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| - We've visited Solymar twice on separate visits to Montreal. The first time because a friend in Ottawa recommended their jalea and the second time because we enjoyed it so much the first time. Our first experience was a four-star experience, but the second visit would have only gotten them two stars, so I've averaged it out at three.
On our first time the two of us went for dinner. Our server was very accomodating and helpful in choosing portion sizes and dishes. There was a band playing which did make it rather loud but I thought it was fun. On the table are plantain chips and fried or roasted corn, both of which are addictive. We ordered the small Solymar jalea and a small Solymar ceviche and a bottle of Alsatian white to pair with them. We ordered this combination on both visits because they really complement one another well.
Just so you know - the jalea and the ceviche come in HUGE portions. We were able to finish them mostly because they were seafood and not too heavy (even though the jalea is fried), but we would have been fine with 2/3 the food.
On our second visit we went for lunch on a Sunday afternoon because the boyfriend had been itching to go back with a third person to add some of the barbecued meat to our meal, so we brought his mum. All three of us are anglophones, but we can get by in French if we need to. Our server came to the table and greeted us in French, and when we asked if he spoke English he looked embarassed, said he would find someone who did (also in French, which is fine) and disappeared. From that moment on the staff avoided our table like the plague. Although everyone who came to our table from then on did speak a bit of English (we felt as though we were communicating with them just fine), they were obviously uncomfortable dealing with us and so the service was extremely slow and inattentive. (Luckily we ordered a bottle of wine, so we could pour for ourselves.) We really wouldn't have minded accomodating the staff by making our best attempt at French, but once they found out we spoke English they never gave us a chance. It was realy disappointing.
We ordered the jalaea and the ceviche again (still "small" plates) and added on beef short ribs from the grill. The jalea and ceviche were as delicious together as we remembered - the lime in the ceviche cuts the fat from the fried seafood just perfectly and the vegetables that come with both are different and delicious.
The beef short ribs had a great smoky flavour, but they were very tough. They came with rice and a salad that we didn't end up eating, but only because we had too much food. It's worth noting that while the jalea and ceviche are great for sharing and the portions of all three meals are huge, the way the rice and salad came with the short ribs made it pretty obvious that it's intended to be a meal for one.
I always decide to bump a restaurant up to four stars based on whether or not I would go back given that there are lots of other great places to eat. Obviously we felt that way after our first visit, but based on our last visit alone I wouldn't go back to Solymar unless I was with someone who spoke fluent French. There are other Peruvian restaurants in the city, we'll try them out next time we're in the mood.
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