Reviews for Iwashi, H4C, Ludger and More

Sarah Musgrave provides the first serious review of Café Sardine's izakaya and quickly homes in on what may well be Montreal's new food addiction: "Karaage chicken ranks high in the world pantheon of fried chicken. Iwashi's was a no-brainer. Served hot and crisped with aioli and cabbage, it delivered with gingery-salty marinade on the meat under the dry crunch of a deep-fried crust. (Danger: It can be ordered to go, tempting for a midnight nibble.)" [Gazette]

Saint-Henri's H4C earns an endorsement from Lesley Chesterman, thanks, in no small part, to one dessert: "Served on a long plate, the mix included an apple sorbet, an apple brunoise, apple jelly, muesli and a large quenelle of buckwheat ice cream. The way that gorgeous ice cream played off the muesli was brilliant, but the inspired addition of a slice of cheddar cheese in the middle of it all took this dish to another level." [Gazette]

Ludger is about as hot as it gets in Montreal and Marie-Claude Lortie is down: "Rien de gastronomique, rien de néo-créatif. Rien de post-moderne non plus. Juste de la bonne bière, de bonnes huîtres, des bons plats. Mais surtout, surtout, une atmosphère sympathique." [La Presse]

Jean-Philippe Tastet heads to Granby to check out the restaurant of a Joe Beef alum: "Quand on a du talent et qu'on travaille fort, en sortant de chez ces gens-là on finit rarement à la plonge ailleurs. François Côté a du talent, travaille fort et a ouvert son restaurant L'Impérial à Granby. Excellente idée, les bonnes tables n'étant pas légion dans la région." [Le Devoir]

Meanwhile, back in the city, Gildas Meneu considers Maghreb microresto La Petite Adresse a hidden gem: "Une cuisine parfumée, savoureuse, servie avec amour par une équipe passionnée." [Voir]

Gemma Horowitz likes Mile End's new pizzeria, Moteur: "The space itself has been given a trendy update and has the potential to turn that sleepy corner of Outremont into more of a destination. But, really, it's the pizza that matters." [Cult MTL]

Less review than synopsis, Thierry Daraize lists the particulars of the recent Massimo Bottura and Umberto Cesari collabo at Graziella from this past Monday. [Le Journal de Montréal]
[Photo: Randall Brodeur]