Wednesday, August 29, 2018

No. 900

I bike passed No. 900 pretty much every day on my way to work. And every damn time, I tell myself I could go for a good pizza. Yes, even at 7am. I'm like that, you know. SO, the other day, when Val called me to tell me she was there and needed someone to share her pizza with, I was like mmmya j'arrive. I mean, I gotta say I was going more to see my girl, but a bit of pizza would also help. Hahaha. Pizza ALWAYS helps.
I left my house quite quickly, and I was interrupting a very chill session watching somethin' on my computer, so I got there in jogging pants and a sweatshirt. Ya, that happened. I mean, it wasn't a chic place by any means, but come on, girl could've made a bit of effort. Yes, I'm talking about myself.

All pizzas are cooked in a wood fired oven, for 90 seconds, at 900 degrees. dang that's hot. It's also why it's called No. 900. They so smart! BTW, there are, like, 120 No. 900 in Québec. I exaggerate. I believe there are 18. That's a lot of dough. A LOT of dough. It also makes for very quick service, which is what everyone wants. Show me ONE person that likes slow service. I dare you.
Val had ordered the caclocavallo and porchetta pizza. These pizzas were quite big and, in my head, obviously not made to be eaten by only one person. Let's face it, people, it's for one and a half person. I was more than happy to be the half person in this case. On top of that lovely meat, this pizza had pecorino romano, fior de latte, parsley oil, and roasted mushrooms.

With the pecorino AND the fior de latte, it was veeeery cheesy, veeery lactose intolerant non-friendly. Hahaha! But who gives a sh*t. Cheese is so good, I was just going to suffer the consequences later. The crust, even if it was super thin (just the way I likes my crust), it wasn't falling apart like cray. The mushrooms were charred to perfection, and the pesto was quite a great addition. Who knew parsley could be so good?! To make it even better, you know what you dso? You put some spicy oil on yo pizza. For me, that's pleasure X 100. Our hands were all oily and nasty by the end. And then, you know what we did? We licked those hands. YASS!!!

Service was great! I got there, sat down in my stupid jogging pants, and the waiter came by, asked if I wanted to order food or drinks. When we said that we would share, he brought me an extra napkin AND a plate. Oh, and much needed water (that oil was a bit a on the spicy side!).

And now, les scores!

Food: 9
Service: 8.5

Oh ya, I'm going back.


Pizzeria No 900 Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Le Petit Sao

Le Petit Sao is the new little baby in Pointe St-Charles. You know how much I love babies! Well, AND new restaurants :) It's not the BEST location, located almost at the end of rue Centre in PSC. It used to be no man's land, but it's getting a bit more popular. A bit.
The place itself is supes cute, with a bit of a tropical feel (the best kind of feel!), vibrant colours and plants on tables and along the walls. It was empty when I went because, like an old lady, I was eating dinner at 5pm. What??? I was hungry!
I had the table d'hôte, which included a soup, an imperial roll, and a grilled chicken 'bun bowl'. I loves me a good Viet bowl. The soup was pumped with MSG, like my colleague Margo would say, but hey, no one ever died from MSG consumption. It tasted so damn good! It kinda created a layer on my palate, you know, the way McDonald's does?! Mmmya. The chicken was perfection, and the green onions added a bit of a tang :) I just love myself some good green onions. The noodles were also perf, not overly cooked. I hate overly cooked noodles. I also hate underly cooked noodles. Bah.
The roll was hot, but not scorching. It brought me back to my young days in St-Laurent, when my mom used to bring us to Chez Lien. OK, I would never go back there in a million years, but Chez Lien used to be good (and clean), once upon a time. The grilled chicken was perf and tender and, cringe, moist. I actually wrote in my notes that it was like meat candy. Haha. I could've done without the salad and I wanted more mint. Mint is such a key ingredient when it comes to Vietnamese goodness like this bowl! This is what you have to tell yourself: ALWAYS more mint. Always. I think you get the point. I really loved the marinated veggies and also appreciated the hot n' cold aspect of this dish. Mama likes a good mix! I asked for more nuoc cham, and the guy said 'sure, I'll bring more fish sauce'... and I was like, wait a second. He just needs to learn a bit more about the culture and the food, it's ok. HAHAHA, said the expert. OK, there IS fish sauce in there, but to just call it 'fish sauce' would be a mistake. AND I'm OUT! The noodles were good and, mixed in with that sauce, were even better. I'd put that sauce on anything: noodles, meat, boobs. You know.

Service was supes quick, but I only got water refilled at the end of my meal. The waitress even joked about the fact that she was refilling it at the end of my visit. Why? WHY would you joke about my water? GOD! Hahaha. I kid. But not really. Also, she kept on calling me 'ma chère dame'. Honey, I am not 70. I appreciated the politeness but it was too much!

And now, the scores!

Food: 7.5
Service: 7

I went back yesterday for a sick day lunch and it was quite satisfying! Can't say I won't go back a third time :)


Le Petit Sao Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Perles et Paddock

I've had my eye (well, eyes) on Perles et Paddock for a while now. Ever since I wondered what the f*ck had become of that old garage on Des Seigneurs in Griffintown. Well, they did a hell of a job. A HELL of a job. And so, this is where Jer Bear and I went for brunch on a lovely Saturday morning (let's face it, I can't afford their actual dinner menu :o ).
Perles et Paddock, as previously mentioned, is located in an ultra renovated old garage that was quite the eye soar on des Seigneurs in Griffintown. They made it into a legit wonderful looking restaurant. Like, a WOW restaurant. Like, a WOW WOW WOW one. You get the point, iz nice. Compared to what you see from the outside, the inside looks much grander: a big mirror at the back makes it look like a much bigger space than it already is and it seems like the never ending restaurant. Plants everywhere, two big garage doors that open up onto the street, and a huge skylight make it seem like we're still outdoors. The bar was quite spectacular, all dressed in marble, with uber comfy seats (along with a step for short people like me!), and quite an array of bottles under very favorable lighting.
I loves me a good brunch and I was excited about this one, fo shiz! Jer bear had the guédilles aux crevettes de Matane (the best of the small shrimp...). The shrimpies were not in the usual hot dog bread; they were in a home made brioche. They had been mixed into this mayo-ish sauce that was supes taste. Just enough that we still tasted the deliciousness of the shrimp! They were like butta in ma mouth. You know what I'm gonna say though: not enough shrimp!!! NEVER enough shrimp. But I am also the person that, at 6 years old, was eating an actual PILE of shrimp in Maine on family vacays. I go cray for shrimp. Kinda like Bubba from Forrest Gump, you know. I found the brioche was too hard `n' dry for me. Jer bear found it alright. He's too easy to please, pffff. The coleslaw was on the effin ball. One of the best coleslaws I've had, like, ever.
I had the surf and turf! Cod cake, hollandaise mousse, salad, and a big ass slab of bacon. I loves me a good big ASS slab of bacon. The salad was cut on the mandolin and was just dressed enough. You know, I'm talking skirt... not pants. The fish cake was a bit dry, and not even the hollandaise on top was saving it. It did taste good though, with just the right amount of dill and the yolk from the egg atop it, melting onto it. Mmmmm. The bacon was, you know, bacon: fatty and smoky awesomeness.

Service was a bit on the slow side. We had a nice welcome and quick water service at first, but then we waited what seemed like 8 hours for our food (I tend to exaggerate) and did not get more water until the end of our meal. They also didn't ask us if we liked it. I will also mention that they seemed to be overstaffed. Take care of yo peeps, especially when you are overstaffed! On the other hand, I must say that the dude at the bar, in front of us, was really quite nice and did flash his million dollar smile more than once :)

And now, the scores!

Food: 8
Service: 6

Ya, I'm going back for more brunch!

Perles et Paddock Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Friday, August 3, 2018

King's Head

Fish n' chips first appeared in the 1860's in England and was spread throughout the UK in the 1930's. It's f*cking amazing and it's FRIED at its best. And THAT is all you need to know.
 
When Boo and I were in Galway, Ireland, in early July, two questions arose. ALL the time. 1. Are we having our next drink? And 2. Where are we having more fish n' chips. Fish n' chips is pretty much life over there, you know. OK, it is MY life. Same dif.
 
We had passed by King's Head in the Latin Quarter, on the main street, a couple times, before we went in. The place had a nice terrace at the back of the restaurant, also accessible by a little tunnel from the street. That is SO not well explained. Deal with it. The restaurant itself was quite big, with lots of movement! I just LOVED the pub ambiance. And this was more of a restaurant than a pub, so just imagine an actual PUB. I think we could've spent all day, every day, in a pub. Not necessarily drinking, but just hanging out, talking to the people, listening to awesome live music. And there I go, reminiscing. Ugh.
Let's begin. I really liked the way this cod (I'd say a LOT of the fish that is fried for this dish is cod) was deep fried. I liked the batter. It was different from other batter. I ain't no battexpert (ha, get it), but this one was so much fluffier and actually, rather lighter! The fish was perfectly moist (not sure what 'imperfectly moist' means.. I guess the word is dry) and that tartar sauce was just SO good. I think I legit fell in love with tartar sauce whilst in Ireland. You know what else I fell in love with? Well, except for a couple cute redheads, of course! That pea puree. Oh, that pea puree! With mint in there, it was the freshest thang on this side of town. Again, I'm making no sense. Anyhoot, that heavenly puree was just salty enough, and just tangy enough. Just imagine having, on your fork, a little piece of fish, slathered in tartar sauce and topped off with a bit of pea puree. HEA-VEN. This puree was LIFE!!! The chips, I could only describe as, well, larger and fatter fries. I loved them, but Bridge wasn't too keen. You know what that means, right? More for me! No wonder I gained, like, 4 pounds in one week!

Service was great throughout! We got our food quickly (in those cute-ass plates, no less!), and our drinks in a timely fashion too!

And now, the scores!

Food: 9
Service: 8

Yes and YES. Well, obviously, I ain't going back anytime soon. I can only WISH.