Sunday, February 24, 2013

Blackstrap BBQ

I used to live in Verdun; right in front of Gaumond le Restaurant, which used to be Patisserie Chez Gaumond. As a child, my mom would bring me to Chez Gaumond to pick out their mini cakes and pastries. They were delicious! Unfortunately, they've closed down, and I'm not even sure if it's a restaurant or grocery store that's replaced it.

There are lots of new restaurants opening up in Verdun, specifically Wellington street. It's always been such a great area filled with different ethnic backgrounds. Living in Verdun provides you with such convenience, especially since metros are literally a 5-10 minute walk from wherever you are in Verdun. When I used to live there, Wellington street looked pretty rundown, but recently it's looking better...at least in my opinion!

So, last Tuesday, W and I decided to try out a new restaurant that opened up called Blackstrap BBQ. It's not something I would expect on Wellington street. It's pretty hipster-y and feels like it should belong on Boulevard St. Laurent or St. Denis, but it was refreshing to have something quite modern serving humble food in a not so popular neighbourhood.


Here's how it works, you walk in the restaurant and you order your food and pay first. You then take a seat anywhere you like and wait till they call your name. It's a really casual place filled with the smell of smoked meat. It is just a lovely smell especially on a cold February in Montreal!


W ordered a pork plate that comes with coleslaw, and a bread bun. You also have the choice of a side. W ordered macaroni and cheese fritters as her side. The pork was smoky and salty heaven! I did think it was a little dry though...nothing a little BBQ sauce can't fix! I forgot to mention that each table/counter has a bottle of housemade BBQ and a spicy sauce. The spicy sauce wasn't spicy at all in our opinion; it was more vinergary than spicy. The BBQ sauce had a hint of plum which was nice.


The macaroni and cheese fritters were sinful! SOOOO GOOOD!!! I would go back to Blackstrap BBQ for just that!


On to my plate! I ordered brisket, which again came with coleslaw and a bread bun. I decided to order a side of braised greens. I loved the brisket! Very smoky, oh so tender, and moist! The greens were slightly vinegary and went really well paired with the brisket.

We decided to make a mini slider with the bun and meat. I have to say, the bun is just so fluffy and light! A little bit sweet if I remember correctly. Just delicious!

We were pleasantly surprised with Blackstrap BBQ. I honestly didn't think there would ever be a BBQ smokehouse type of place in Verdun. The price is great, as you can tell from the photo of the menu I posted above. The food is delicious and simple. At some point, I felt like I wasn't in Montreal; as if I were somehow eating in one of the Southern states of U.S.

I highly recommend Blackstrap BBQ. If you're ever around the Verdun area with an empty stomach, try it out!

There are so many little restaurants on Wellington street and they're all so different from one another. All you need is a bit of time to explore. I'm hoping to try out other restaurants in my old neighbourhood.

Blackstrap BBQ on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Kebuki

It's been awhile hasn't it? I have no excuses...I came back from Hawaii and still haven't posted anything about the food. I've recently lost focus.

No worries! Ms. Piggy is back and there will be lots of updates on Burgers and Rice! Updates about Hawaii will be up soon, but I've got a couple of surprises up my sleeve before I write about the delicous things I ate during my trip to Hawaii.

So...today is my birthday! My mom and I decided to have dinner at a nearby Japanese restaurant, formerly known as Fukyu but was forced to change its name due to it's similarity to a certain word...

Kebuki is a nice little place on Rue Jean Talon Ouest, a 10 to 15 minute walk from Namur metro. The decor is very nice, although tonight was a quiet night, being that it's a Wednesday. I've never seen it during Friday evenings or weekends, but Kebuki deserves more attention!



The menu is small and simple (something I like), and prices are reasonable. They actually have a Valentine's Day special still going on which is 55$ for 2 people. Very good price, and you get tons of food!

My mom and I decided to order off the menu and because the Valentine's Day special was just too much food for the both of us.

We started off with an appetizer called Mount Kebuki, which were avocado halves filled with salmon tartare, and topped with fried taro strings, and masago. It was lovely and refreshing compared to the typical tempura appetizers and what not.


Next, we had soft shell crab, which is my favourite and will always order if on the menu! So crispy! The sauce that came with it was delcious; salty, sweet, vinegary, and I believe filled with shallots.

We then had a sushi roll called Kodi-Mon. The presentation was beautiful and I loved the use of flowers in their garnishes. It almost marked the coming of Spring! If I remember correctly, the roll consisted of tuna, salmon, and albacore. That's a roll that's worth the money in my opinion. The dish was fresh and made up for my red meat filled week! Besides, I will eat anything that has shiso leaves!

Last dish was a bento box that my mom had ordered, which was a typical grilled teriyaki salmon. It was delicious all the same, but not spectacular. It also comes with a miso soup and to our suprise, spring rolls with a sesame dip.



Overall, delicious food, great ideas, wonderful presentation, great service, and reasonably priced. My favourite was the Mount Kebuki dish because it was very creative. I would definately go again, especially since its literally a 5 minute walk from my appartment! They also do take out and I recommend Kebuki. It's much better than many sushi places in downtown Montreal with, pardon my language but, shitty service, and terribly rotten looking fish.


Had a lovely dinner with my mother. Unfortunately, I'm another year older, but also another year wiser!

Kebuki Sushi Bar & Resto on Urbanspoon