

Montreal: Bier Markt (No Beer) Review

This seems to be a Toronto restaurant chain that has expanded into Montreal. We got a seat easily on a weekday night. Beers are their specialty, with lots of beers to choose from around the world. So if you are a beer fan you should be happy to browse through pages of different beers.

Of course I didn't drink any beer, but did try a few of their appetizers, which weren't too bad overall. The chicken wings were different in that they seemed to be partially deboned(?) so that your fingers would not be covered in sauce. Dessert however was disappointing...Waffle smores may sound pretty good in theory, but it was just too dry to eat more than one piece. It really should be served with ice cream.

Bier Markt Photos

Bier Markt Interior

Sliders

Smoked Meat Poutine

Spicy Wings

Smore Waffle, too dry for my taste...Could use some ice cream

Montreal: Restaurant Kazu Review (2014 Update)

It's about three years since my last trip to Kazu. It still seems as popular as ever with lineups when we arrived, and lineups when we left. The smart thing to do is to wait about 15 minutes before they open and be the one of the first to get seated.

Don't Be Late

A quick tip: Make sure everyone is present at the restaurant or else they won't let you take a seat. I was literally just across the street putting money in the parking meter and they wouldn't let our group have a table. Doesn't sound like an issue, but the tiny restaurant was being filled to capacity with every passing second. Luckily we got the last seat in house.

Kazu Food Photos

A typical Kazu line up

Montreal: Car Dealerships Open on Weekends

People can buy houses or a condo on a weekend easily, but it's not the same for a new car in Montreal. Want to buy an Audi, BMW, Lexus, Acura, or Mercedes-Benz this weekend? Well, from what I've seen so far, you can't since most Montreal car dealerships are closed for weekends.

No car for you!

Montreal: GaNaDaRa Korean Restaurant Review

Heard about GaNaDaRa recently, a place that seems to be popular with students and went to try it out on a weekday night. It's casual, Korean food that seemed to be not quite as expensive as other Korean restaurants around Montreal (but not as casual either).

There was a small line up going outside as we arrived, which was a bit of a surprise. So we had to wait maybe 15 minutes or so before being seated. I wasn't expecting much, but luckily the wait was worth it and food turned out to be nice surprise.

I asked the waiter for their most popular dishes (bulgogi and rib eye beef) and both were quite tasty. While the portions did not look very large, it was more filling than I thought (albeit I'm definitely not the biggest eater around).

GaNaDaRa: Worth a Try

If you like spicy Korean food they do have dishes that crank up the heat, but they also have non-spicy food that caters to people like me. In short, it's a place that I would definitely like to try again.

It's tight in there, it seats about 30 people at most