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| - This was actually a bit of a dark horse during my trip to Montreal. I did not expect to find a Jamaican joint near Le Centre Bell downtown, much less a decent/good one, but here we are.
Location - On Rue Bishop between Rene Levesque and Ste. Catherine, between Metro Guy-Concordia and Metro Peel on the Green line, closer to the former. It's a bar hopping area near le Centre Bell. Not a conspicious place - kind of quiet, off the beaten path, next to a Middle Eastern joint (I ate there too) and an Italian restaurant. In fact if I had to judge it only by the looks from the outside I would not have bothered.
Service - a little slow that night as there is only a single, rather busy young Indian waiter manning the helm. He was serving the tables, mixing the drinks, settling the bills and etc, and he was actually rather courteous and friendly. He got chatty with me after about 15 minutes. We kinda joked about the lack of Jamaicans in the restaurant (yes, we both know that there are Chinese and Indian Jamaicans. They were bought to the West Indies as indentured servants back in the days)
The food - I had the Ackee and Saltfish (served with plantains, Jamaican sweet potatoes, Calaloo, with rice and peas), and my date had the Jerk Chicken with the same sides. The Jerk chicken was only the breast filet (so a little questionable in strict authenticity) but it packed a good amount of smokey spicy flavor, and my Ackee was actually better than the ones I enjoyed for breakfast in Flatbush, Brooklyn (where Jamaican restaurants are on nearly every corner). It was tender but not overcooked, well balanced with the saltfish, bell peppers, allspice, thyme, and with a hint of Scotch Bonnet pepper, so it's flavorably spicy and extremely delicious. The plantains were sweet, thick rounds, browned on each side but not greasy. The sweet potatoes were good, and the rice and peas have a hint of coconut and nutmeg to them.
The Drinks - were tempted to order something alcoholic, but went with Sorrel (Hisbiscus tea with ginger) - was not disappointed. That was the flavor I enjoyed back in Brooklyn. My date ordered Ting (Jamaican Grapefruit soda) and it went very well with her jerk chicken.
Dessert - Mango ice cream for the lady (very flavorful, made with Alfonso mangoes), and sweet potato pudding for me. It was more like a rich cake made with sweet potato. Nutmeg, brown sugar, a little bit of rum.
Value - I paid almost $35/person for a meal for 2 wth drinks and a dessert. It's kind of expensive for a meal in Montreal compared to, say, a chicken roti or a Half Poulet avec frites et salade at Rotisserie Romado, but if you are in downtown you will probably have to pony up for everthing ($9 to13 for a meal at Boustan, Basha or Amir the last I checked). Look - It's Montreal. Quebec immigration requires French comprehension, thus it's not an attractive place for the Jamaicans to immigrate. Your chances of finding a place like this is not all that high (even in Anglo areas like Westmont or Parc Extension). This is a good solid Jamaican place, one that would do decent business if it was located in Toronto or Flatbush. However, the fact that it was located in the downtown area of a city known for its culinary accomplishments in fries+cheese curd+gravy, and this suddenly becomes a downright jewel. I would recommend going there at least once during a visit to Montreal as a counterpoint to the local cuisine (especially some of the dreadful stuff downtown), and to go there if you are a local just to annoy your fellow Canadian guests with this foreign concept called spicy flavors. You and your guests will be pleasantly surprised.
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