24 Suns

Hoping to try something a bit more elevated while we were in Oceanside, we found out about 24 Suns.  This place is Michelin-recommended and features a mainly Chinese menu with some French influences.  There is also a tasting menu available that shows off the Chefs Nic Webber and Jacob Jordan's fine-dining training and time at Michelin 3-Star Addison in San Diego.

Our Asian gastronomical journey started with a small bite in the form of Shrimp Toast.  This was quite good where the shrimp mousse was light and airy with an appealing rebound texture.  Nice balance between sweet and salty while still having a natural shrimp brininess.  Unlike many versions of shrimp toast, this was not greasy, yet still was uniformly crispy on the bottom.  Nice start to the meal.

From the small bite, we moved onto a collection of snacks that included Hibiscus Jellyfish.  It was light and buttery with a bit of crunch.  Flavors were bright and lightly-seasoned.  Below and to the left, we found Chilled White Fungus with young bamboo.  This was a subtle dish that focused on textures.  The white fungus had a light crunch while the young bamboo mirrored that.  The brightness of the celery juice paired well.  Finally, the Oyster Yuba Salad featured the delicately chewy texture of tofu skin.  There was brininess, sweetness and a touch of spice from the Fresnos.

With an array of lively colors, the Yi Sangh or Prosperity Salad (also known as Lo Hei) featured trout belly and kanpachi alongside fruits and veggies.  There was some ikura, chia seeds and 3-year umeboshi.  When combined altogether, we had a wide range of flavors and textures.  Things were bright, sweet and a bit tangy as well as brininess with a bit of spicy bitterness too. 

Sitting in a fermented habanada butter sauce, we found two scallop and pork Siu Mai.  Since they used scallop rather than shrimp, the bounce texture was more subtle and softer.  I thought the dumpling was rather airy rather than dense, which made it extremely easy to eat.  With a dab of finger lime on top, it added the necessary tartness and citrus to the dish.  The star of the show was the sauce as it was sweet and aromatic without being too spicy.

Hitting all of the Chinese classics, we were served a version of the classic Turnip Cake.  This was a fairly large piece that was not a one-biter.  There was some shrimp in there to give it some body and meaty snap.  The texture of the turnip cake itself was somewhat soft with just a small bite.  This was battered and deep fried, which added a textural contrast.  On top, we found some briny XO sauce as well as some green garlic, celery tops, parsley and dill.  With all things combined, we got herbaceousness, bitterness, spice and brightness.  This went a long way in lightening things up from the deep fried turnip cake.

One dish we had that wasn't exactly Asian (but still had some influences) was the Lotus-wrapped Trout.  This was sous-vide where its appearance looked raw, but it was cooked.  Hence, the texture was super buttery and tender. It sat in a coconut fennel fumet which was full of natural fish sweetness and aromatics from the coconut.  Some Sichuan chili added just a slight kick at the end.

One of the most interesting dishes was the Claypot Chili Eggplant.  You can't see it in the picture, but believe me, the claypot was smoking hot.  Hence, the smokiness was definitely there.  Those eggplant-stuffed squash blossoms were full of spicy, saltiness, umaminess and tang.  On the side, we found Youtiao which were crunchy and topped with tuna sugar.  We didn't think it needed the sugar for this application though.

We were each served a mini-sized Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup.  This was pretty good with chewy noodles sitting in a flavorful broth that had umami and aromatics.  It wasn't salty which was good.  The best part of the dish was the large piece of super tender smoked short rib topped with chiu chow sauce.  Hence, we got a combination of smokiness, spice and garlickiness.

The most interestingly-plated dish was the Cigarette & Coffee.  Cleverly constructed, the "cigarette" was actually stuffed with coffee-braised duck.  These were crunchy whereas the duck was tender with smokiness and depth.  On the side, we found a duck jus latte that was intensely rich, tangy, sweet and spicy. There was some viscosity to go with the silkiness.  Loved the creativity with this one.

Our palate cleanser or pre-dessert was the the Mandarin Ice served in their cute little half rinds.  Totally refreshing and only lightly-sweet, the flavor was unmistakable Mandarin orange.  Really helped levelled things off from the full-flavoured and mostly spicy items we had so far.  Oh and these were sitting literally on ice that was set on the plate.

Our last item was the Budino featuring butterscotch pudding with chocolate ganache and cream.  Really enjoyed the silky and thick ganache which paired well with the sweet and buttery pudding.  The addition of black sesame really changed things up with nuttiness.  Loved that this was not very sweet, which was the nod to Asian desserts.  Overall, we thought 24 Suns was a fun and interesting meal.  Sure, you need to be good with the creative license they have over specific Chinese dishes in order to enjoy your meal.  I went in with an open mind and thought this was pretty solid.

The Good:

- A nice cache of courses

- Solid execution

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- If you are a stickler for what a dish should be, then you might not be the target audience

Selene Aegean Bistro

Here we go with another restaurant on my "to eat at" list but it has taken me until now to actually pay them a visit.  When Bluebeard and Nikita wanted to meet up for dinner, it was as good as any time to suggest Selene Aegean Bistro out on Pentiction at Hastings.  Not be confused with Chez Celine out on Fraser, this place features a Mediterranean menu as its name suggests.  We really loved the front facade of the place as it created the right atmosphere even before we set foot inside.  After discussing what to have on the menu, we ended up with their Tasting Menu for $80.00 per person.

Things got off on the right foot with a trio of items including Babaganoush.  We found the eggplant to be silky smooth and quite pleasant with a touch of earthiness.  We would've liked to see a bit more smokiness though.  It went really well with the fresh pita as it contrasted the crispiness of the pita (where it was fluffy inside).  

With much more impact, the Tirosalata had plenty of kick from the fermented red chilis as well as a balancing amount of tanginess.  It was also slightly creamy from the feta and of course nuttiness from the walnuts.  Although not as prominent in size, the small cup of Stuffed Olives was impactful.  Beyond the initial briny and tangy notes, the creaminess of the feta really came through.  

Lastly, the Amberjack Crudo was a pleasant dish with meaty slices of fish in a strawberry ouzo broth.  Nice sweetness with only a touch of licorice.  As amberjack can typically be, it started off with a fairly firm texture, but it got much softer as I chewed it.  The slices of jalapeno were thin and did not overwhelm the fish.  Rather it gave the necessary bite for impact.

Second course featured Horiatiki and Mussels.  As you may already know, I rarely fawn over a salad.  However, the tomato-forward horiatiki was magnificent.  The fresh tomatoes were plump and the marinated ones were sweet like candy.  These were balanced off by the pickled onions and some olives as well as some creamy red wine feta.  Consisting of plump out-of-the-shell mussels, these sat in a spicy loukaniko butter.  So many layers of flavour here including briny, sweet, nutty and of course spiciness.  Some freshly-shaved fennel added crunch and brightness. The toasted and oiled olive focaccia was the perfect thing to sop up all of the sauce.   

Since Nikita cannot have any gluten, they were able to make the Kalamari with potato starch for the Kalamari to accommodate.  Honestly, if no one told me this was gluten-free, I would've accepted it as the standard dish.  I found it really good with tender squid with a nice bite while the coating was firmly crispy.  That tzatziki was money with notable dill hits and purposeful tanginess.

Third course had the bigger dishes in the Arctic Char and Bavette Steak.  This set of dishes were okay, but not as good as the the first two courses.  We found the Arctic Char to have a uniformly crispy skin that was well-seasoned, but the fish itself was a bit overdone.  It wasn't dry though, so still pretty good.  Underneath, we found spinach sitting in an avgolemono which had a nice viscosity and brightness.  As much as I enjoyed the ezme underneath (which was tangy, mildly spicy and earthy), the Bavette Steak was not as tender as we would've liked.  It was prepared a perfect medium-rare though and properly rested.  Loved the white anchovies and pickled pearl onions on top as it added some brininess to the dish.

The side of triple cooked Patatas were super crunchy and nutty with creamy potatoey insides.  Loved the creamy feta mayo on the side.  Smoky with slight bitterness, the Oyster Mushroom Souvlaki was sitting on a bed of walnut skordalia, which was thick (from the bread), nutty and tangy.  I didn't mind it, but others at the table thought it tasted off.

Onto dessert, we were served the Mahalepi and Amygdalota Ice Cream Sandwich.  We really enjoyed the ice cream sandwich as the tahini ice cream was nutty, sweet and nicely sweetened by the honey caramel.  The almond cookie had a crumbly crunch and of course nuttiness.  The fig-infused pannacotta to be smooth and silky with just the right consistency.  The macerated strawberries add a sweet tanginess while the brown sugar kataifi (served on the side) added crunchiness.  Overall, it was a pleasant meal at Selene.  We felt the prices were reasonable for the amount and quality of food we were served.

The Good:

- Generally delicious food

- Well-priced

- The calamari

The Bad:

- Steak was not as tender as we would've liked

Panacée

Here we go, our last dinner in Montreal for this trip.  Instead of a heavily awarded spot, we opted for something upstart and new with Panacée.  Nominated for Air Canada's Best New Restaurant, they are also Michelin-recommended.  Chef Catherine Couvet Desrosiers, formerly of Foxy and Bouillon Blik, uses only seasonal ingredients that are vegetable forward.  There is only a tasting menu available either in 3 or 5 services (courses), but the bonus here is that you can choose your own adventure.  For every course, there are at least 2 options (some with a surcharge).  This way, you can tailor make your experience and also have something different than the rest of your party.

On that note, we decided to have 2 completely different tasting menus.  That was achieved by each of us taking a different item for each of the 5 courses.  Yes, that also meant we weren't paying the base $80.00 per person.  Our tasting menus ended up to be $99.00 each as a reasult of choosing surcharge items.  Regardless of that, we were both served the same Amuse Bouche being the Beet Tartlette with herbed cashew cream.  This was a good start to the meal as it was light herbaceous and sweet with a crispy shell.  As another surcharge, we added the Bread from Boulangerie Aube for an extra $5.00.

For our first course, we had the default choice in the La Pelletée Tomato.   This featured super fresh and vibrant marigold tomatoes with saffron jelly and buttermilk with herb oil.  These tomatoes had a mild natural sweetness as well as a light tang.  We find some skinless cherry tomatoes that were super sweet while the little dried tomatoes were super concentrated in flavour.   Our other dish, which was a $7.00 supplement, was the Gaspésie Tuna.  The slices of bluefin akami were buttery and sweet while sitting on a cilantro puree that was bright and not too pungent.  Ribbons of crunchy Kohlrabi added texture and brightness.  Some herbaceous shishitos completed the dish.

Next up, the default dish was the Oyster Mushroom with corn sabayon, Jimmy Nardello peppers and almonds.  This was fabulous where the mushroom was grilled over charcoal.  Smoky with some crispy bits, the mushroom was already quite tasty itself.  However, the corn sabayon added such intense sweetness, especially with the pops from the niblets.  Nice crunch from the almonds and sweetness from the peppers.  With a $4.00 surcharge, the Grilled Artichokes were worth it in my opinion.  They were also smoky from the kiss on the grill while still tender.  Extra smoky nuttiness was provided by the pine nuts.  We had some aromatic shallots and some sweetness from the gooseberries.  Underneath, we had yogurt with cilantro for some brightness.

Onto the "main course" we didn't opt for the default option in the Cappelletti and went for the meat dishes instead.  The first was the Kenauk Trout for an extra $8.00.  It actually took the place of the cod (which was originally on the menu).  Further proof that they only cook with fresh ingredients.  It was surely fresh with a buttery texture from the rare centre.  It was beautifully plated with one side holding a bright and only lightly spicy habadoux sauce.  We had some intensely smoky carrots also prepared on the charcoal grill.  Some pickled carrots provided acidity while basil completed the plate.  With a surcharge of $4.00, we got the Ferme D'Orée Pork.  It was fatty while still a bit pink in the middle.  The result was juicy and tender meat with an exterior that was the beneficiary from the charcoal grill.  Hence we had smokiness complimenting the well-salted pork.  Even the beans were smoky due to the mix with the charred pumpkin seeds.  Tanginess was thanks to the pickled and diced wax beans.  Sweet gooseberries complimented the pork well.

For our pre-dessert course, the default item was the Olive Oil Ice Cream with concorde grape, laurel and hazelnut.  I thought this was really good where the ice cream was silky while being aromatic.  The grapes were sweet and impactful manipulating the EVOO ice cream into being sweeter.  Crunch was provided by the nutty hazelnuts.  Some herbal notes were added by the laurel leaves.  At $4.00 more, the Beurrasse consisted of sheep's milk yogurt, cherries, salted almond and Avonlea cheddar.  Definitely a bit savoury due to the cheese, but plenty influenced by the tangy sheep's milk yogurt.  The sweet cherries were the dominant component to this as it was intensely sweet.  Crunch and a burst of salt (to heighten all of the other flavours) was thanks to the salted almonds.

Last course had the Peach for the regular dish with opalys, brown sugar and sheeps milk yogurt.   Everything on the plate sat in a rich and thick opalys cream.  Some crispy sweet crackers added texture and aromatics.  In the middle, we found macerated peaches with brown sugar where things were richly sweet.  Again, the sheep's milk yogurt provided the necessary bright tanginess.  The Mignardise was $4.00 more and consisted of Earl Grey Ice Cream Sandwich, Chocolate Macaron, Financier, Lemon Tartlette and Blueberry caramel.  Really nice bites with the ice cream sandwich being that "it" factor of the bunch.  Creamy and light with the aroma of earl grey.  Not too sweet either.  Macaron had a crispy shell and the chocolate inside was also just sweet enough.  Of course I loved the lemon tartlette as that is always my favourite.  Nice tanginess on this one.  Overall, we really enjoyed our meal at Panacée.  The food is on point and the use of a charcoal grill affords rich flavours that are smoky and full-of-depth.  Pricing is reasonable and the fact you can customize each course helps appeal to a wider audience.

The Good:

- On point execution

- That charcoal grilling!

- Reasonable pricing and the option to customize

The Bad:

- Most of the best courses we had were subject to an supplemental charge (but worth it IMO)

Bar St-Denis

So far on this trip to Montreal, we were pretty impressed with the pricing of tasting menus.  At Mastard, it was only $90.00 for 5 courses (we had the 7 course option for $120.00), we felt it was reasonable considering the food quality and all the accolades.  We were a little less impressed with the price at Cabaret L'Enfer where we felt there wasn't enough food for $165.00, despite being delicious.  Now we head to another restaurant on St. Denis in Bar St. Denis.  They have a tasting menu for only $85.00 per person.  So that's what we had! 

Starting our meal, we had the Little Neck Clams sitting in Tabouleh with bulgur.  These clams were not little at all as they were thicc and plump.  They had a bit of a sweet chew, which was not troublesome.  Each one sat on a bed of fresh tabouleh that was bright and a bit peppery.  There some quality EVOO as well as some tangy lemon juice.  We also found some bulgur as well which provided a firm texture.

Next was the Raw Fluke topped with some crispy puffed rice.  This was also an excellent dish with tender slices of fluke that were almost buttery.  The puffed rice served two purposes.  First, it was nutty and aromatic.  Second, it was the necessary crispiness to contrast the soft texture of the fluke.  With some Quebec ginger, we had some real brightness as well as a slight spiciness.  Again, quality EVOO helped with the overall texture.

We were presented with one of the biggest portions of Veal Tartare I've even had.  It was easily double the size of the one we had at lunch.  This featured supremely fresh meat that had a vibrant colour and taste.  It was buttery soft and had the requisite condiments including plenty of shallots.  On top, we found a drizzle of EVOO as well as white anchovies and Arbequina olives.  This was served with a wonderful fluffy bread.

With the pungency of raw button mushrooms, we got the full smell of the them before it hit the table.  It was a complex contrast to the Matsutake mixed with lemon, cream and tarragon.  We had the textural contrast with the sliced thin button mushrooms that were spongy while the matsutake were chewier while taking on the acidity of the lemon while combined with creaminess and brightness of the tarragon.  Unassuming to look at but utterly delicious.

Our favourite item was the Spaghettoni with pesto and tomato.  With a stunningly deep green colour, the promise of basil was fulfilled.  Even when mixed with the tomato coated spaghettoni, the dish was extremely basil-forward.  Super herbaceous and bright, the pasta was just plain delicious.  It was firmly al dente with a good chew to it.  Some crunch on the top provided another texture to the dish.

Onto our biggest dish, we had the Guinea Fowl Ballotine wrapped in cabbage.  It featured white meat on the outer layer which held the minced dark meat inside.  Right in the middle, we found the barely cooked livers.  This was a contrast of textures of the fowl while also highlighting the different flavours.  It went from mild (white meat) to pungent (livers).  The sherry sauce was extremely gelatinous and a bit salty due to the aggressive cook down.  However, it completely help flavour the dish.

For dessert, we were served the Sticky Toffee Pudding, which was deeply rich in sweetness.  So smoky and caramelized, it was full-flavoured.  It really didn't need the butterscotch, but it needed the moisture.  I'm normally not an STP fan since it is so sweet, but I liked this, it was more complex in flavour and I ate it without sopping up the sauce.  Overall, the meal at Bar St. Denis was quite good.  I thought the amount of food was just right and we didn't go away hungry.  Fairly intense flavours to go along fresh ingredients.  

The Good:
- Impactful flavours
- Energetic vibe
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- Impactful also straddles a fine line as the sherry sauce was rather salty and the butterscotch was very sweet