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| - Having lived in the US and tasted how good a true mission-style burrito could really be, I had high expectations going into my first visit at M4. I used to eat at Chipotle at least twice a week and the lack of a decent mission-style burrito place in Montreal has been killing me.
Place: The place has a great location on St. Denis not too far from both UQAM and Sherbrooke Ave. The interior of the place shouts, "We are the closest thing to Chipotle without being Chipotle." They have the stainless steel throughout the store and have substituted Chipotle's red for the color orange. That being said, it's a good looking shop and nearly identical down to the burrito prep counter.
Food: A meal is only as good as the ingredients and this is where M4 has dropped the ball. They were able to copy the look, but not the taste of Chipotle. For a mission-style burrito it's all about the rice, beans and meat. The cilantro infused rice at M4 lacks the freshness, aroma and flavor of the original. Beans are hard to mess up, but I found the beans undercooked and much too firm. Last but not least was the carnitas. M4's meat is a far cry from the delicious, slow-cooked succulent carnitas you'd expect. Bland, hunks of unseasoned pork leave you unsatisfied and grabbing for some hot sauce to drown your sorrows.
Service: No waitresses or waiter at M4, but you do get to watch the people make your food. I'm not sure if they were trainees or just very unconfident employees, but they really rolled those burritos like amateurs. Practice makes perfect and I hope they improve.
Price: ~$22 for two burritos and chips/guacamole. Decent price for Montreal fast food.
Tip: Email, tweet, Facebook and write Chipotle to open up a shop in Montreal. It's ridiculous that in a town the size of Montreal we can't get a decent mission-style burrito. Even Paris has a Chipotle.
Needless to say, I won't be back.
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