Sorry sorry~

Hello food addicts!
I am not dead! don't worry...unless there's actually no one worrying about me *sob*.
Anywhoo,
I just wanted to write a quick note to say that i haven't been able to make any new posts yet because i am swamped with end of semester work at uni!
Thus, i haven't been able to eat at any new yummy restaurant.
When i do get time, I might do a review of a bakery or an old restaurant i always go to.
In the mean time, if you have any suggestions, please post them below!

Hope everyone is in good health!
Winter is coming so put those hats and scarfs on!

L'Avenue

922 Avenue Mont-Royal
(2 streets east of metro mont-royal)
(514) 523-8780

We all know about St-Denis being an ideal location to wander around for restaurants, bars and vintage shopping excursions.
However, we must not forget Mont-Royal which also delivers flavour to Montreal.
The restaurant L'Avenue is one of the best place by excellence to get your healthy meal to start your day. In fact, they are so famous for their breakfast that it is available to you until 4pm!
Perfect place after a hungover morning! haha
Not a fan of breakfast? Rest assured! they also serve dinner!
I've been to L'Avenue several times and it never fails to amaze me.
Find out why in the next section!

Ambience
When you step into L'Avenue, you step into another world!
As you could tell from the picture above, L'Avenue screams audacity.
The decoration of this place is unique and contemporary.
And they change it almost every season.
But in a few words, L'Avenue is Sin City.
The walls are spraypainted with a motorcycle hanging from the ceiling, on the verge of falling on top of you at any moment notice!
It fits in Mont-Royal's hip & chic atmostphere.
To be noted that at night, the lights are dimmed-down to enhance the ambience, so if you want your company to be able to see the decor appropriately, then eating in the morning or when there is still natural lighting is adviced!



Besides it's decor, the menu is also fitted.
It is also elaborately designed to go hand in hand with the surroundings.
As you can see below, it's comic book-like.
They have changed it and now it is in a newspaper format with fun headlines to read while waiting for the waiter.
I will at this point dully notify you that L'Avenue is not a place for those who are impatient as there is a line-up expected.
This place is so hip, you don't even have to ask why there is one!



Finally, another thing that is not to be missed when going to this restaurant is the restroom.
That's right..the restroom!
You think entering L'Avenue is wild enough, wait until you step into the restroom!
You step, once again, into another world. (picture below)
It is very dark and the lighting is red-tinted.
I wouldn't suggest you going in there if you have very bad vision.
But this restroom is also themed and let's just say that it's give you the impression that you just entered a filthy bathroom on the corner ally near a gas station (it's not literally filthy...but you feel dangerous and wild hahahaha).



Food
As i raved about earlier, you can get your breakfast or dinner.
You get your typical choice of eggs, sausage, bacons, ham, crepes, pancakes, waffles, etc...
For dinner, there is a bit of everything, from pasta, to hamburgers, to sandwiches, to thai dishes.

Must try
Breakfast
-2 Omega 3 eggs with sausages (served with fruits, well-seasoned potatoes and your choice of bread)

Dinner
-Kobe burger (made of the famous japanese beef!)
-Steak de bavette
-Philly cheesesteak sandwich

Price
The price is reasonnable.

[$$]
From this post on, i will instore the $$$$ rating system as other sites have so you can get a better idea instead of just telling you it's in your price range or not haha.

$ = under 10$
$$ = ~20$
$$$ = ~30$...and so on

OVERALL RATING
9/10

Do you have guests, friends, girlfriend you want to impress?
Bring them to L'Avenue, there won't be a dull moment!
I would've given a perfect score but i included the potential line-up factor.
I do hope you are patient enough because it's worth it and if you really don't like the idea, then simply go at another time (i.e.: not between 10am-1pm).

Enjoy!~

Cananut

6858 Jean-Talon Est
(near buffet La Stanza)
(514) 256-1212

Do you go nuts for nuts?
Haha, alright i admit that was lame but i couldn't resist!

I will unfortunately be reviewing less restaurants since school started and i'm on a budget crunch!
(Forever 21 has made a big dent in my wallet)

Have you ever gone to the supermarket, passed by the "nuts and dry fruits" section and gotten a sudden crave? Yet, it goes away the moment your eyes land on the price!

Well my sister's friend recommended we go get our nutty cravings satisfied by going to Cananut.

Sadly, i forgot to bring my camera so i couldn't take pictures...oh boy did i want to take them!

The place is amazing! you step in and there are bins filled with different nuts, rice and spices.
You get your favourite nuts (pistachio,walnut,hazelnut,sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds,etc..) in different flavours (lemon, BBQ, mixed,etc..).
They also come salted, half-salted and unsalted.

Fill up a plastic bag with your desired amounts and off you go!

Ginza

4593 rue Saint-Denis
(514) 904-0079

Another all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant!
My sister found this place a while ago.

Ambience
Ginza is a nice little hub.
You have the choice of eating inside or on the terrace.
It's very cozy and mellow.
Hard to explain but the dimmed-lighting enables you to relax.
There are two floors; on the upper one, you'll have the sushi chefs at the back preparing some yummy food!
Even the slight asian zen music just makes you feel at home, far away from a restaurant.

Food
They offer you the typical variety of sushi you find at Kanda or any other sushi shops.
However, they have a neat menu separate from the "ordering sheet" which gives you the name of the sushi and its composition.
They have a hefty recto-verso menu with large varieties and different specialties.
I am a BIG fan of BBQ eel and i must say Ginza offers the biggest piece out of all the All-you-can-eat sushi restaurants!

Must try
-Tiger eye
-BBQ Eal
-Paradise
-Shrimp tempura

Unfortunately, i only remember those.
I will deff add more to this list once i get the chance to go again
gomen ne~

Price
The average of 25$ per person like most of the all-you-eat places.

OVERALL RATING
8.5/10

It was definitely a good restaurant.
However, i'm not sure if it was because my mind was somewhere else but i didn't find anything memorable besides the charm and the specialties.
Or maybe it's because i went to too many sushi buffets hahahaha!

5000 Ans on St-Denis

3141 Saint-Denis
(near metro Sherbrooke)
(514) 845-8902

"Bibimbap"

"from L to R: salad, my arm, kimchi, tteokbokki, korean BBQ"

credit for pics: Diane V. =)

OI! it's been a while! please don't throw rocks harhar!
I've been lazy, too busy eating and started postponing my blog =S
BUT i'm back for now with my FAVOURITE korean restaurant at the mo!
5000 ans is a nice little place and it is owned and managed by koreans so you CANNOT go wrong with that!

Interesting fact: 5000 years refers to how long korean cuisine has been around or so they explain on the menu.

Ambience
It's small and homey.
I don't know how else to describe it. You easily feel like you are in that little neighbourhood shop that serves a good hot meal.
If you are lucky, they will play korean music haha! However, the last couple of times i went, they played random "normal" music which made me sad

Food
The first thing you get is a refreshing cup of iced rice tea! (free refills obviously).
They pretty much have the basic korean dishes such as bibimbap, korean BBQ, kimchi and tteokbokki
The first two pics are taken on the spot! (you can also see my arm haha)
Doesn't it all look yummy!
The bibimbap is my personal fav! It's korean rice with vegetables and meat (i always take beef), topped off with a raw egg. All of this comes in a traditional hot korean bowl that keeps the food hot and cooking while you eat! (sorry for the lack of better wording). The best part is to let the bowl "burn" your rice, the taste is amazing!
Another goody is the korean BBQ. It's a set for two people. It comes with a miso soup, a salad and a bibimbap.

There's also the special lunch menu which comes with a miso soup, your dish, and ice cream!

Must try
-Dolsot bibimbap (#1 of the restaurant)
-Korean BBQ
-Tteokbokki (ricecake and fishcake with glass noodles in a spicy sauce)
-Haemul Pajeon (Seafood pancake)

Price
Reasonable price for what i ate.
Under 20$/person.
The KBBQ is 30$, the bibimbap is around 12,99$, the side dishes are 3-5$.

OVERALL RATING

10/10

I'm sorry if i didnt sound enthusiastic enough even though i've been raving about this place to everyone and ANYONE! But i'm half-asleep writing this =S
I've eaten at this place 3 times the other week so i'm pretty sure you can figure out how much i love it!

Au Festin de Babette

4085 rue Saint-Denis
(514) 849-0214

My co-worker (check out her blog via the sidebar!) pointed out last friday that i hadn't been making new updates! I'm terribly sorry my food addicts!
I've been busy with work and stuff, but i'm back today with a review of my favourite ice cream place. I will admit, i'm a bit reluctant to tell everyone about this magical place but it deserves the credit and praise.

Have you ever heard of the movie Babette's feast - Le Festin de Babette?
I watched it last year in my humanities class haha.
I don't know if this place has any relation to it but it is a delicious ice cream feast alright!
I'll have to ask the owners one day.

Ambience
Has i said before, this place is MAGICAL! You walk in and you feel teleported to a shop in the countryside/beachside of France. My first impression that it gave me was a feeling oh "homyness and cozyness". What gives it charm is the mismatched furnitures, intricate "bric-à-brac" and the products from France (sel de mer, tapenas, confitures, syrop de fruit,etc..).
Actually, the other night when i went with my sister, the owners were changing and adding some new furnitures which i must say were very nice pieces! They even asked us for our opinion! I was so honoured haha. Dorky me <3

Food
They make ice cream, ice cream coffee drinks, chocolate, and with the furniture, they are about to be selling cakes!
They are known for their special soft ice cream (crème molle). They have different flavour combinations, reaching from the traditional ones such as mango, strawberry, peach, banana, chocolate, etc.. to peculiar ones which have basilic, clove, cinnamon, ginger, etc..added to it!
They have a machine which mixes the frozen fresh fruits and other ingredients together and gives out the perfect swirly "crème molle" shape!

Must try
- Cumbia (mango, strawberry)
- Du Lac (raspberry, blueberry)
- Caramba (mango,strawberry,banana)
- Tourbillon de chocolat

Price
I don't remember the exact price, but for a generous scoop of crème molle and sugar cone (one size), it comes down to around 4$
Not expensive at ALL!

OVERALL RATING

10/10

This is my all-time favourite place to hang out! I just feel like i'm back in France again when i walk through those doors! I hope they never change how they run things!

À la prochaine mes food addicts <3

~Food Haul~

Hello food addicts <3
As you can see from the picture above, I made some damage at Kim Phat on Jarry.
Couldn't resist buying some goodies hehe.
I was only going to do restaurant reviews but since its a food blog and i'm a food addict and this is food we are talking about...i figured i'd mix things up a little and add in some food haul!
(So you can see how fat i will get...just joking C=)

-Hello Kitty Candy
I couldn't resist! notice my HK music player and i also bought HK MAC cosmetics!
They were pretty expensive but that's because they are 100% made in Japan.
They come in lemon, strawberry and grape flavour, and comes with a special sticker!





-Hello Panda cookies
The classic Hello Panda's filled with choco yummyness! =3
It's been a while since i've eaten these.

-Pocky and Pepero
Another classic!
Pocky now comes in small individual bags of 7 pocky choco sticks!
Pepero is the korean version of the japanese sweet.
Aren't the packages shiny?! haha
Now all i need is to find someone to play the pocky/pepero game with me ;)


-"Round/balled cookies"
I forgot how these are called =/
But they taste like childhood memories!
Let it melt in your mouth or crunch, it's the perfect thing to munch (on)



-Honey bow-tie
These are soo good to eat but kinda greasy haha.
Fried flour coated with honey!
To be eaten with a glass of water near by!


-Seaweed rice crackers
This was actually my sister's pick!
She likes seaweed a lot hehe




-"Korean" Udon
This is what my sis and i had for dinner C=
Some good ol' japanese udon...korean style! Exactly the same but with the added spicyness
Left: Seafood flavour Right: Katsuo (mushroom)
Each come with two servings per pack!
We had the one i picked (left) hehehe. It was very easy to make and delicious!
We added some "beef balls" for meat.



Do all these goodies make you hungry yet? ;)

Noodle Factory

1018 Saint-Urbain
(514) 868-9738

Wonder why my blog is named addicted to ramen? Wonder no more!
it is because i love ramen and noodles in general (so happy i found a background with soba <3)
When you are a drama addict like i am, you always salivate when you watch the characters eat ramen! (i.e.: Gokusen, Ramen Girl, Boys Before Flower kor)
Therefore, my sister and i decided to google up some ramen/noodle shops!
We stumbled upon Noodle Factory located in good ol' Chinatown, just in front of the bakery Harmony!

Ambience
As you can see in the picture above, there is a chef that is preparing noodles and dumplings right in front of your eyes! (behind a glass window for sanitary reasons of course).
How many restaurants do you know that prepares food right in front of you! not many i am sure!
It may well be called Noodle "Factory", it is rather small compare to an actual factory.
It can seat up to 30 people. Quite small but they do have air cons and the feeling is amazing when you finish a big bowl of ramen with well-earned sweat! (at least that's the way i feel..)
I would say small but cozy.

Food
LOVE IT!
However, some have said it lacked seasoning and taste. It really comes down to how "seasoned" you like things to be.
I found it just perfect and anyways, the point of eating noodles is not to drink the broth but to enjoy the noodles and toppings! Not to say that there isn't more than one way to eat noodles!

Must try
- #22 Pork and Spicy vegetables noodles
-#3 Fried spring onion pancakes

Price
I found it very reasonable. A big bowl of ramen for 6.95$ and the pancakes were 3$.

OVERALL RATING

10/10

Generous portions for a small price! I'd say if you don't have a big appetite to share the bowl of ramen and take some appetizers. And if you do share, they will make the bowl a bit bigger ;)

Odaki Japanese Restaurant

1836 Sainte-Catherine West
(514) 846-1268

Buffet
Lunch: 16.99$
Dinner: (Sunday-Thursday) 22.99$
(Friday & Saturday) ~26.99$

My first review will be on Odaki on St-Cath's near Concordia (NOT to be confused with Odaki on Saint-Laurent!) because that's the latest place i've been to..hence it is the freshest in my memory and palate! Also, because when i tried searching for reviews about this place, i could not find any decent ones. I've been a Kanda-shipper for a long time and was very hesitant when my good friend proposed we tried it and i must say i did not regret going somewhere else for once!

Ambience
Very modern and slick decor.
Good for all types of people (i.e.: business, family, students, date..)
The little conveyer belt gives a nice "japanese" feel which i like!
Now when we think about conveyer belt, we imagine sitting on stools and the conveyer passes in front of us...unfortunately that is not the case.
However, I was happy to actually be able to pick food up from it haha.
If there are still available tables, you can choose to sit "beside" the contraption.

Food
The food was very delicious!
Yet, some will agree and some won't.
If you are looking for a place to eat a variety of sushi, this is not the place.
Odaki indeed offers sushi but it specializes more into side dishes.
There are the traditionally famous sushis you will find at any sushi place and there are a wide variety of asian cuisine. Japanese, chinese, thai, vietnamese, you name it! it's probably there!
(I'm not sure about korean though..maybe in the main menu)
Now the pro about this concept is that if you want to bring someone but don't know if they like sushi or not, they should still be able to enjoy the odaki experience with the dishes.
That's why i can finally bring my mom who doesn't like sushi haha.
I was very happy to have been able to eat somen (cold soba) and sweet omelette!
However, i was sad that they didn't offer kanda's BBQ eel =C

Must try
- Somen (conveyer belt)
- Sweet omelette
- Spicy roll
- Garlic shrimp
- Fried scallops

Price
I found the price very decent for a rapport qualité/prix. It is close to Kanda's.
***I previously said they didn't charge if you left any pieces..well i went back today (29/07/09) and it read at the bottom of the page that they charged 1$ per piece.
=/

OVERALL RATING

7.5/10

I look forward to coming back a second time and maybe add some more info about Odaki!
I was indeed impressed by this restaurant but then again, i'm a sucker for anything that is visually well-presented.
***UPDATE 29/07/09
This second time around, there were more people therefore no more seats next to the conveyer belt which really dissapointed me because i wanted my sister to try it out.
very dissapointing because if you aren't next to the conveyer belt, you can't pick up the stuff you see. Since i knew already, i was able to ask the waitress who was kind enough to bring us a flavoured somen, sesame mochi and some fruits.
In consequence, i lowered my rating down.

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not eat well.

At this moment and for a long time,
I have felt the exact words of Virginia Wolf.
We cannot think, move, love, feel, etc..
if we have not eaten well.

I have always loved eating good food
and who doesn't enjoy doing so?! haha.
Lately, i had the chance to eat at many different places around Montreal.
But like any other avid searcher of reviews and ratings before actually going to the place itself,
I googled and many times, it took me a while to find decent information.

Then it hit me!
Why don't i start a Food Blog to help people from Montreal
know more about the restaurants around town?!

So here starts the adventure!

Bon Appétit!