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| - Imadake, in my ever-fervent quest for good Japanese food in Montréal, doesn't quite hit the spot, but it's nevertheless a decent place in my opinion. I brought my parents here for an American Thanksgiving dinner (no turkey included, unfortunately), and its cozy, dim-lit vibe definitely hit all of the right notes on the ambience front.
After getting our drinks, we ordered eight plates to share among the three of us - the tonkatsu ramen, octopus salad, gindara (broiled cod), yakitori, tsukune patties, pork okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and agedashi tofu. Since the owners of Imadake also run Yokato Yokabai, I was excited to try the ramen; however, it came in an even smaller portion than the one at Yokato for seemingly the same price, and the taste wasn't as flavorful as Yokato's either. In addition, the octopus salad seemed rather small for what we were paying (around $5), and it seems to carry way too much wasabi in one bite (it actually numbs your mouth, and that's coming from someone with a high spice tolerance). Also, the gindara was quite small and less firm than I would have liked it to be, but it had a nice, smoky flavor and the charred skin was arguably the best part, as it was slightly sweet and provided a nice contrast to everything else we had.
Having said all of that, not all of the food was so-so by any means. The yakitori was very juicy and had that really nice grilled chicken taste that's essential for good skewers, and the chicken and pork flavors of the tsukune both came through in a smoky, herby delight. I was most excited to try the okonomiyaki since I've never had it before, and while it was good, I didn't think that there was much pork in there, if any. I did like the interesting texture with the vegetables and how it was different from the crispy outside, though, and I thought the bonito flakes were especially tasty and made it that much better. The takoyaki were perfect little balls of seafood-y goodness, with actual octopus chunks in the middle (some of my favorite things in the world) and a crisp outside that still makes me salivate when thinking about biting into its soft center. The mayonnaise is also a nice touch and reminds me of French fries dipped in mayo, but so much better. Finally, the agedashi tofu was one of the better ones that I've had, with its hot center going very well with the the cool, crisp radish and saltiness of the soy sauce.
Overall, I liked Imadake for what it's worth, although it's definitely a place for you to take your parents if you want a full meal as opposed to just drinks and some snacks. It can get very expensive very quickly as the total bill came to a little over $100, not including tip, so it's not the most ideal place for poor university students. It has a cool atmosphere and fun signature drinks like the sake bomb, but it can get loud pretty quickly as a result. I give extra bonus points to them for playing cool 80's music throughout the night, however, as I found it impossible to not sing along to my favorite tunes the whole night.
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