Cacao 70

Cacao 70

My friends and sister made a last minute plan to go to Cacao 70 on Sunday, so we all ended up going during the evening. I love last minute plans especially when they involve chocolate!

We were about 6 people and went there at around 6 PM. We did have to wait about 10 minutes for a table but it wasn't so bad.

Video from Arzan Blogs on Vimeo.

Once we were seated, we browsed through the menu (click here to see their online menu)

This is what we ordered:

• Grilled Tuna Salad Sandwich
• Chocolate Fondue (milk and white chocolate)
• Choc-Nut Waffle
• Sharing Sharing (For Two)

One of my friends got Grilled Tuna Salad Sandwich. She liked it but there's nothing special to it. Personally, I've always been to Cacao 70 for their sweet items rather than salty ones.

Grilled Tuna Salad Sandwich

My other friend got Chocolate Fondue (milk and white chocolate). I love their fondues! Although they don't offer a variety of fruits like Juliette et Chocolat does, they have some pieces of waffles and brownies that make it more filling. 

Chocolate Fondue

My sister and bestie got the Choc-Nut Waffle, which I normally get and absolutely love. I'm actually able to finish it all despite the fact that it's so filling. It's simply delicious! I love their waffles. They have other choices too but I prefer this one. You also get get some bananas, strawberries and melted chocolate on the side.

Choc-Nut Waffle

SHARING SHARING (For Two)

And finally my other bestie and I got Sharing Sharing (For Two). I was soooo happy with this because it had most of the items that I love from Cacao 70. Although I didn't have marshmallow, I got to eat everything else and share of course lol. 

It's so good but messy at times. Make sure you ask for extra napkins because you will need it especially for triple chocolate pizza. 

Part 1: Chocolate Fondue & Grill 

First they bring milk chocolate fondue and grill to roast marshmallows. You also get following items: 

• Strawberries 
• Crunchy Chocolate wafer balls
• Marshmallows
• Graham Crackers
• Hazelnut Wafers
• Small pieces of brownies (bottom left in the picture)

Sharing Sharing (part 1)

         You can make your own s'more: 

• After roasting the marshmallow, you can spread on the graham cracker and add some of the melted chocolate. 

Part 2: Triple Chocolate Pizza & Banana Split Waffle

Then comes the Triple Chocolate Pizza & Banana Split Waffle. I love their waffles but I don't really like caramelized bananas. Nonetheless, it was still very good! 

Sharing Sharing (part 2)

As for their Triple Chocolate Pizza, it's just good! It's messy though because the chocolate drips off easily but it's so good! I've tried their Nutella Ricotta Cheese Pizza before but I prefer Triple Chocolate Pizza.

I love this place! I don't think I ever left disappointed from here. Although I've been raving over Juliette et Chocolat lately, I still like going to Cacao 70 especially for their waffles and chocolate fondue. 

I wish they didn't place the tables so close but other than that, it's a great place! I love going there with friends. Whether you're going with a person or many friends, you will still enjoy going there! I love the ambience! 

Le Taj

Le Taj

Three of my friends and I went to Le Taj last Friday for late dinner before Mickey Singh event. We were there at around 10 PM, so we got a table without reservation. It was still busy at that time though.

We were in a hurry, so we quickly browsed through the menu and didn't order much. We also knew that each dish would be filling, so we shared. I would like to try other items once I'm there. 

You can see their online menu.

I actually wanted to get butter chicken, but it wasn't halal so I got Shahi Paneer and my friend shared with me. This is what we ordered altogether: 

• Chicken Chaat Salad
• Butter Chicken
• Shahi Paneer
• 4 Naans
• Drinks (Mango Lassi, Shirley Temple)

The waiter asked us if we wanted our shahi paneer sweet or not because it really depends on what you like honestly. That night, we asked him not to be sweet...

Our shahi paneer was a little spicy (not too much but just a little). I personally didn't like that it was a little spicy but it was still good!

Shahi Paneer

However, my friends liked their butter chicken and chicken chaat salad. In fact, their butter chicken wasn't spicy at all. Next time, I will simply ask them to not make it spicy at all. 

Chicken Chaat Masala

Butter Chicken

Their service was really fast! We got our food fast and we were out of there in an hour, so we were really happy. 

I've been to Le Taj few times before and I really like it. It has a nice ambience to it and the decor is beautiful! 

Overall, it's definitely a good Indian restaurant in Montreal. I was in a rush this time, so didn't enjoy as much as I would like to. However, we were full and were still satisfied of our food!

My friend and I split the bill and paid about $20 each (meal, drink, taxes and tips). 

Menthe et Couscous

Menthe et Couscous

I went to Menthe et Couscous for a friend's birthday dinner on a Friday night. We were about 12 people. We did reserve so they arranged a table for us. There were many people but it wasn't too busy either.

The waitress informed us there was a special where we can basically get a lot of variety of items and share it. It was about $30 per person and most of us chose this sharing menu and we got a lot of people.. a lot of meat! The waitress confirmed that the meat was halal, so I was happy about that. Here's what we got:

• Salad 
• Pita bread with Wine Dip & Moussaka
• Royal Couscous 
• Tajine (chicken, merguez & lamb)

Aside from the wine dip, I tried everything. My friends did try the wine dip and they didn't like it at all. Moussaka was really good! I loved it! It was a little tangy and sweet, which I love! I ate it with the pita bread. The salad was okay. 

Salad

Wine Dip

Moussaka

Then they brought 2 Couscous platters with lamb, chicken, merguez and vegetables and 3 tajines (chicken, lamb & merguez). I haven't seen this much couscous on a platter! We weren't able to finish it. I didn't really enjoy the food. I like it when the meat is nice and tender but this wasn't. In fact, the carrots & zucchini weren't tender either. 

I was really excited for tajine but it was okay. It was much better than the couscous platter but then again, the meat wasn't as tender as I expected it to be. 

Tajine

Chicken Tajine

Merguez tajine

You can bring your own wine or beer. My friend & I brought sparkling juice since we don't drink, while the others brought wine bottles. 

We had a lot of fun at this restaurant surprisingly. We were too busy with our conversation and I was very comfortable with my spot. We left a little before the restaurant closed (midnight). I like how the restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere. It's a a great spot to go dine out with friends. The only thing we were missing is shisha. They had some shisha for decor purposes but not to actually smoke it. They also have belly dancers on Saturdays but we went on a Friday, so there wasn't any. 

To end off our night, we each got tea and we really enjoyed our tea. It was very soothing. 

Overall, we had a great time even though the food wasn't all that great. It did give most of us the chance to try out the tajine for the first time. The service was good! Our waitress was very nice and helpful! We didn't wait too long to get the food. The restaurant space is small and their washroom isn't that clean but the atmosphere is the winner here. I might not go back simply because I didn't enjoy the food that much but I have no regrets trying it out. I paid about $40 for my meal plus taxes and tips. 

Château Kabab (West Island)

Château Kabab (West Island)

I've been going to Chateau Kabab (Downtown) for so many years especially when I was a student at Concordia University. They recently opened one in West Island. I've been here before and it's one of my favorite Halal restaurants! I definitely prefer this location over downtown one because it's much nicer.

I was in the West with a friend. We wanted to go to my favorite Afghan restaurant, Aryana, but it was closed. So we decided to go to Chateau Kabab...

We went on a Monday around 5 PM, so we weren't surprised that it was empty. The waiter brought us the menu and we took some time to order. We couldn't decide what to take. Everything looked so good (see full menu here).

The dishes we took came with choice of soup or salad. I took Zereshk Polo with soup and my friend took Lamb Shank with Okra with salad (I can't find it on their online menu).


The lentil soup was okay. I wish I had taken their salad because their salad dressing is so good! I really enjoyed my main dish though. I didn't like Zereshk (barberries), so I put them aside. I poured some gravy on the rice and ate it with the chicken.. It was delicious! I really enjoyed my meal!

I tried some of my friend's lamb shank and it was even better. I'm definitely getting this next time I'm there. I normally don't like lamb but I just loved how nice and tender this was. The gravy had some okra in it, which added more flavor. I actually took some of this gravy to eat with my chicken. 

Overall, this restaurant has delicious food, nice dining area and good service. We left satisfied! I paid about $17 (taxes and tips included). 
 

Atma

Atma

I went to Atma for dinner with a friend. It wasn't my first there but I went there after 4-5 years..

It was very busy, so we had to wait for our table but there is a small area next to the entrance, where you can sit and wait until your table is ready. While we waited, we checked their online menu to save some time.

Finally we got a table next to the bar and a waiter took our order...  

What I ordered:

• Shahi Paneer
• Samosa Chaat
• Shirley Temple 

What my friend ordered

• Lamb Karahi 
• Pillau Rice

First came the Samosa Chaat (appetizer)... I usually love Samosa Chaat but this was okay.. It wasn't spicy, so I was happy about that but it wasn't sour at all. It didn't have that sweet/tangy flavor to it, so I was a little disappointed but my friend really liked it.

Then came our food.. My shahi paneer was good (a little sweet but I don't mind it).. It reminds me a lot of the shahi paneer at Tandoor Bellevue. 

My friend really liked the lamb karahi. It actually looked very good... The meat was nice and tender.

I really like the decor of this restaurant and the intimate settings.. I like how there is space between tables even though the restaurant itself isn't that big. They have this area upstairs, which is very nice. Years ago, we reserved 2 tables there and it was so comfortable and nice. I would recommend it but the only thing I don't like is the fact that the menu was fixed for everyone.. Not sure if it's still the same.

Overall, it's a nice restaurant with a nice ambience and good food. As for the service, we did have to wait a bit to get our food but it's normal considering the fact that it was busy. I paid about $30 with tips and taxes.

Seoul Chako

Seoul Chako

I've been wanting to try this place for few years now and suggested we go for my friend's birthday dinner. It was a monday night and we were surprised to see it being packed especially since it was freezing outside (this was a good sign).

Luckily, we had reserved before. We were 8, so got 2 tables next to each other with a grill each (each table had 6 seats). It worked out great for us because half of us eat halal, so our choices were limited to seafood and veggie dishes.

We went for supper All-You-Can-Eat (You can see all their menus here). You can order anything but you will be charged if you waste food. As for the grill... we mainly used our grill for salmon and fish filet. On the other table, they had a bit of everything: veggies, beef, chicken and salmon. The salmon was good but none of us liked the fish filet. My friends found beef tasted the best. Chicken was okay.

Beside the grill, we had a selection of appetizers, cold dish, sushi, sushi roll, deep fried. You get a number of pieces for certain items.

Since some of us were restricted to seafood and vegetarian dishes, we asked the waiter before ordering items that we weren't sure had meat in it. These were the items that I tried:

Appetizers:

• Edamame: I've had it before. It's just soybeans that are a little salty. You get quite a few, so we just ordered one and passed it around. Everyone liked it! 

• Seaweed Salad: It tasted like any other seaweed salad that I've had before. I like that it's a little sweet (salad in the picture)

Cold Dish:

• Kimchi: This was my first time trying kimchi. It's basically pickled cabbage covered in sauce. I didn't like the taste at all. None of us did! (See picture on the right, we got 3 on our table)  

Sushi Roll:

• Kamikaze Roll: It was a little spicy. I didn't like it but my friends found it was okay (Left in the picture)
• Dragon Eye Roll: This was my favorite. We ordered more because it was really good (right in the picture)! I noticed they don't have it listed on their online menu. 

Deep Fried: Served with sweet sauce and ketchup

• Spring rolls (2 pieces per each quantity): The spring rolls were vegetarian.  
• Onion rings (4 per each quantity): These were really good! We ordered it few times! It's not listed on their online menu though. 
• Fried Pumpkin: OMG these were so good! Reminded me of shrimp tempura. They are so filling so make sure you order these after. 

My other friends got sushi rolls too (cucumber roll, crab meat roll, spicy salmon roll). They also tried the friend dumplings (we forgot to ask if there was any meat in it). My best friend said it was really good but she couldn't tell if there was any meat in there. I will ask them next time I'm there. Most of us didn't really try their desserts because we were planning to go to Juliette et Chocolat (St-Catherine) after but one of our friends tried mango pudding and he didn't like it at all!

The service was good but they did mess up some of the orders or brought in the appetizers very late. Our waiter was very nice and helpful! Even though it was very busy, he took the time to explain us some of the dishes. He also suggested to order few items before and order again the ones we liked the most because we were charged for the waste.

I loved the ambience! The fact that you can grill your own food is just awesome! It looked so easy at first but it wasn't for most of us. Luckily we had some experts in our group of friends to help us out. It's not that hard but you have to make sure it's not undercooked. The only downside was our tables were near the door and window and it was really cold that day, so we were a little cold. Luckily we got some heat from the grill. Also, I wish they made better arrangements for a group. Maybe join 2 tables with a grill on each table.

Overall, we all had a great time! The food and service were good but this place has a great atmosphere. I will definitely go back! I paid about $35 ($23.99 per person, drink, taxes and tips).