Reviews for Gia Ba, Aunt Dai, Labarake and More

Despite her call for punchier flavours, put Marie-Claude Lortie in the Gia Ba camp. The La Presse critic ventures to the Sichuan temple and files a short, mostly positive review: "Un certain nombre de plats hors des sentiers battus dans un quartier en quête d'originalité et d'authenticité." [La Presse]

Sarah Musgrave (behind the paywall) introduces us to another Chinese restaurant, Aunt Dai. A 'Good Bet' from the Gazette casual restaurant critic: "The highlights were real highlights. Top of that list was a sauced-up plate of sweet and spicy eggplant that was bordering on caramelized, with a softened and brown-purple skin split open to show off a soft and puffy interior wading around in chilies, black beans, bell peppers and small strands of pork, with chopped green onions for garnish. " [The Gazette]

Labarake Caserne à Manger (behind the paywall) earns a very respectable 2.5 stars from Lesley Chesterman. All the more impressive for the Rosemont restaurant when you consider that the critic was accompanied by her famously finicky sons: "It would be easy to dismiss Labarake as yet another soulless restaurant that serves gussied-up comfort foods like shrimp cocktail and designer poutine (enhanced with braised short-rib meat and a Bordelaise sauce). But it's better than that." [The Gazette]

Thierry Daraize (behind the paywall) sees hints of Sin City in the South Shore at Pizzeria Sofia: "Voilà un concept spectaculaire dans sa présentation, toutefois un peu moins dans son contenu pour cette nouvelle pizzeria au Quartier DIX30 de Brossard." [Le Journal de Montréal]

If Jean-Philippe Tastet had his druthers, he'd make it to SAT Foodlab more often. A (behind the paywall) rave: "Ce Labo culinaire est un endroit lumineux, tant dans les assiettes que dans tout ce qui concourt à rendre intéressante une visite à cette adresse." [Le Devoir]