TRAVEL: Montreal: Nil Bleu

Location:

3706 Rue Saint-Denis
Montreal, QC

http://www.nilbleu.ca/

Hands down the best Ethiopian restaurant I've been to thus far.  But don't ask me, ask my Mom and Mom-in-Law who couldn't stop raving about it.  And they know how to cook, if you know what I mean.

The dishes we ordered were:

YETIMATIM SALAD $4.95 (tomatoes, onions, green peppers seasoned with lemon and olive oil dressing)





the VEGETARIAN PLATTER FOR TWO $27.00 (potatoes/cabbage/carrots, lentils, spinach)

and YEASSA TIBBS $14.95 (sole cooked with green peppers ginger).  

One thing to note is that the fish came on the same platter as the veggie platter, which may not be good for those who are strictly vegetarian so be sure to make this request when you order!

We also ordered the house wine, which was a Spanish red and quite good.

They gave out damp napkins to wipe our hands with but didn't take them away like one would with hot towels, so we realized we had to keep them, and it made sense later as we ate that it was easier to wipe our fingers with.  Be warned that you will leave with turmeric stained fingers nails (even after washing) after dining here, but let me assure you, it's well worth it! 

Everything was delicious...and the injera kept coming until we were completely and utterly stuffed.



The exotic decor, which is what I want my home to look like (think animal prints, African sculptures, white leather couches) is beautiful and seems very new. 



My hubby who'd eaten at Nil Bleu perhaps 12 years ago didn't remember it looking like this!  The fancy bathrooms round up the upgraded look.  



The service was a tad slow, but since we weren't in a hurry, it didn't bother us and overall the service was sweet and attentive.  Thank you to Chakib & Rahel for making our Moms very happy :)



Great place for dates or groups and has outdoor seating.  I've already recommended Nil Bleu to my family and friends who are visiting Montreal next month!

Vegetarian Cafe @ The Big Carrot

Location:

348 Danforth Avenue,Toronto

www.thebigcarrot.ca

As far as vegetarian cuisine goes, a lot of it is spent on trying to recreate MEAT!  I've got an idea.  Don't!  Vegetables are delicious on their own, and we don't need the fake stuff pretending to be what it ain't.

Since returning from Hawaii a month ago, I've stopped eating chicken, and have to admit I don't miss it.  However, I'd rather eat the real deal than the fake meat made with soy products.

As good as the texture and shapes are in replicating real meat, I find they tend to be overly salty and really wreck havoc on my system.  That said, I do like Morningstar's ground soy - which works really well in tacos.  Sadly, it's only available in the States (for now, do you hear me Morningstar people?)

At the Vegetarian Cafe, most of the dishes seemed to have curry powder or cumin in them, which lent a kind of ethnic, indian curry flavour to most of the foods.





Not a fan.

The best tasting dish was probably the spicy squash and the roasted vegetables, but those are things I could have cooked at home for far less.



Each item is weighed on  your plate but you have no control as to how much the servers plop on your plate!  I ended up with more than I would have served myself, and it weighed in at $17!



I also didn't like that they warm up your plate in either a MICROWAVE or oven.  We much preferred the oven option.   For $17, I'd like to think there was some work involved.

For veg cuisine, I won't be returning to The Big Carrot's Vegetarian Cafe.  Nor would I shop there for my groceries - the "Kiss My Face" hand soap I did purchase there was rung in by a surly looking cashier.  Would it kill you to smile? Honestly.

I'd much rather visit Dukem for their authentic Ethiopian veggie plate.  Nummy.

Dukem

Location:

950 Danforth Avenue (West of Donlands subway station)

Cost: approx $20 a person (incl. a drink)

The last time I'd had Ethiopian food was at Ethiopian House at Wellesley and Yonge and although I was not entirely unimpressed, I knew if I were to try it again, it would have to be some really good Ethiopian to make me a fan of the cusine. Dukem has done that. And some.



In trying to organize a surprise birthday party for a friend, one of the requirements was that it was Ethiopian. The other was that it was near a subway station. So, I turned to the world wide web for some help and good ol' reliable Chowhound is where I discovered people talking about Dukem and how good the food is there.

They were right. The food was great and so was the service.

Mike (the owner) and the the waitress (whose name I didn't catch unfortunately) did an awesome job making our party feel at home; fully accommodating our huge group (of 14 people by the end of the night) into their cosy, albeit small space.

We had brought a cake with us, which they instantly accepted and placed into their fridge. They were on the ball with our drinks, our orders, and especially the "surprise" factor of our surprise party - making sure everything was perfect. We may have taken over the entire restaurant for four hours (my apologies to those who were at the restaurant while our raucous bunch was there).

We each started off with a St. George (Ethiopian) Beer. Very tasty.



The ambiance was intimate...the restaurant's not cramped by any means, but it's definitely not huge. However, it had enough tables (inside and outside on their patio) to accommodate us as well as other patrons without ever feeling stuffy. And, it was clean. As far as decor goes - they have a couple of tvs, a few paintings on the walls, plain tables and a red glow from the large neon "open" sign in the front and glowing bar in the back.





But mostly they have amazing Ethiopian food.



Mike knew just what to bring to the table - a couple of meat platters and one veggie platter - shared around with plenty of injera constantly replenishing our plates.



The beef stews (both spicy and mild) were succulent and flavourful.


The split peas, spinach/chard and lentils weren't mushy as I've had before...each with its own distinct flavour. The injera wasn't as sour as I've had before - everything was just delicious and perfect....and is this any indication that we cleaned it up?



The wait for our food wasn't too long either, about 1/2 an hour or so.

And the cost for 11 of us was about $200 including beers/drinks, so about $20-22 a person. Good deal, I say!

Would I go again? Most definitely.

My thanks go out to all the Chowhounders who recommended this venue. The birthday girl was very happy.