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| - So you think that in a city of 8.2 million people there is at least a way to keep a single Burmese restaurant alive - but alas, over the past 3 years we have seen 3 Burmese places drop dead in New York City - one in the village (Village Mingala), one in Queens and the final one happened on the Upper East Side. Looks like the second avenue subway construction finally put the nail in the coffin for my beloved Mangala, and with that, Burmese restaurants become extinct in the Big Apple. Where am I going to get my la phet and mohinga fix?!
Montreal has a population of 1.7 million (just like Philadelphia), and even though the restaurant scene is famously over-saturated and places constantly die, they manage to kill off only one burmese joint (Ruby Burma on the Main, RIP). Well, that leaves us with one - Dagon.
In terms of location, it's near Metro Papineau on the green line. Get off the station, ponder the irony of the mural of a Catholic priest in a gay friendly area, and then look around. You should be on St Catherine Street East and the Metro super-marche/Cartier bridge will be in front of you. Turn around and walk 3 blocks until you get to Champlain street (it's on the corner). Alternatively the 15/St Catherine bus stops at the end of the block.
Now, as for decor and service - Check out the light fixtures with the Asian umbrella motif, the coat rack and the typical wooden tables and chairs. Comfy, but not homey. During the evening we visited there was only one waiter manning the entire operation, and I am guessing there is only another person in the back doing the kitchen work, rather typical of smaller Montreal restaurants. Sure, the service is slow, but then I would argue that Montrealites tend to dine slow anyways. Bring a bottle of red, engage in a conversation, etc. If it's a Saturday or a Sunday most shops will be closed past 5 or 6p anyways, so it's not like there is a massive rush to do something else. Don't be an American dick and rush, rush, rush.
Now, as for the food? Well, the quality is more difficult to ascertain as I only had about 3 reference points - the Mingalas in New York and a Mohinga joint in Macau. That being said, I wish that they are more detailed with the menu descriptions. For example, chickpea fritters. In Burma the locals create a tofu analog called tophu (the Burmese language do not have an f sound, so the best way to salute a policeman will be to tell him to phuck off), which is typically fried and cut into slices - in certain places it's also referred to as a chickpea fritter. The item that I received was essentially like a pakora, except with chopped deep fried chickpeas. Not quite the same. As for the tea leaf salad (La Phet), it's missing some ingredients that I am accustomed to. The Mohinga is pretty good, though. Not quite the fresh fish version with Vermicelli that I am used to, but still very good. You can taste the lemongrass (a bit light though) and coconut flavors in the curry flavors. The Yangon beef is a short rib stew with the asian clove/masala kick, and the herbed rice is essentially a biryani - a spiced rice pilaf with fruits and nuts that goes well with the stew in question. Portion is a little small for the price, but it's gay village. Things are generally not that cheap here. Overall, not a disappointment, but not a revelation either.
So yeah, I would not joneze about it back in NYC, and I might not even stop by the next time I end up at YUL, but hey, it's good to know it exists.
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