New Vietnamese Star Red Tiger Has All the Ingredients for Success

Geneviève Vézina-Montplaisir writes up new wave Vietnamese restaurant Red Tiger this week for Métro. Led by principals Emilie Nguyen, Phong Thach (both of Kaiji Restaurant in Villeray), and Dan Pham (late of Jack Saloon and Le Confessional), the makeover of the old Lanterne restaurant in the Village was declared a hit, somewhat prematurely, before it served its first citronella beef brochette this past May. When you open a modern Vietnamese pub with cocktails in Montreal, and defiantly veer from the city's tired old pho shops, people get excited. The likes of Hà and Cafeden have done it, and, happily, Red Tiger's attempt, on the whole, merits the hype, infers the Métro contributor.

The restaurant makes a strong first impression on Vézina-Montplaisir. It's a Monday night and Red Tiger is abuzz. "Trouver un restaurant qui affiche presque complet et où il règne une ambiance de fête le jour le plus ennuyant de la semaine, voilà ce qui a de quoi surprendre, mais aussi de quoi égayer une soirée." A good start, in other words. Pro tip: sit at the bar and let Pham guide you through the cocktail list and food menu. "Avec son sourire radieux, Dan se fait un plaisir de nous concocter un des excellents cocktails de la carte (...)."

Between sips of her Pho–Jito, Vézina-Montplaisir enjoys a beef carpaccio with crispy shrimp, peanuts, fish sauce, and Thai basil. It's the dish of the night. Other coups de coeur include grilled skewers of minced beef and pork in betel leaves, mini-crêpes of pork and shrimp, and finger-licking braised pork ribs. The only letdown is a papaya salad that lacks a certain punch. The final verdict: "Avec sa cuisine vraiment savoureuse et sans prétention, son équipe dynamique, son décor unique et son ambiance de feu, le Red Tiger possède tous les ingrédients pour arriver à tirer son épingle du jeu dans le grand monde de la restauration montréalaise."