What can I say? Would you really believe me that an authentic Japanese Izakaya restaurant was not only on ste. Catherine in Montreal, but nearby the problematic Odaki?
Well it's truly the case. Kazu is here, and it is good! Their menu is varied - so varied they blanket the walls in options - and we end up drooling at many of the shared dishes. The staff are helpful and bubbly about the food they serve, and it shows as we picked apart every seasoned dish down to the rice grains.
There are a few catches though: 1) It's very likely you'll be waiting in line, and 2) the Lunch menu is very limited. Dishes like Ramen won't even last through lunch. If you want the real experience, you need to come at night, when you can pick from the specials on the walls.
It goes without saying that Kazu is not cheap, per se - it's a trendy shared eating experience, not a lunch bar - but it's definitely an experience worth having.