So you’ve decided to take a vacation and see one of the world’s great cities. There are some significant must do’s in terms of eating in Montreal.  By day 4, you should have already successfully gorged yourself at Schwartz’s on the “Small Plate” of smoked meat, doubled your blood cholesterol by having 3 orders of poutine, and saved a ridiculous amount of cash while getting plastered at the Peel Pub on Rue Peel. (60 oz pitcher of beer plus a grill cheese sandwich for only $7.99). Throw in the odd shwarma or bagel and you’re probably ready for a curry as you’re next meal.

Its not difficult find Indian restaurants in big cities like Montreal. After a Crescent Street Pub crawl, I ran into at least 2 or 3. I was tempted to try the Chicken Phal at Allo Inde (or Hello India en Anglais) because you rarely, if ever, see Phal on the menu. Phal is typically hotter than both Vindaloo and Chili Chicken. I’ve never had it and would venture to say that most people who eat curry 3 times a day probably only try it once in their lifetime. I chickened out after remembering that our webmistress told me to stay clear of Allo Inde.

On Rue Stanley towards Sherbrooke sits a posh restaurant call le Taj (that’s French for THE Taj). I walked in and was nearly knocked unconscious by a girl carrying her snowboard out of the restaurant. Bizarre, but I guess the city is named after the mountain in middle of the island.

I was seated at the coldest possible table (next to the window) next to two women maybe 7-10 years older than me. As I waited for the menu, I eavesdropped on their conversation. Mostly they just complained about their marriages and discussed strategies to “engage” their husbands more. I imagined what it would be like to throw myself thru the window to break up the monotony.

Shortly after ordering a very thick lassi, a group of American ski tourists show up. I figured there must be some bizarre secret ski chalet in the Eaton’s Center or in the underground city. They spent most of their meal debating whether tandoori was suppose to be spicy and complaining about other people on their ski tour. Throwing myself through the window was slowly becoming a more inviting proposition.      

The menu, as most menus in Montreal, is in both languages. That being said, there is something not quite right about seeing Butter Chicken translated to Poulet au Buerre. I ordered a dish that I’ve never had before: Chicken Xacutti. It’s a flavourful tomato and coconut dish from South India, with a healthy dose of coriander thrown in for fun. I can’t say I’ve ever considered combining coconut and tomatoes but maybe there’s something to it because it was very tasty. X marks the spot! The naan was decent and they even threw in a complimentary dish of saffron rice. Ace!

The food was excellent at Le Taj and would recommend it to anyone in Montreal on business or a ski trip. Score: Solid 8/10

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