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| - This was my first stop for the #TasteMTL/#MTLATable extravaganza. Barbounya is a Turkish restaurant - they offered up a tasting menu containing 10 dishes, plus two desserts, at a fixed price of $29. They offer wine pairing for an additional cost, if this interests you.
Location: Laurier West - if you get to the restaurant early, you can check out the shops in the area to kill time. I lucked out and got a parking spot right outside the restaurant - Woohoo! That said, I'm not sure if this would have happened if I had arrived later in the evening (I got there around 5:15 and our reservation was at 6pm).
Service: The host was OK. Our wait staff was lovely - they explained each dish to us so we knew exactly what we were getting. Overall, the service was a bit slow BUT, it was a full house due to event, so no real complaints here. This allowed us to enjoy our food and conversation at a leisurely pace and we never felt rushed to leave after we finished our meal - I think we stayed for an hour after we paid, and no one asked us to hit the road.
Food: I posted a photo of the full menu, so won't outline each dish here; I'm not sure if all restaurants will be doing this, but Barbounya served all items on their menu in small portions, so we got to taste everything. The Mezzes were delicious! The Barbounya and Lakerda were both absolutely amazing, and for someone who isn't really into mussels, I really enjoyed these - the broth was super savory and very light. I think the Barbounya and Lakerde were my favorite, but I loved the other Mezzes too so it's tough to pick one specific dish.
Sadly, the mains didn't impress me as much as the Mezzes. Now, that being said, I am generally not a meat eater so you will have to judge for yourselves. The pork belly was way too chewy for me though the crispy bits were quite good. My dinner date loved the pork belly so I don't think you can go wrong with that one because she's a pork belly afficionado. The quail left me unimpressed as it was dark meat, which I am not a fan of. That said, I found it to be too chewy for my taste and lacking in overall flavor. Surprisingly (keep in mind that I hardly ever eat read meat, like ever!), I enjoyed the spicy lamb tartar. The flavor was pronounced but not overpowering at all. Of course, it's raw meat so I'm going to use the word 'chewy' once again, but it was quite good. My favorite was the barley salad - it was delicious and the flavor was outstanding.
For dessert, we had baklava and a walnut chocolate mouse w/maple syrup. O.M.G that was the best dessert EVER! If you love chocolate, you will adore this dessert. Words can't describe it's deliciousness, though the wait staff told me the chef made it with love, so I guess I was tasting all that love :) The baklava was equally good - moist and not too sweet. I've had baklava in Turkey and can say that this one is on par with it.
Vibe: Awesome. Loved the space, loved the music. It's super casual and very chillaxed. The only thing I don't understand is the big bull on the wall. Bulls aren't really a Turkish thing! :)
Verdict: Defnite hit - I will go back to try out their a la carte menu. Check it!
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