Cari Mela

Cari mela is literally right around the corner from my house. It's really a mystery why I haven't been before. I just...I don't understand it. I went with my girl V, who is a big fan of the Indian persuasion, a couple weeks back, for lunch.

The place itself, like a lot of Indian restos, is nothing special. Dark room, old tables and chairs, crap on walls. That sums it up, I think. We got there for a late lunch and had not realized that they close again at 2PM until dinner time, so our lunch was cut short a bit, which kind of sucked. But hey, we should've checked! My bad!

We had the midi table d'hôte, starting off with the dahl, a lentil soup. This was such a great soup. WOW!!! The lentils, the coriander; so fresh!! Really... wow! There was a hint of lemon that added a bit of tartness and went really well with the lovely coriander. God, I love coriander. If I could marry it, I would. I would've ordered another if it wasn't a dish that was about to make me fart up a storm. Ps: gym peeps, I'm sorry, it was me.

The vegetarian thali. I loves me a good thali. Usually, I have the non-veg one, but this time, I didn't really feel like eating le chicken. Don't get me wrong though, butter chicken is oh-so-effin-good! That was a sh*t load of rice though, damn! The chick peas were perf and the coriander, once again, was so fresh! Seriously, I'd eat a big bouquet of that, any time. Just imagine a big rabbit, but instead of a carrot, it's coriander. Anywaaaaaayyyy. The eggplant was uber tasty but salty AF. Damn! The boiled veggies were very good but I thought they could have used more spice.

The naan. I'm serious when I say this was the best naan that has ever touched ma lips. Ever. It was so buttery and soft. Basically, what dreams are made of.

Dessert. I'm not going to say much about this. I WILL say that they had just taken out of the freezer and mine was still... frozen. Everything was just wrong.

Service was very quick and efficient, like in most Indian restaurants. GO GO GO! $$$! Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

And now, the scores!

Food: 8 (let's just NOT take that doughnut into consideration)

Service: 8

Well, I can't NOT go back: they are my neighbours AND they have the best naan. Hello.

Omnivore

I passed by Omnivore, I'd say, a good 148 times. I'm totes serious. Obviously, I had to go (and it took me 149 to go in). Ma gurl Cat came along to taste some Mediterranean treats on the corner of Marie-Anne and St-Laurent!

I must be honest, I had already tasted a bit of Omnivore's awesomeness: my friend Isa has take-out all the time and I just happened to be there one night when she had some. But that wasn't enough; I needed the real experience!

Omnivore is this super cute place right in the heart of the Main. Or maybe a tad to the north, but who really cares about geography, am I right? It occupies quite the small space with around 25 seats, has some great indie music playin' and lots-o-plants adorn the windows. It legit makes you feel like you're in a jungle. Ugh, I'm not made to write/say 'legit', am I? Don't worry, won't happen again.

We shared (obviously) the herbivore plate and the carnivore plate. Cause that's the way we roll: we are extremists. OK, I'm definitely going too far. I can be really intense sometimes. But only when it comes to food :)

La carnivore. I loves me some good meat! Cat was actually a vegetarian for a good, pfff, 14 years maybe. And then, she came to her senses :p The meat (or kofta) was, wait for it, just wait for IT... moist! Herbal and exploding with flavor! The baba ganouche was full of spices and so f*cking good I'm even ready to say that it is the best I've EVA had. Like EVA. And I'm getting old. The garlic sauce was not strong at all and it was nice knowing that my breath was going to be ok for my business meeting the next day. OK, I had no meeting. I'm not that important at my new job. YET. I'm used to eating garlic sauce and having uber bad breath for a good 2 days. OR 8. The hummus was just thick enough and one of the best I've had. The rice with lentils was very nice and the marinated eggplant on top were out of this world: marinated to perfection. Just wow. I never thought I'd say this about eggplant. Like, at all. The pink turnips were also uber wonderful. Dang, I'm using so many adjectives, I should give English lessons. Fo realz!

La végé. This was one good lookin' plate! I just wanted to take the plate in my two hands and go to town. Please, look the other way :) The taboule was on the awesome side of things: just citrusy enough, just the right amount of parsley and, to top it off, oh-so-yummy! The orzo salad was just BANG ON: super fresh, vibrant parsley (yes, I'm serious), some nuts added a nice crunch and cranberries added a sweet side. Oh, and by the by, I'm legit in love with orzo. OK, I had to try it again and it is official, saying/writing 'legit' is just not for me.   The green beans/carrot salad was also a hit: it tasted of ginger and sesame, two of my favorite things. The chickpeas and eggplant would've tasted better warmed up. They were nicely grilled and that's why my palate was like 'dude, this should be hawt'.

Service was just ok. The girl that took our order could have smiled a bit. I only ask for a hint of smile. Please. She was a bit nicer in the end. Yay. Food came fast though :)

And now, the scores!

Food: 9
Service: 6

The food was soooo good so I can't say I won't go back. I'll obviously have to try other places before I do!

Les délices de l'ile Maurice

My friend Alex convinced me (I mean, come on, how much convincing do I need to go to a new restaurant?) to try Les délices de l'île Maurice last week. Plus, it's a BYOW! I was totes down. Down to go out on the town! Aaaand the rhyming has ceased. Alex's dad is actually from there, and she goes on the regular. Well, enough that the owner came to say hi, hugs were exchanged and she knew her by name. I'd say they're in the friend zone.

I can't recall how many times I've passed in front of this cute little restaurant on my way to the gym. I was always intrigued and this gave me the perfect reason to explore this matter further. This very important matter that is a new restaurant. It was going to be brilliant! I swear, I was clairvoyant. And at that moment, I wondered, am I wearing any antiperspirant?  Wow, what a poem! Don't say it, I know I'm gifted.

When you step inside, you are wrapped with a coat of warmth and loveliness and homeyness. It's a very comfortable looking place that feels like someone's living room. It's a small restaurant with about 35 seats gros max. Frames are hanging left and right, up and down, with pictures of the island. I wish I were on a freaking island in the middle of the Indian ocean right about now (#cantwaitforsummer). They even had one, right beside my head, with a dude that is fishing with a really long fishing rod. Ya, I think you know where I'm going here. At first glance it tooootally looked like a huge... pecker. With...two balls! A big Johnson if you will. A wiener, a willie, a .... you catch my drift (big thanks are in order here: Austin Powers baaaaby).

I found it really different that there was garlic oil AND mint oil on the table. Right up my alley! Mmmm, that mint oil on rice: deeelicious! How the menu works is that you choose your protein and then you choose your sauce. There's a lot to choose from: créole, curry, sweet and sour, cajun, garlic butter and honey.

Fried cabbage. Unconventional, but very good! It wasn't overly greasy and I had to stop myself because a: it was fried and b: I needed room in ma stomach for the rest of my meal!

Lentil and coriander soup. This was nice and hearty! Turns out lentil and coriander=perfect match. It didn't taste overly coriandery (ya, it's a thing) and it had just the right level of thickness.

The main. I had the shrimp, obviously. For those of you that know me, you know I always have the shrimp. Even if it ain't on the menu! Ha! This is how it goes when I go to a burger joint: 'What would you like?' Me: 'I'll have the shrimp please' Them: ' Uh, mam, we don't have that on our menu' Me: KAMEHAMEHAAAAAAAAAA!!!! Ok, I agree, that was ridiculous.

I chose the créole sauce because, hello. Qui dit Ile Maurice, dit créole! It was a great choice: tomato, onion and garlic sauce caressing and enveloping the shrimp so. Please, leave us alone so that we can cuddle. Hahaha. I must say that the shrimp size was a tad disappointing. They were the size of a cocktail shrimp, which, in my head, is way too tiny. Then again, I loves me huge motha f*ckin' shrimp. The sauce was just spicy enough, the rice was perfect and you know what I'm gonna say here: put em' together man! The salad, I almost didn't touch because it was not looking very appetizing: iceberg with lots of vinaigrette. You know how I feel about iceberg. It's second in line after that damn mesclun!

Service was great throughout: we got our food in a timely manner and water was refilled. The waitress/owner was really nice and friendly. I guess I was in for a treat since I knew the girl that goes there the most :) When I went to pay the bill, it was about 33$ for the two of us (and that is INCLUDING tip!). Whaaaat? I'll take four please.

I almost forgot; I must also mention the candies. They have big jujubes in a jar when you get in. Probably meant for the kids that go there with their parents. But also meant for me, right? That'll be all.

And now, the scores!

Food: 8
Service: 8

I'll definitely go back, but I'll definitely try other restos first :)