CheapEthnicEatz "A journey into the many ethnic cuisines my city and the world ..."

Mmmm…delicious

Our group had our second round of Dim Sum brunch at Lotte Furama on Clark St in Chinatown. I have only had Dim Sum in two places and the other left me unimpressed.

We had a lot of fun and had 3 of those huge round tables. I really enjoyed my table because they were pretty adventurous in trying stuff. Also loved the fact that most of the time when a tray went by and something was offered you would mostly here: Yeah why not, we’ll have 2. Of course the other tables were great too ;-), and lots of new faces.

Anything shrimp is so good, those pork and peanut dumpling yummy, meat balls and tofu wrap so so. I can’t remember the rest but it was good. Oh and the desserts to with the sesame balls and the coconut flan. OK enough now I am getting hungry….

Last Saturday I co-organized a baby shower for a friend. It was just a simple dinner out with friends as the mother to be is rather unconventional when it comes to such celebrations. We were six…the parents to be, 2 girls and 2 guys. We had lots of last minute cancellations (4) and my co-organizedand I were not to thrilled and anxious of how fun the dinner would be.

Well did we ever end of having a great time. Sometimes less is more. We chose a Salvadoran restaurant as the father is hispanic, and its reasonably priced fare too. this was my 3rd Salvadoran restaurant and it was the best by far. We ate and ate and ate. I think we eahc had the equivalent of 2-3 meals.

We ordered seveal appetizers and picked from everyone’s plate. The homemade guacamole is divine amd the fried yuca and prok was incredible. The yuca was light and not greasy. The portion alone could be a meal. The only thing in the entire meal that did not impress me as much was another starter: the fried plantian with sour cream. The plantian I assume was just not ripe of not fried enough.

I again split 2 pupusas (the traditional Salvadoran dish) with a friend. A pupusa is a thick, hand-made corn tortilla made using a maize flour dough that is stuffed with various fillings. We shared a pork, bean and cheese one with a cheese and loroco (an edible flower that grows in El Salvador). Other dishes served were stuffed peppers with beefs Salvadorian style, fried tacos, and a cold dish of shredded beef with mint.

Desserts are ok, we ordered all 4 and shared. Nothing big. They do have a liquor license and they also serve an array of non-alcoholic exotic fruit juices and horchata (a sweet rice juice). Here is a hint: they have no Sangria but I ordere a 1/4 liter of wine and a fruit juice and made my own lol.

Totally worth a try, go and let me know what you think

Oh what a divine experience! Our last dinner was held at l’Ambroisie, a French cuisine restaurant tucked away in the industrial/gentrified part of Petit Bourgone, close to the Lachine Canal. It really is a hidden jewel…some having been lost for over 1hr before finding it lol. But so worth the effort of finding it.

Once you do enter the building one cannot help but be charmed by the architecture. The old Merchant Mills factory, now converted into lofts and the restaurant, still retains much of its industrial traits: the old wooden stair case walled by old brick, the long corridor with ancient creaking wood flooring, a display case and a few items testifying of its factory days. When you arrive into the restaurant you are amazed by the grandiose yet modern decor. Silly enough, my first reaction was “this is too nice for what the group is used too”!

We had an amazing turnout. Even a first, not a single no show! So impressed. On to the dining experience. Our waiter Kevin did a great job of taking care of us and was quickly friendly with us. The menu offered especially for us was just divine and, as far as French bistros go, very reasonably priced…table d’hôte was between 16 and 27$.

The starter was a delicious celery-rave (celeriac) soup or a salad. My friend and I could not help but order on the side the homemade Belgium fries and we did not regret it at all. Even the dessert was a lovely surprise. The usual crême brûlée was a popular choice, as was the chocolate mousse cake – a generous sweet portion. I think food wise this was one of the best outings ever. We had a lot of new people attend this outing and what an outing to first experience Cheap Ethnic Eatz . I had been searching for so long for a French bistro close to our price range and I just could not be happier with the culinary experience we had.

I highly recommend this place for a dinner outing. There is a large private room for parties with a dance floor and also in the summer a lovely terrace during warm summer nights. I am thinking of having the 2nd anniversary of Cheap Ethnic Eatz here in March. I am not crazy about repeating a restaurant so close in dates but for a bigger group I cannot think of a better place to be assured a great meal and a wonderful evening.

This last event was just simply one of the best events we ever had. And in the last place you would expect. You could walk by this place and not even notice it. The restaurant is unassuming and simple in presentation. But once you do decide to go in you soon realize this actually adds to the experience. The effort are placed only where it needs: the food and the service.

A group of 19 dinners came to this event. There were 19 chairs in the restaurant. We had the place to ourselves, usually a sign of a great evening right of the bat from past experiences. We were greeted by Valerie, the owner. I had the pleasure to meet her a couple of times before. She is a cheery delight and welcomed us like family. Valerie also did one thing I have never witnessed before at a dinner outing. By the time we left she new all 19 of us by first our name.

We started off with appetizers. We had a sampling of every appetizers on the menu. Also everyone ordered 1 of the 3 unusual drinks (non-alcoholic) offered. You’ll have to forgive me I remember none of their names. Main dishes consisted of rotis filled withe either goat, chicken, beef, pumpkin, and shrimp. Other dishes were included duck and fish curries, and a chicken stew similar to jerk chicken. Everything, and I mean everything, is made from scratch, a lot made by Valerie’s mom in her home. Even the bread used for rotis. Her mom even made us homemade coconut ice cream and a coconut cake. The sweetbread cake is divine too.

Everyone had a blast. We laughed so hard and chatted the night away. And talk about cheap too. The prices fit any budget. Let me share some of the reviews fellow dinners wrote:

Mary: What a nite in Trinidad! A really fun and memorable evening and a homey place to return. Valerie was informative about our feast and the perfect hostess. Dining was a savory experience from my Ginger beer, to the split pea pastry entrees and varied sauces, to the piece de resistance, curried goat…oh so delicious, and finally the pone, moist and raisin sweet. Mmmmmm! The group was upbeat and positive, testing and teasing. You guys are great!

What are you waiting for? Go to this place, you will be enchanted and become a regular customer!

Hugs and Biscuits,
Evelyne

This last event was just simply one of the best events we ever had. And in the last place you would expect. You could walk by this place and not even notice it. The restaurant is unassuming and simple in presentation. But once you do decide to go in you soon realize this actually adds to the experience. The effort are placed only where it needs: the food and the service.

A group of 19 dinners came to this event. There were 19 chairs in the restaurant. We had the place to ourselves, usually a sign of a great evening right of the bat from past experiences. We were greeted by Valerie, the owner. I had the pleasure to meet her a couple of times before. She is a cheery delight and welcomed us like family. Valerie also did one thing I have never witnessed before at a dinner outing. By the time we left she new all 19 of us by first our name.

We started off with appetizers. We had a sampling of every appetizers on the menu. Also everyone ordered 1 of the 3 unusual drinks (non-alcoholic) offered. You’ll have to forgive me I remember none of their names. Main dishes consisted of rotis filled withe either goat, chicken, beef, pumpkin, and shrimp. Other dishes were included duck and fish curries, and a chicken stew similar to jerk chicken. Everything, and I mean everything, is made from scratch, a lot made by Valerie’s mom in her home. Even the bread used for rotis. Her mom even made us homemade coconut ice cream and a coconut cake. The sweetbread cake is divine too.

What are you waiting for? Go to this place, you will be enchanted and become a regular customer!

Well our last dinner outing was definitely of the most entertaining ones yet! This latest diner was organized by Agustin my assistant at the new Magdala/Mekdala Ethiopian Restaurant.

I had wanted the group to go to an Ethiopian outing for a while but the best know places in town were not as cheap or excellent as I would have liked. I wanted at the time to go to the best one in town, Le Messob d’Or, which closed its doors before I had time to go there. This newly opened establishment on Bishop street was a blessing as the chef here was the chef at the Le Messob d’Or.

I do have to say the food was really good. Ethiopian cuisine consists of spicy vegetable and meat stews, served atop injera, a large sourdough flatbread, which is about 50 centimeters in diameter and made out of fermented teff flour. Ethiopians eat with their right hands, using pieces of injera to pick up bites of entrées and side dishes. No utensils are used….which is the fun part he he. So thumbs up for the food here.

Now for the entertainment part. Where shall I start? We were seated on the second floor in a really cool room set up with imported wood carved furniture. It was great for moving around and chatting with fellow dinners before the food arrived. Although not suffocating the room was hot during this first heat wave of the summer because SOMEONE STOLE THE AC during the previous night! Shame on you! Then one of those imported wood carved couches was broken as its supporting beam cracked. Yep…we broke our first piece of furniture! Later the waiter spilled, not once, oh no, but twice a few water glasses unto tables and members. Thank god it was hot and refreshments were welcomed lol. Finally this same waiter performed a few magic tricks for us, as well as some fork bending for a smaller audience at the cash register.

So if you want great food, a fun hand eating experience and possibly unexpected entertainment this is the place to go!

I LOVE this place but would never be able to afford it. I went twice with work.

First of all they have really cool cocktails, one I ordered was I think a strawberry and basil martini. They specialized in grilled platters and ceviches. And everything is soooo good.

Its a very trendy place and is considered a SuperClub. After a certain hour the music gets cranked up and people come here for dinks and party the night away. Its a really fun place to go with amazing food and a great wine list too.

Definitely a group place with a big budget…I saw the nemun prizes but ony the boss saw the bill. I would probably have fainted seeing it.

Well our first dinner event of the year was a tremendous success! We all had a fabulous time at the Salon Mogador. The setting was so inviting as we sat on low sofas with those big tray like tables. A perfect arrangement to encourage relaxation, feeling of home, and mingling. The decor is very traditional as well. They really put a lot of work into it. And the sounds of Arabic music filled the air all evening at the right sound level.

I had negotiated a great deal of 4 different salads, a veggie couscous, a veal couscous and a chicken tajine with lemon and olives, baklavas and dates for dessert. They served it buffet style for our groups exclusively. I have to say everything was delicious and that is the resounding word I heard from everyone else as well.

Lots of coriander in the salads, which I love, I particularly like the beet one and the green and red belle pepper one. The veggie couscous had nice big chunks of of mixed vegetables…including squash which I love. The veal and chicken were beyond tender and so flavorful. The baklavas (ok not a traditional Moroccan thing) was one of the best I have had. The free flowing mint tea certainly helped as well.

Only complaint: the service could have been a tad more present when it came to drinks. We had to serve ourselves our water if we wanted some, more services of mint tea would have been appreciated…those small glasses get drunk fast ha ha…and they did not offer (to my knowledge at least) anything from their drink menu.

We really had a great time. I think the fact that we left around 11pm on a week night is always a sign that people had fun. I highly recommend this place to have a great evening with friends.