Dine... & Dish: Resto Reviews
 Media Credit: Gracia Jalea
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Sum Sushi
1360 boul. René-Lévesque O., phone: 935-7462.
Looking to eat quality sushi on your lunch breaks? The best place I've found so far is Sum Sushi. Located in the CGI building food court on René-Lévesque, Sum Sushi has an unbelievable selection of food. Instead of saving your coins for months on end to afford sushi at an expensive Japanese restaurant, you can go to Sum Sushi for lunch as often as you like. Choose from a considerable selection of soups, noodles, appetizers, chicken, beef, and especially sushi for amazing prices. For $7.95, I had a lunch that consisted of teriyaki chicken with rice, chicken dumplings, salad, and potatoes. Sounds like enough, but not so with this considerable variety. I had to go back and try the Tom Yum soup with noodles... Remember, this is on top of all the sushi they offer.
Take a break between classes and please your stomach with something healthy for lunch.
-Resham Popat
Bombay Palace
2201 rue Ste-Catherine O., phone: 932-7141.
Having been a frequent Bombay Palace diner for quite some time, I can state with complete confidence that the trip is worthwhile. The buffet, an Indian dining favourite, is fantastic. But if that tradition is not one of your favourites, the menu has a wide selection of set plates for comparably cheap prices. For the $8.95 lunch special, enjoy a selection of pakoras (potato fritters), rice, naan, curry-where the butter chicken is delicious-and even dessert.
Bombay Palace is famous for their unique pickled turnips-while you're enjoying the warm ambience, complete with Indian paintings and traditional music, give them a try. Fear not if you have questions, as the service is stellar and the waiters, especially a cheerful British lad named Sammy, are extremely friendly.
End your meal the authentic way with a handful of traditional crunchy candy, famous for its digestive abilities and also quite delicious.
-Resham Popat
Casa De Matteo
440 rue St-François-Xavier, phone: 844-7448.
Nestled on a narrow, scenic street in the heart of Old Montreal, Casa De Matteo serves up authentic Mexican food, as well as some of the best frozen drinks I've ever had. The restaurant's festive atmosphere remains classy, yet suitable for bringing a fairly large group of noisy friends. Meals start out with a delicious basket of fresh tortilla chips and homemade salsa-this gives a new meaning to the Lay's slogan, "Betcha can't eat just one!" To complement your nachos, peruse the large selection of appetizers, including fresh guacamole prepared right at your table. Entrees include standard Mexican fare, with rotating specials, while desserts range from sorbet, to banana flambé topped with ice cream-again, prepared right in front of you.
On weekends, the restaurant is buzzing with excitement and margaritas as a quartet of traditionally-dressed mariachis cruise the restaurant, serenading different groups of customers.
With tax, tip, and a large frozen margarita, you can expect to pay around $30-35 per person, so start saving up your beer money or wait until the rents come to town to check this place out.
-Scott Sameroff
Sakura Gardens
Sakura-the name even sounds delicious-should not be missed.
2114 rue de la Montagne, phone: 288-9122.
For starters, Sakura has great, moderately-priced weekday lunch specials, a treat for students. Sip on the roasted sen-cha Japanese green tea while alternating between your tasty miso soup and munching on your sesame-dressed salad. After the main course of your choice, be sure to sample their desserts: delicious green tea cheesecake, light mango mousse, or traditional dorayaki, a sweet bean cake. Other must-haves include katsudon, a Japanese breadcrumb-covered, deep-fried pork cutlet topped with onions and simmered in a mirin sweet sauce, complemented by an egg over a bed of Japanese rice, or agedashi tofu, tempura tofu with bonito fish flakes marinated in a delicious sauce.
While dining, relax with the patient, friendly service. Waiters are guaranteed to impress with trilingual abilities in Japanese, French, and English. Not only can Sakura be your next date spot where you can share a "loveboat" special filled with nigiri, sashimi, maki rolls and yakitori or enjoy a piping hot shabu-shabu fondue of a flavourful fish stock, but if you're in a chill mood, Sakura welcomes you to relax with Asahi beer or hot sake in their Tatami room while catching up with friends.
Feeling a little type-A today? Squeeze into Sakura express-located below the restaurant-for a heavenly take-out lunch that won't break the bank
-Jacqueline Leung
Cosmos Snack Bar
5843 rue Sherbrooke O., phone: 486-3814.
Don't let the name or the tiny room of 11 seats fool you-this place is the king of breakfast joints. Just a bus ride away from the comfy familiarity of Chez Cora, Tony Koulakis's Montreal institution has been considered a "greasy shovel." Though originally only a hot spot for N.D.G.-ers, Cosmos has recently been attracting lines of eager diners from all over Montreal that make Place Milton's look like a mere bathroom queue. Its fame has extended beyond word-of-fork-to-mouth after being featured in the documentary Man of Grease.
Whether it's the charismatic, outspoken, and cigarette-smoking Greek tending the grill or one of his similarly entertaining family members taking your order, Cosmos serves up the perfect hangover cure of greasy petit déjeuner all day in a friendly, genuine atmosphere. The real attraction is definitively the "Mish-Mash," a 4-egg, bacon, sausage, ham, salami, tomato, onion, and cheese omelette. Ringing in at exactly 2,000 calories, the concoction was best described as a "test of manhood" by a long-time patron, though all that comes to mind while scarfing it down-and enjoying every bite-is cholesterol test.
-Dave Barber
Spirite Lounge
1205 rue Ontario, phone: 522-5353
If you're one to cry when different vegetables-shock!-touch each other on your plate, stay away from Spirite Lounge. There are rules at this vegan establishment, and only prospective patrons who agree to follow them will be invited inside. Diners must vow to eat all of the food they order, leaving nothing behind on the plate. Cellphone use is forbidden in the eclectically-decorated dining area. Last, there are no menus, because there is no choice of dish. You can decide, however, on portion size-considering the first rule of the Lounge, this is a true blessing.
Green tea is provided free of charge at the beginning of the meal. The student price for the soup and main dish, centred on a dinner crepe, is $11.95. Dessert costs an additional $5, but take heed: our waiter warned against ordering the cake if we could not finish it, threatening that "gluttonous" behaviour results in being "barred" from Spirite Lounge "for life."
Dispelling the myth that vegan food is bland, the filling meal throws together an extensive list of vegetables, from the standard eggplant to others I'd never heard of. Since this restaurant takes away control of the dining experience, you'll be forced to try a new dish.
Grab some open-minded friends, ditch the usual spots, and enjoy a leisurely meal at Spirite Lounge. But please arrive hungry!
-Lisa Varano
Dunns Famous Steakhouse Delicatessen
1249 rue Metcalfe, phone: 395-1927
Dunns has been a Montreal tradition since 1927. While many other establishments of the same variety have maintained a strict deli menu since the beginning of time-i.e., Schwartz's and Ben's-Dunns has one of the most extensive menus of all the beloved delis in this city. Apart from the peerless chopped liver, coleslaw, smoked meat, and the rest of the usual fare, Dunns offers a variety of equally delectable soups, pastas, and appetizers. Everything off the grill here is first class-above average steaks and ribs and the burgers lay the smack down on Mr. Steer any day. Other small pleasures at Dunns include some of the best nachos in the city, a selection of ravishing cakes, and the unusual, but delicious, smoked meat egg rolls.
Open 'round the clock, Dunns is the perfect place for an evening out or a post-movie snack. You're always welcome, long after most of the other joints around have long since closed. The atmosphere is great, boasting comic strip and monopoly board tables, friendly service, and a quality music selection. Most meals are just over $10 after taxes and guaranteed to leave you fully satiated.
-Ben Lemieux
L'Académie
4501 rue St-Denis, phone: 849-2249.
It's only natural to be a tad skeptical standing outside of L'Académie. The restaurant's three floors tower over St-Denis, leaving the small French bistros that line the street looking like holes in the wall. Nevertheless, the quality greatly surpasses the price and the "bring your own wine" factor makes L'Académie perfect for students on a tight budget. The vast menu pleases gourmets and picky eaters alike, covering both French and Italian classics. The steaks are the most expensive items on the menu and yet are all under $23. The most difficult task of all is selecting a meal from the huge choice of pastas, though none will ever disappoint. For $10, one can choose from favourites such as penne in a rose sauce to soft gnocchi floating in a gorgonzola cream sauce. Before you leave, be sure to check out the dessert tray, as it's fun to drool over even if the big portions make something sweet impossible. Then again, there's always sharing...
-Samantha Fuss
Juliette & Chocolat
1615 rue St-Denis, phone: 287-3555
Juliette & Chocolat: sounds romantic, right? A trusted friend told me once I'd sampled the desserts, I would know the true meaning of love.
Close to Berri-UQÅM metro, Juliette & Chocolat is a place for connoisseurs of-you guessed it-chocolate. Whether you prefer bitter, semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate, there is a dessert on the menu to suit you. Although chocolate is not the only thing to offer, as there are plenty of savory crepes to choose from, the fondue is the ultimate choice-share a simmering, generous helping of the melted chocolate of your choice surrounded by fresh fruit, perfectly sliced for dipping and munching. You're always welcome to ask for only your favourite fruits; my recommendation is always just strawberries and bananas.
Another favourite is the "Fondant au Chocolat." It comes in two sizes: one for sharing with a lover-of chocolate, that is-and one to enjoy all on your own on a gloomy grey Sunday. Either way, you're guaranteed the best-tasting dessert, but like all highs, it's sadly short-lived, and you'll spend quite some time pondering whether you should order another.
Prices, around $8 for a dessert and drink, are reasonable, and the warm, inviting ambience will tempt you to spend an afternoon with Juliette & Chocolat, catching up on readings with a bitter espresso, accompanied, of course, by a side of chocolate edibles.
Remember, chocolate melts at body temperature, so don't put it in your pocket to save for later.
-Serene Touma
Pino's
1471 rue Crescent, phone 289-1930
Pino's, like the immaculate Italian restaurants in films, is the perfect place for occasions with friends or special dates. Though reasonably priced, with pastas and pizzas ranging from $10-15 and more expensive three-course meals in the $20-30 range, the hospitable waiters and warm lighting give the feeling you should be paying a lot more.
The food is just what you'd expect from an Italian restaurant, with deliciously filling portions. The duck is especially succulent.
The atmosphere is quiet and inviting. Customers of all ages will feel welcome and comfortable, especially if their preference lies in a more than casual setting. It's a trendy restaurant that still passes for classic.
The location, however, is a bit of a mixed bag. Crescent is close enough to McGill that anyone living in the Ghetto could easily make the walk-and for everyone else, the Guy-Concordia metro is around the corner. However, it seems as though Pino's would be better situated somewhere on rue St-Denis, in the beloved "bring your own wine" part of the city. The Concordia Ghetto is dirty and loud at night-perfect for bar-hopping, but not for fine dining.
Nevertheless, that is a small complaint against what is otherwise a fantastic experience. A great restaurant is always a handy excuse to ask that special someone if she's busy next Friday.
-Dany Horovitz
