Macaron frenzy the last few weeks! Here are some pictures to illustrate that…

Fraise et basilic

I’m actually sort of embarrassed to post this picture…my nails were horrible. My apology that you have to see that. I thought that the macaron would be cute enough to block away everything else in the picture.

That day, it was so hot that it wasn’t the greatest condition to eat macarons because they were melting! So this picture was quickly snapped and soon enough, all the cute macarons, that did not make it to the photograph, were devoured happily!

I could gladly confirm that La maison du macaron has the safest choice of flavors! Any macaron you pick, you’ll end up loving them 95% of the times, whereas in Point G, it’s 50%.

However, La maison du macaron’s little cute cookies are much more moist in the interior, creating a less crunchy effect once you bite it. Point G’s are in the opposite, which I think it’s a great way to differentiate itself so everyone can be satisfied! You no likey too soft macaron, go to Point G. You no likey too crunchy macaron, go to La maison du macaron. Everybody goes home happy!

At one of my visit, I decided to buy the other pastries, which are basically macarons but BIGGER.

Elixir

In the background, you can see an another macaron, which was totally destroyed while travelling back to home…It was very sour due to the raspberries. I think they did not refine their almond meal enough as the shell looked very grainy, although the grainy appearance did not really affect the texture when I ate it. I like to believe the grainy effect is because they put real raspberry when baking the shell, which is something totally hard to do, because it affects the humidity of the macaron, which is crucial for perfect texture. But that is only what I like to believe…because I couldn’t actually taste the bits of the raspberry in the shell.

And in the front, we have the Elixir. Super pretty to look at, but not very good to eat. It was a bit too sweet for our taste. And that pretty meringue all around the macaron didn’t do it for me…

If I can remake my choice again, I would definitely go for the normal macarons!

Nuance

Same concept as Elixir but different flavor. This one is even sweeter than Elixir.

Normal macarons please! I just like the shell too much. The filling in the bigger ones are taking too much space, defeating the purpose of simple macarons, where it’s supposed to be light and sweet!

Zuuchini

Tri Express is fairly well known (so no need for any introduction…) and my first visit was back in 2010 where my food journey was next to none, so I did not overthink about my experience in there. Recently, a few of my colleagues went there which reminded that I need to go back to have a proper review of this place.

Little note: I have to thank Mr.Butter for being very considerate that evening. <3

Once entered, I quickly remembered how I loved the decoration of the restaurant. The restaurant is not spacious, but is mismatched with all kinds of nice artsy pieces. I immediately fell in love with the environment and couldn’t stop looking around me during my entire seating.

The food did not take long to come and we were able to enjoy our first dish which is also my favorite of the evening.

TRI’S L’ EXQUISE CEVICHE SALAD

This salad was everything I wanted this evening: refreshing!

It has mango, grapefruit, cucumber, avocado, carrot, papaya and seafood.

The pieces of scallop (or squid…sorry they went into so tiny pieces it was difficult to tell…) were exquisite! It was smooth and fresh, not to mention with the pairing of mango and grapefruit, it was just phenomenal. Purely simple ingredients but sooo refreshing!

ZEN – LAURIER – TRI’S FAVOURITE – TAKO – MAGURO

Here are various orders all served altogether. I would have preferred that it was served one by one…On the other hand, I cannot blame them as they have a policy for limited seating time (1hr30). I really think their presentation can be improved…

I was caught by surprise how the zen came out so nicely. Its filling consists of omelette, avocado, cucumber, lettuce, caviar and sauce of Tri Express. I quite enjoy this, although not amazed.

Laurier was my least favorite roll. I don’t know what it was, it was very underwhelming, I felt like I could have this roll at some buffet sushi…

Tri’s favorite was my most preferred roll out of the 3. The rice paper roll makes the roll more interesting. Again, the taste was rather mediocre. Good but I was expecting more.

Tako, the octopus sushi, was only eaten by Mr.Butter. I skipped it because I never enjoyed octopus sushi as it is too chewy for my taste. And the look of the octopus, it did not look that fresh either, discouraging me even more.

Manguro, tuna sashimi, was the most disappointing items of the evening. The portion given was very skimpy, way too thin, so I wasn’t able to enjoy the texture of the raw fish nor I can admire their knife skills. A total let down.

My overall experience at Tri Express is disappointing. The only thing that kept the evening interesting was the decor. I would think that Tri Express would offer unique rolls, but their so called unique rolls have nothing extraordinary to offer. They are quite generic in terms of taste. Park restaurants rolls are much better.

Zuuchini

Yes! The weather permitted me to go to Les Givres!

This time, I noticed that we can order 6 flavors at once! and at a very reasonable price and portion! I’m a real fan of Les Givres’ strawberry sorbet. So of course, one of the 6 flavors is that!

From left to right:
Macha: This is the real thing! Very macha. Not some artificial green tea flavour. I like it very much because they did not try to make it sweet, erasing how macha should taste like.

Republique de banane: Delicious! I love this! It’s basically combining banana bread and ice cream together! If you are a fan of banana cake or bread, you must taste this!

Pomme: This apple sorbet is not outstanding. I felt like I was basically eating those apple puree.

Feu de camp: Although interesting, not my favorite. If you love the concept of marshmallow in your ice cream, this is for you! And their marshmallow is homemade too!

Cassis de Hatley: Really not liking this. I think I just don’t like cassis in general.

Strawberry: This is undeniably tasty! I think the reason behind it is because they are made with Quebec’s strawberry, which are always the best ones! So tiny and sweet!
Les Givres is becoming one of my favorite spot for ice cream!

Zuuchini

What do I usually think of when Vietnamese cuisine is mentioned? Pho. But what do they eat other than Pho? Harmonie d”Asie is not the typical Vietnamese restaurant where they served Pho or Nuong. To be honest, I am not so sure how authentic their cuisine is…but what really matters is that I really enjoy their food!

It has been about 4 years since I last visited Harmonie d’Asie. I was hoping the quality remained the same.

Bo Tai Chanh

Raw beef with squashed peanuts, onions and chili pepper.
This used to be my favorite dish. I love raw meat! But it has to be fresh but this time, the meat was not. It was endless chewing… But somehow, I was still able to enjoy it, probably because of the delightful taste!

Ga Bo Tom Nuong

Skewers of chicken, beef and shrimps.
Forget about the beef and shrimps. The chicken skewers were delicious, well marinated in ginger sauce. As for the beef, again, endless chewing… For the shrimps, I wasn’t interested in eating some that night, so I left them for others.

Co Kho To

This cameralized fish is a MUST order! It’s incredibly tasty. I would mix the sauce with my rice and can simply eat 2 bowls if I could! I usually don’t eat rice (in the exception of sushi…) and when I do, there is a really good reason. I really doubt the authenticity of this dish…but whatever, I love it. The sauce just makes the fish incredible.

Canh Chua Ca Bong Lau

Another MUST order. This pot of sour soup has a very unique taste to it. I couldn’t put my finger in it. It has the sourness of tomatoes, but the sweetness of oka, onions, bean spouts and saltiness of fish. This soup is really appetizing. However, it fills you up very quickly because it is a soup!

Ca Chien Nuroc Mam Toi Ot

Look at this perfection! so nicely fried! I really like pomfret fish. They are non expensive fish yet they are so easily and deliciously cooked! The pairing with the spicy fish sauce was great. Making the fish meat slightly less dry and the taste more interesting.

I am so glad that most of the dishes maintained the quality of 4 years ago. However, I have to admit that after the supper, I had the MSG effect… meaning I felt the dryness in my throat… But you know what. I could let this one go just because I sincerely enjoyed the food and unlike Chinese food, I didn’t feel like I drank a lake of oil.

Harmonie d’Asie? I approve!

Zuuchini

I finally get to chill around in the trendiest bar in south shore! Heard of Mile Public House? Go to Dix30 Square, and you cannot miss it! I’m actually quite happy to see this bar settling in without trouble. Now we finally have a nice place to hang with friends. Really love the setting. Not to mention, the staff is very efficient and attentive to your needs!

Mojito Rico & Attaches ta tuque!

I actually prefer Attaches ta tuque over the mojito rico for one simple reason: much more fruitier! Mojito Rico is simply an exotic version of a plain mojito.

I personally find the drinks very affordable. Add 4$, and you get this huge jar of cocktail. But because I already had a 5 a 7 that day, which I inhaled about 3 glasses of wine already, I opted for the smaller version of the cocktail for 9$, still very decent!

Beef tartar

Since we simply wanted to chill, we did not order much other than a beef tartar. I wished we refused the pepper… after the pepper sprinkle, the tartar basically tasted….pepper. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t good, but I would had hoped it left some place for me to actually taste the tartar and not just the pepper. Other than that, the tartar was fresh, nicely diced. Nothing fancy. Just like the menu description of the entree, french classic tartar.

I really hope Mile Public House is staying around and keep doing what they are doing. Hopefully, this will attract other bars, that we can find from the Montreal to come settle in south shore! Especially in these times, it is a hell to cross the bridge during the weekend!

Zuuchini

You should know by now my chemistry for burger is close to non-existent. Don’t really eat it until I met Mr.Butter…he always offered a bite of his burger, but it had never left me an impression.

So he heard from his friend that Burger de Ville makes really promising burgers and he really wanted to try it out. And we did.

Of course, I had eaten before so I didn’t order anything other than…FRIES, obviously…

Spicy fries

The fries were good. A bit too seasoned, making it overly salty, but it didn’t stop me from eating them…I just kept having them…So addictive!

Burger with cheese – medium rare

Mr.Butter asked me to try it like usually…and…it hits me!

WOW.

“This burger is so gooooooood.”

It was so juicy…fat juicy patty. hmmmmmm… It was all about the meat. I was secretly wishing I could have another bite…but I felt guilty to ask because Mr.Butter was actually hungry and I wasn’t…

And guess what? In the first time of my life, I actually want to go back and have my own burger! WHAT!! Life changing event!

Burger de Ville, you made such a huge impact. You made me truly appreciate the beauty of a burger. You deserve all the burger awards!

Oh I need to add this, Burger de Ville has genuinely nice staff. They were so caring and making sure everything is up to our taste. I felt like I was visiting some little town, where it’s normal people are all friendly. Love the experience!

Zuuchini

Patati Patata was an impromptu visit which explains the Iphone quality of the picture. At odd hours, about 10 pm, it was fully packed. Granted, it’s not a big place. But the turnover was so quick! Clients keep coming and I have an idea why….

Their poutine is incredible!!! It’s so ordinary yet so delicious. It’s in the smaller portion, which is good so I didn’t feel guilty feeding my tummy with fatty stuff at 10 Pm. Actually, I didn’t feel disgusting at all after finishing the whole poutine! I was secretly craving for more. There’s actually nothing that really stands out bluntly.(actually – there is…there was an olive in the poutine, i don’t know if it was intentional, or it’s their secret ingredient…look at the picture and see if you can find it!) But somehow, this very simple poutine excelling at every basic aspect of a poutine, in the exception of the cheese which lacks of squeakiness, is pure wonder. This has to be my favorite poutine, sharing the rank with Benny’s.

I don’t know what took me so long to eat at Patati Patata. I wished all the times I ate at la Banquise, I could have gone to Patati Patata instead.

As for the burger, I don’t remember if I had a bite or if Mr.Butter praise about it. Well the fact that I didn’t remember probably means it was nothing special.

Zuuchini

So there is this trend since a few years ago, first heard it in USA, to fill your own frozen yogurt with whatever toppings you want. Sounds nice right? Here’s the catch, you pay by the ounce, so don’t get too excited now!

I was curious again to try this concept at Menchie’s. My first experience in USA and thought it was a real rip off. See, you don’t know how much you’re actually filling in your bowl, and very easily, you will get a cup of at least 5$ of frozen yogurt. And the 5$ frozen yogurt isn’t even as close to the same size as you could get from other ice cream places.

And so many toppings are offered to you! You will be tempted to put a bit of everything. Well, at this point, you might as well just go to a candy store and buy the candies instead cuz it’ll be cheaper that way.

And the frozen yogurt itself? Not impressed. I was let to try every flavor. There was none that I really like…

If you go to Dix30, and feel like a ice cream dessert, go to Fontana instead. Delicious Gelato and reasonable price!

Zuuchini

P.F. Chang’s has made its wave to Montreal! I always see them all over in the States without understanding why. This is my chance!

For my review to be fair, I have to regard their cuisine as non Chinese food… and just food by itself.

Asian Pear Mojito (left) – Auntie Chang’s Fruit Frappe (right)

Asian Pear Mojito: I couldn’t taste much of the pear, but Mojito is definitely there.

Auntie Chang’s Frappe: What a refreshing drink!

Hot & Sour soup

This Hot & Soup tasted a bit odd. Its sourness did not come from vinegar…but more from tomatoes.

Salt & Pepper Calamari

Very different from how other restaurants serve their calamari. In general, I enjoy how freshly fried they were and loved how they were paired with green onions, make a nice combination. However, some of the calamari are too salty. And as if they weren’t salty already, the side included a mini pot of salt! Find it totally unnecessary…

Tuna Tataki crisp

One of my preferred dish of the evening. The tuna was very fresh. I loved how when I take a half a bite of the flat won ton crisp wouldn’t make all the other half fall into pieces. Mess free! Would have been even better if the won ton crisp could be thinner, but then I guess it wouldn’t be mess free anymore…

Peking Duck

I find the wrap too stiff. A fluffier texture would have been a better choice to bring out the filling flavors.

Pepper Steak

Not very tender, making it hard to chew. The sauce was not very appetizing.

Chengdu spiced lamb

Tomatoes and lamb? That’s a first for me. Although I enjoy the dish, I couldn’t tell that I was eating lamb.

Caramel mango chicken

I like the incorporation of mangoes and tomatoes, sweetening the chicken. It was labelled as a spicy dish. No worry. I couldn’t taste its spiciness at all.

Dan Dan noodles

I never ate dan dan noodles cooked in this manner. However, this is not a bad thing actually! The noodles are elastic, chewy just like how dan dan noodles should be! The taste is light, so not everyone’s palate. However, there is their so called special sauce on the side of the table which can boost their flavor if you want, which is rarely ever used since most of the dishes are so rich in flavor already, unless you like to over-stack sauces.

Fried rice

Fried rice! very savory!

The Great Wall of Chocolate

This chocolate cake has such a nice description in the menu that I was expecting so much. Results? Underwhelmed…It’s just your basic chocolate cake with a few extra layers of cake. And it was a bit dry for my taste.

If I put it bluntly, P.F. Chang’s is like a higher notch of Tiki-Ming. Or let’s put it, in the same rank as Casa Grecque for Greek food. I agree it’s a very nice restaurant. Nice to go with friends, colleagues and even family. Would I suggest it? Not really. The price is not cheap and the portion is just okay.

Zuuchini

Premiere Moisson shouldn’t be a stranger. If it is, you are missing out. Their breads are among the best ones. I especially like their olive bread. Oh and their cheesecake?

Cheesecake

(Please don’t mind those pastel chocolate eggs, I had this cake during Easter. Now, you know how sometimes I am so behind…or actually to my defense, I was hesitating to review Premiere Moisson as it is so common but hey, food is food.)

Rich and creamy. Almost solid but soft enough to break into little pieces. Just waiting to melt inside your mouth. Perfect consistency in texture. To be eaten in a little piece. But would crave for more shortly afterwards.

Premiere Moisson. That’s the only place my family gets the cheesecake!

Macaron

Macaron isn’t on the usual menu of Premiere Moisson. Seeing one is a rarity. These Macaron would be what I called a satisfying decent macaron, that meets all aspects of a macaron. Nothing outstanding but nothing inferior. Comparing to Point G, I would say Premiere Moisson’s macarons shells aren’t as sturdy (so I am liking Point G’s texture more) but I would prefer their taste over Point G, which could be a little more adventurous.

I’ve always enjoyed Premiere Moisson. However, the only times where I was let down were when I ordered their dainty one piece cake. Cute to look at. Unworthy for consumption.

Zuuchini