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Thursday, July 31, 2014

VILLA WELLINGTON - PERUVIAN CUISINE DONE REALLY, REALLY WELL

Mouthwatering Montreal Montreal restaurants

VILLA WELLINGTON:

HOME OF WONDERFUL PERUVIAN FOOD


4701 Rue Wellington, Verdun, QC H4G 1X2
Phone: 514-768-0102

Price range: $25+ for meal, drink, and tip for one person

Villa Wellington on Urbanspoon



Mouthwatering Summary: A delicious, delicious Peruvian restaurant in a simple, unassuming atmosphere
Meal to try: Pollo a la Parrillada (grilled chicken)





Hello folks! Today I'm going to talk about one of the best surprise discoveries that I've had in a long time - Villa Wellington, home of very good Peruvian cuisine in Montreal!

I've been passing by this place for years (it happens when so many people I know live in Verdun). Because it's so nondescript (from the outside), I've never really noticed it. Finally, a work colleague told me that I've been missing out hardcore. Skeptical though I was, I took the plunge.

And my GOODNESS had I been  missing out.

For my money, Villa Wellington serves some of the tastiest food and at the best value for your money. The portions are huge and tasty!

Let's begin with my favorite meal here so far, Pollo a la parrillada ($16):

This grilled chicken was a huge portion of meat that was consistently juicy, tender, and flavorful every which way. It was seasoned expertly and grilled just about perfectly. And for the giant meat-lover in me, I loooooved the fact that the chicken was satisfyingly thick. In fact, while I can (and do) finish the portion, everyone else who I know who's ordered the dish has had to take half the order home for lunch the next day. It's a good deal for just about everyone, I'd say. The sides with which it came were also wonderful. 

The potatoes were pretty well-done. They were thick and lightly salted, and were tender to chew. The spicy sauce was a real revelation as well:


Spicy, garlicy, and absolutely worth the burning sensation to my mouth and tongue.

Also, the accompanying rice was also anything but bland. I mean, it looked like regular white rice:


And yet it was teeming with pretty deep flavour. When I asked about the rice, they told me that they cooked it with broth and a home-blend of spices (I MUST find that blend!). I could eat just the rice on its own forever...

All right, now that I've talked about my favourite meal, time to get back to a more regular sequence of description. 

For me, it's always a good sign when the complementary bread is good. And it was. It was hot, toasted buns that were crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside:


Their soup of the day was nice and rich (it was a carrot-based soup - $4):


It was thick and smooth and creamy. It was also a touch spicy. But very, very lovely for it!

One of the best appetizers here is the papa rellena (fried mash potato shell stuffed with seasoned minced beef - $7):



There is no part of this appetizer that isn't amazing. The potatoes were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The beef filling is exceptionally well-seasoned. It's the kind of minced beef that's been very carefully spiced. Somebody went to a lot of trouble to make sure that the spices were evenly mixed throughout.


And now, some mains. Here is the ceviche de pescado (marinated fish, $15):

This is a subtly-flavored dish that does a good job of blending all its component ingredients (although the coriander, being stronger, does stand out just a bit more). The fish is light and flaky, and the tomato-onion sauce has a smooth richness to it. As with the chicken, this was a generous portion of meat!

This is olluquito con carne (beef stew with Peruvian potatoes - $16):

The beef is good and thick and flavorful. It also manages to be tender, too. The sauce is just a touch too salty, but it's very, very satisfying. Those facets aren't surprising - you kinda really hope for that in beef (stew) served at a restaurant, after all. The pleasant surprise of this dish was the Peruvian potatoes. They were full of potato taste while having the texture of turnips at their core.

...

I say, what?!

That's right. Potato flavor, potato texture on the outside. Turnip texture on the inside. Unexpected, but totally tasty! I have to find more of these things and try cooking with them at home!

And what's a trip to a Peruvian restaurant without trying a Peruvian drink? Well, okay, it's still a trip to a Peruvian restaurant. But still! The sentiment remains! I gave chicha morada a try ($2.95):

This is a sweet drink made of purple corn. It was...interesting. It was sweet, but not terribly so. Kinda like a mild candy. Refreshing on a hot summer's day!



As for dessert, I'd say they have a pretty standard selection plus their homemade specialties. Unfortunately for today's blog post, I kinda inhaled their in-house pastry before taking a photo (it was just too tempting!); I'll have to post those in an update. In the meantime, here's a picture of their creme brule. Unexotic, but still excellent! ($4)

And that's it for now! Do yourselves a favour and give this place a shot!


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Map of restaurants I have reviewed:

 

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Sunday, June 29, 2014

VACHEMENT BON - REALLY GOOD ICE DESSERTS

Mouthwatering Montreal Montreal restaurants 


VACHEMENT BON - A FANTASTIC PLACE FOR ICE DESSERTS!

Their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/vachementbonmontreal


366, rue Sherbrooke Est
Montréal (Québec) 
514-419-9510

Price range: Depends on the size of your sweet tooth! I'd say about $6 per person, including taxes, for a generous 1-person serving of gelato or frozen yogurt!


Vachement Bon! on Urbanspoon





 


Mouthwatering summary: Bright, clean, new dessert place that has some seriously good yogurt and gelato, as well as inventive new twists!

Meal to try: Dessert poutine (relax, it's not what you think! :P), ice cream sandwiches, and frozen yogurt!

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

POUTINEVILLE - POUTINE

Mouthwatering Montreal Montreal restaurants


POUTINEVILLE - A POUTINE LOVER'S DELIGHT


Their website: http://poutineville.com/
Three locations - Subject of current review:

Poutineville Ontario
1365 Ontario Est
Montréal, QC H2L 1S1
514-419-5444


Price Range:  ~$20-30 per person including one drink, meal, tax, and tip

Poutineville on Urbanspoon


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Mouthwatering Summary: Customizable poutines plus a range of gourmet specialty poutines will make you drool...
Meal to try: Their signature poutine - The Poutineville (poutine with braised beef and a wine sauce!)


Saturday, March 8, 2014

ROTISSERIE SUD-WEST BAR-B-QUE



Mouthwatering Montreal Montreal restaurants

YOU MUST TRY THE RIBS AND CHICKEN AT ROTISSERIE SUD-WEST BAR-B-QUE!

3401 Notre Dame West
Montreal, Quebec
Telephone: 514-904-4444

Price range: Ranges from $15 per person to under $30 per person for a meal and a drink, depending on your main dish. It's always a good deal though!

Rotisserie Sud-west Bar-b-que on Urbanspoon


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Mouthwatering Summary:  Meats slow-cooked to PERFECTION, accompanied by beers from around the world. 
Meal to try: Both types of ribs (pork and beef), and the bbq chicken!



Rotisserie Sud-West Bar-B-Que only opened up about three weeks ago, not far from where I live. In that three weeks, I've already eaten there enough times that they recognize my voice on the phone now :P. That really should tell you all you need to know about the awesomeness of the flavour of food here, I think!

But, it wouldn't be much of a review if I just said, "Try it all", now would it? So, off I go!

Saturday, March 1, 2014

TONG SING - CHINESE FOOD/DIM SUM



Mouthwatering Montreal Montreal restaurants

LET'S ALL HEAD TO 

TONG SING FOR DIM SUM!

Their website: http://www.tongsing.ca/
43 Rue de la Gauchetière Est, Montréal, QC H2Z 1J4
Telephone:(514) 940-8811

Their dim sum menu: http://www.tongsing.ca/html/menuDimSum-Steamed.html

Price range: This really depends on your appetite! But typically, if you're a group of 4 or more people, everything - meal, tax, tip - will average out to be between $12 and $20 per person. It's a good deal, folks!
Tong Sing on Urbanspoon


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har-gau (shrimp dumplings)

Mouthwatering Summary:  A variety and a ton of great Chinese food, literally wheeled right to your table - CONSTANTLY.
Meal to try: Dude. Seriously. Just try it all.

Ah, dim sum. The Cantonese form of restaurant breakfast/lunch/brunch, where a small army of waitresses constantly push carts laden with appetizer-sized plates (sometimes main-dish-sized plates) of different Chinese food from table to table. All customers have to do is just select the dishes they wanted from the waitress, be served, and then enjoy the food (and then, of course, settle up at the end. No free lunches and all that). I remember when I was a kid, it was the highlight of the week to go on a dim sum excursion. The variety of the type, smells, tastes, colours, and shapes of the food was something that always intrigued me.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

NEW SYSTEM BBQ - DINER/BBQ/LATE NIGHT/DELIVERY



Mouthwatering Montreal Montreal restaurants

FULL REVIEW: 

NEW SYSTEM BBQ

TASTY CHICKEN, GREAT DELIVERY

Their website/menu:  http://www.newsystembbq.com/
3419 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal, QC H4C 1P3
Telephone:(514) 932-1484

Price range:  $20 for one person including drink, meal, and tip


New System on Urbanspoon



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The best pizza at New System BBQ - Chef's Special pizza
New System BBQ - two leg bbq chicken meal

Mouthwatering Summary:  Fast delivery, and great chicken (and other food, but really - great chicken!)
Meal to try: Economic 2 chicken legs! And the Chef's Special Pizza!

Typically, whenever someone tells me about a place that has been around for a looooong time, I get at least a little suspicious about the hype. I mean, is the place really worthwhile, or is its longevity simply due to inertia powered by nostalgia? For New System BBQ, I'm happy to say that the reason why it's been around since 1948 is because it's good.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

LE BOUCAN - BBQ SMOKEHOUSE

Mouthwatering Montreal Montreal restaurants

STUB REVIEW - LE BOUCAN

HEARTY, MEATY, AND UTTERLY AWESOME


1886 Notre-Dame St W, Montreal, QC H3J 1M6
Telehone:(514) 439-4555

Price range:  $20+ for one person including drink, meal, and tip

Le Boucan on Urbanspoon



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Mouthwatering Summary:  Heaping helpings of hearty good food! It's a tiny place, but the flavour is massive!
Meal to try: Five napkin burger and a BACON BROWNIE for dessert!