A ‘Thaiwaiian’ Restaurant and Tiki Bar Has Landed in Old Montreal

An interesting new restaurant and bar opens its doors in Old Montreal today (December 13): serving Thai-Hawaiian food, it’s called the Farsides.

It comes from John Edward Gumbley and his hospitality group Jegantic, who own nearby supper club Bord’elle. The Farsides is taking that supper club format but with quite a different style — it’s part-tiki bar, part tropical fusion restaurant.

On the food side, the Farsides has coined the term “Thaiwaiian” — quite obviously, a mix of Thai and Hawai’ian cuisines. Chef Athiraj Phrasavath (who is also behind Laotian food hall stand Thip Thip, at Le Central) is behind the menu, which features a fancied-up version of Drunken Noodles with yellow curry sauce, lobster, and, in an unusual touch of opulence, cognac. Then there’s the “Big Poppa Pineapple Boat” , which is garlicky Hawai’ian North Shore-style shrimp in a pineapple boat with a sweet-yet-fiery Thai sauce.

There are a few staples like pad thai and a papaya salad on the Thai side, and a poke bowl and malasadas (fruity doughnuts) from Hawai’i.

In short, expect some fairly playful dishes, well-geared towards sharing.

The Farsides/Supplied

The tropical inspiration continues in the bar program — with a cocktail menu put together by Lawrence Picard, Expect tiki classics with twists on most of them, like a mai tai with benedictine, cashew orgeat, lime, and dragonfruit, or the “Shook One” with papaya, passionfruit, aloe, watermelon, and tonka bean syrup.

The Farsides/Supplied

Despite the tiki bar approach, don’t expect the standard tiki bar kitsch in the space — instead, Gumbley has opted for more of a ‘90s hip hop approach (“‘90s Brooklyn”, according to the Farsides), with exposed brick walls covered in graffiti, and even a basketball court (not a full-sized one, though).

STATUS — The Farsides is open at 690 Notre-Dame West from 4:30 p.m. to late Wednesday and Thursday and 6 p.m. to late Friday and Saturday (kitchen closes at midnight every night).

• The Farsides [Official]