Julieta for its rigour, Blackstrap for its smoke: Sarah Musgrave’s top restaurants of 2012

Sarah Musgrave, Gazette Casual-Dining Critic 



MONTREAL — The restaurants I visited this year were so varied, the cuisines so specific to different regions and traditions, that it would be impossible to sum them all up in a few words. There was a bonanza of barbecue options on one hand and more meatless-minded places on the other, with Indonesian tapas, Tamil treats and Venezuelan brunches in between. It was so full-spectrum and so fun, in fact, that instead of a Top 10, here’s a Top 12 for 2012.

Julieta Cuisine Latine. At their pocket restaurant in La Petite Patrie, Julieta Moros and Giselle Ruiz quietly communicate their love for Latin American flavours. The menu draws on Venezuelan, Colombian and Peruvian traditions, among others. Despite the unassuming locale, execution is rigorous, from refined brunches to blackboard suppers, like a corn pancake called cachapa with huitlacoche, roasted chilies, smoked cheese and shrimp. Dessert of warm pumpkin and sweet potato pudding only pleased. Julieta’s ambience and hours are hard to pin down, but it’s a thought-provoking spot. There was talk of going BYO, but there’s now a small wine list and two specialty beers: Haitian label Prestige and Inedita, created by Catalan brewery Estrella Damm for El Bullí. 67 Beaubien St. E., 514-507-5517, www.julietacuisinelatine.ca, licensed, $$

Mia Tapas Indonésiens. It’s a bizarre backstory: a Quebec champion of kae sa luk, the ancient Asian art of fruit and vegetable carving, opens an Indonesian tapas restaurant in her culinary sculpture institute. You’ll see photos of Mia Bureau’s work on the walls, and her Javanese husband, chef and co-owner, Singgih Trisno, in the kitchen. Pretty plates marry Quebec market ingredients with spices from the archipelago, like fresh turmeric root, lemon grass, cinnamon, star anise and white pepper. Munch on roasted peanuts, garlic and dried anchovies. Sip biodynamic wine. Share citrusy, sweet marinated salmon on green papaya or beef tartare enlivened with lemon grass and galangal. There’s cool cardamom pannacotta for dessert. While these aren’t teeny tiny “sorry, but I eated it” tapas, the bill does add up. 350 de Castelnau St. E., 514-678-2308, www.miabureau.com, licensed, $$

Thanjai. Kumaresan Muthukrishnan is on a mission to introduce South Indian cooking to a wider clientele. Thanjai’s kitchen offers dishes from the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, many of them hard to find in town. Begin with potato balls (aloo bonda) or lentil fritters (vada). Then get steamed discs of fermented rice and lentils known as idli, a stir-fry of feathery flatbread called kothu parotta, and ven pongal. Some 30 varieties of dosas represent different regions and tolerances for heat; the crepes come with chutneys and dal-based sambar. Finish with hot badam milk, a Tamil favourite that will warm winter’s bone. 4759 Van Horne Ave., 514-419-9696, www.thanjairestaurant.com, BYOB, $

Prohibition. This N.D.G. operation does daytime meals only — and does them particularly well. The brunch and lunch menu by chef Raquel Zagury, who will be off on maternity leave as this goes to print, is comforting and creative. Even the bagel and salmon shines with house gravlax and scallion cream cheese under pickled red salad. Lemon ricotta pancakes come with princely slabs of smoky, mellow-sweet bacon. There’s a sense of freedom and fun in such noon-hour items as jerk shrimp po’boy with grilled romaine heart, remoulade, and habanero jelly. Like the long-hoped-for liquor licence, evening service remains elusive. 5674 Monkland Ave., 514-481-8466, www.prohibitionmontreal.com, unlicensed, $$

ChuChai. It looked like ChuChai might be closing after 15 years in business, but it reopened with a spiffed up setting for its faux-meat-focused Thai meals by chef Lily Sirikittikul. The use of soy protein and wheat gluten textures to create beef, duck and even fish (fashioned from soy skin rolled in seaweed) is fascinating and almost unnerving, but bright tastes and freshness carry the mood. The reformulated menu features small-portion Thaipas, including signature roll-your-own betel leaf bites. Other highlights were spicy beef salad, zapped with chilies, citrus and scallion, bouncy shrimp with Chinese eggplant, peppers and lime leaves, and custard-soft banana fritters. There are plans to expand the brand in the near future. It’s a worthy stop on the vegetarian scene, which has been strengthening. 4088 St. Denis St., 514- 843-4194, www.chuchai.com, licensed, $$

Grumman 78. “Seriously, Faubourg, what is up?” I wrote about the perpetually renovating downtown mall where Grumman 78, the taco truck that has revved up support for Montreal’s street food movement, had set up shop. That question was answered months later, when a previous tenant successfully sued over an unresolved cockroach infestation. Gaëlle Cerf, Marc-André Leclerc and Hilary McGown relocated to their St. Henri headquarters, a converted garage complete with a production kitchen. Now deliciously messy tacos of curried Kamouraska lamb, crab and chorizo, or chicken mole, and plates of fried chicken, sweet potato papas bravas or tomato-soaked chilaquiles can be enjoyed with a Ms. Pacman game and alcoholic beverages. Open Wednesday through Monday, 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and busy with holiday parties, so check first. 630 de Courcelle, 514-290-5125, www.grumman78.com, licensed, $$

Blackstrap BBQ. The installation of a second smoker at the end of November ought to help this popular Verdun outfit keep up with Montreal’s apparently insatiable appetite for barbecue. Before opening, co-owners Dylan Kier and Clara Barron, formerly of Café Griffintown, spent time refining their recipes (and were recognized at competitions here and in Tennessee for their efforts). Following Memphis traditions, meats are smoked over oak and apple woods for up to 16 hours. Flavouring is deep but subtle: Luscious slices of turkey, moist chicken, ribs with an undertow of sweetness and smoke, robust and beefy brisket, and unsaucy pulled pork. Deep-fried cubes of mac ’n’ cheese star among sides. Deep-fried pies are imminent. 4436 Wellington St., Verdun, 514-507-6772, www.blackstrapbbq.ca, unlicensed, $$

Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara flips the usual ratio of meat to vegetarian dishes on its head: there’s one “sacred” lamb dish and one dish of mussels on the regular menu, the rest caters to non-carnivores. Salads are lovely, like the Russian one of tender kale with cubes of lush avocado, nibbly shiitake mushrooms and roasted pumpkin seeds. The friend-next-door quality of some preparations is notched up with touches like fluffy citrus labneh on the leek fritter or a vibrant tomato sauce on attractively presented and filling eggplant parmigiana. Santa Barbara is the most recent opening on this list, and still sorting some things out, but there’s much appeal to the candlelit room. The flexitarian concept fits the neighbourhood, and there’s lot of effort behind the low-key vibe. 436 St. Zotique St. E., 514-273-4555, www.santabarbaramtl.ca, licensed, $$

Dinette Triple Crown. Sorry to turn the knife by mentioning the word picnic at this time of year, but did Dinette Triple Crown ever do it well. This Mile X takeout counter, full of old-timey charm with its staff in polka-dot pinafores, was packed this summer as they packed wicker baskets to bring to a nearby park. The meat and threes option got you fried chicken, smoky slabs of brisket or maybe pulled pork and a trifecta of sides. Think black-eyed peas, chunky sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes with masterful gravy, or coleslaw, thoughtfully offered creamy or not. Specials made it even more special: the richness of pig’s foot croquette or pan-fried shrimp and hush puppies balanced with sharp, pickled, bright elements. A hint of what’s to come when Colin Perry, Beaver Sheppard and Nicole Turcotte open their adjacent dining room. 6704 Clark St., 514-272-2617, unlicensed, $$

Prague. The stucco walls, the intimate lamp-lighted nooks, the pictures in the Czech Republic travel books, the plate-defying sauerbraten with knedliky. Prague is a nostalgia trip. For the Kalvas family, originally from Moravia, it’s an ode to the cuisine of the Austrio-Hungarian Empire. From the kimmel loaf and papery pastry around the apple strudel, it’s all done in-house. The fare is nothing if not fortifying: goulash soup with tender chunks of beef and potatoes, schnitzels, gold-skinned, caraway-studded Brome Lake duck with braised red cabbage (and off-theme spaghetti Bolognese). Charmingly update-free. 5613 Côte des Neiges Rd., 514-733-4102, licensed, $$

Galanga Bistro Thai. There’s something absolutely cute about this Outremont address, with its manageable size, cheerful colours and energetic food. It’s named for an aromatic rhizome that is citrusy, sharp, floral and almost resin-like. It was key to the delicious Isaan beef salad, where it mingled with cuke, onions, mint, chilies and a dusting of powdered rice. The attention to detail from behind the scenes, headed by chef Kraisak Kuamsub, is noticeable from kha soups to delicate eggrolls. Mains were easy to like and unchallenging, like duck in red curry enriched with coconut milk and pineapple, or tangy spaghetti tom yum talay with seafood. For dessert, there was satiny crème brûlée with pandan leaves. 1231 Lajoie Ave., 438-381-3289, www.galanga.ca, licensed, $$

Le Cristal Chinois. Despite the strangeness of Swatow Plaza, where it’s located, and the convention hall aspect of the massive room, Le Cristal Chinois earns a nod for elevating the local Cantonese experience. It boasts a top chef from Hong Kong, tons of staff, and unusual menu items. I’d come back here for the classed up, cartless dim sum service, particularly if someone else were paying: har gow, Japanese tofu, nourishing plates of poached chicken, taro root and cordyceps were all good. Show-stoppers include the lotus leaf of steamed rice and dried seafood that is cut open with scissors at the table, or Peking duck that unfolds in a multi-course meal. 998 St. Laurent Blvd., 514-876-8778, www.lecristalchinois.com, licensed, $$

