La Salle a Manger - tad overpriced and faster than a chinese restaurant!

Went to Salle a Manger a a few friends and I must say the food is good but I've been so rushed ever in my life for a restaurant that is priced on the high side.

It is so hard to describe each dish as it went by so fast.... all i remember was that the charcuterie, tartar and carpaccio was delicious and there was this pork belly bun with crab that reminded me of momofoku but not as tasty. They also have their own version of kimchi ramen with wagyu veal which tasted good but odd. 

I think the issue here is there description versus what we received. 

We ordered around 8-9 plates and it was delivered at the speed of a chinese restaurant / fast food....

Overall I would rate this restaurant 5/10 - simply because they serve food way too fast for a restaurant that charges similar rates as joe beef or chez l'epicier. Speed = loss of time taken to appreciate each dish and makes the ambiance feel rushed.

In season and on special - buy buy buy

Hey Everyone,

Now is the time to buy corn, peaches, strawberries and blueberries... they are now in special and very sweet.

13 corn ranging from $2.00-$3.50
Strawberries and blueberries are about $8 for huge basket
Peaches from Ontario are $4-$5

Oysters: 33 cents each at Metro
Alaskan Crab: $7/lbs
Filet Mignon: $14/lbs
Pork Filet: $3/lbs

Kafta a la moshi

Annie and I love eating Mediterranean grilled meats... so we figured we would make a homemade version of Kafta... I don't really have a recipe for it but this should give you an idea on how to make your own rendition.

Approximately 2 kg of meat! (For 4-6 people)

1 Kg - 1/2 Ground Beef

1 Kg - 1/2 Ground Lamb

1 Whole chopped onion 

1-2 cup of chopped parsley (regular or Italian)

3-4 Minced Garlic clove

3-4 teaspoon of ground cumin

3-4 teaspoon Ras Hanout spice

Handful of pine nuts

pinch of curry

pinch of sugar

Salt and Pepper

1/4 cup of Olive oil 

Mix the meats together and combine all ingredients... and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Once completed form sausages that would fit in a pita wrap. 

Cooking: 

You can bbq the meat (which would be best) or you can pan sear on cast iron all sides 1-2 minutes per side to seal in the juices. Then finish in the oven for 10 mins @ 400 degrees. 

I find that adding the olive oil in the meat mix makes the meat juicier somehow....

Serving suggestions:

- Pita Wrap with hummus, with tomatoes, pickled turnip, onions and tomatoes

- Eat with Fatouch Salad or Tabouleh Salad

- Also great with Basmati Rice

Enjoy!

- Chef Moshi

Find me on Instagram for photos @ mase3k

Deep Fried Corn Tempura - Simple and Delicious

Am feeling for Japanese Pub Food. A while back when I was in NYC after eating at Sushi Yasuda... we were still hungry so we headed to a nearby Isakaya and had corn tempura to snack on with our drinks...

It was so good and simple... I liked it so much I asked the great folks at Imadake to make it for my birthday and they did!!!

I was able to replicate it somewhat and some peeps had a chance to try it a house party I hosted a while back....

Here we go!
- Tempura Mix (Egg + Flour + Cornstarch)
- Frozen Corn
- Sea Salt
- Cold Club Soda
- Oil @ 400 degrees

Make your tempura batter with cold club soda and make sure that batter is sitting on top of a big bowl of ice. The colder the better.

Once your batter is done thrown in your frozen corn kernel... you will notice that it will almost form like a giant frozen rice krispie square...

When the oil is ready thrown in the frozen corn tempura mix in the fryer - size it to the size of a tennis ball or so.

Once its golden brown - takes about 5-6 minutes - take it out and place it on paper towel to remove excess oil. While it is hot, sprinkle sea salt...

And Voila - Corn Tempura!

It should look like this in the end:

Pho Recipe

Some people have asked me how to make Pho. The truth is I don't have an exact recipe but I can say that all phos are not created equally. Its one of those things that you can season as you go and does require a certain amount of attention.

For 12-15 large Bowls

Here we go:
1 large stock pot - about 6-8 Liters of water

2-3 Whole white onions chopped in quarters
2-3 pieces of ginger cut in the sizes of your thumb
2-3  tablespoon Fennel Seeds
2 tablespoon spoon Clove
2-3 tablespoon of salt
2-3 tablespoon of whole peppercorn
2-3 Asian cinnamon stick
8-12 Star Anis (depending on how much you like the taste)
Tendon 3-4 pieces of tendon
2 lbs of beef shank
4-5 beef bones / knuckles
2 lbs of Brisket
A few Table spoons of Fish Sauce 
1 tsp of MSG
1.5 lbs kg of Ox tail
Daikon cut the size of hocket pucks
Carrot if you want a sweeter pho


Step 1:
Take Onion and Ginger and char it on a cast iron skillet. Once completed, split each onion peel and put it on a rack that you will broil

Step 2:
Take your stock pot and blanch all the meat in salt water and throw away the water.

Step 3:
Add water to boil back in stock pot with all the meats and make a cheesecloth pouch  or massive tea ball of all the spicespeppercorn and add the fish sauce and salt. Also put in the onion and ginger that you charred earlier

Step 4:
Bring to a bowl and then let simmer for 2 hours. At that point add the carrot and daikon and let simmer for another 2-3 hours. The longer you let is simmer, the more tender the meats become

Step 5:
Well at this point, taste your broth and adjust seasoning to your liking and add water as needed if you need to dilute the flavor. Take out all the oxtail and thinly slice brisket, shank and tendon

Step 6:
I like to pre-soak pho noodle for 30-45 minutes and then cook it in boiling water for 2 minutes. When its cooked, feel free to rinse it in luke warm water. This will help in keeping the broth hot when you serve your pho.

Step 7:
Hot broth ready, pho noodles cooked in a bowl. Garnish with Raw thin slices of beef, chopped coriander and green onion, chop suey, thai basil.


Enjoy!

PS. Every broth I make taste different as I don't follow a recipe.... enjoy!
PPS. Open your windows and have the fan at all times... your house will smell like a pho restaurant!

Photo below - Thanks to my friend Sheep!

Maison Boulud nothing like Daniel NYC

And so... I had the opportunity to go to Maison Boulud for a bachelor party. Honestly, it is the last place I thought I'd be for a bachelor party... but what can I say we wanted to be classy for at least a small portion of the night.We went for the tasting menu where half of the group were served different dishes.

Food: 7/10
I can't say I didn't like the food but I can't say that it was memorable. Everything that was served tasted and looked exactly what I'd expect from this restaurant. The presentation is definitly high level and requires alot of attention to details. The pricing I find is fair but I am sure you can find something at a lower price or something that tastes memorable at the same price.

Decor: 6/10
Decoration was nice but we were place in a random corner away from all the folks dining there and the kitchen action. I like the wine display and the open kitchen concept so you can take a peak at what the chef's are cooking. The look feels like a restaurant template with nothing unique except for a chandelier made of wine glasses

Service: 5/10
I don't think it was bad but it wasn't spectacular or attentive. I don't think they did a good job of explaining what we were eating nor did they sound interested. I expect a high level of detail for a restaurant with a brand like Daniel Boulud.

Overall Value: 6/10 Well with 1 cocktail, 2 wine glasses and the meal - the total came to approximately 150 tax tip included per person. I am not really impressed... except for the foccacia. Lasting impression: This is a farcry from the level of service and detail from his restaurant in NYC... This place is no different than any other typical french restaurant in Montreal at that price range. I'd rather go to 400 Coups, Europea, Club Chasse et Peche or Chez L'epicier Would I recommend this place: Sure if you have no idea where to go in Montreal and try to impress a lady. you can find pictures of the food @ mase3k on Instagram :)

I wouldn't mind paying for 150$ tasting menu if it was 5 courses with exceptional service.


 

Vietnamese dessert soups - Che. Well we've got family coming over this weekend and I think for dessert we will make Che. (sounds like Chair without the R). Taro or Corn dessert soup... mmm