As you may have previously read, I’m recovering from a hernia and have just recently begun socializing and going out more. Several weeks ago I spent an afternoon at Montréal’s Spanish club with a close friend and an acquaintance. The acquaintance in this case was David, one of the owners of Thazard. Thazard bills itself as a “Bistro Japonais”/Japanese Bistro”. If you’ve followed my blog you’ll know that I’m big on Japanese culture and have had the pleasure of traveling there on several occasions. I even took out my favorite Japanese shirt for the event:
He mentioned in passing that they would be holding a Japanese BBQ “à la façon Thazard” in a few weeks down the road. That was all the convincing I needed and anxiously waited for the tickets to go on sale. I polled all my friends, suggested they should come. In the end life got In the way and none could make it.
I had been to Thazard on a few occasions, mostly by myself to grab a bite to eat. Although they bill themselves as a “Japanese Bistro” many items on the menu have a Korean influence. For instance they have a great home made kimchi entrée which I order every time I’m there. They also serve Soju, which is always nice on hot humid nights. I had previously tried the kimchi, scallops, calmari, wagyu beef burger and the yaki udon dishes. I had mentioned to Dave that everything I had an opportunity to try in terms of food was good, but I would gladly eat the scallop appetizer and burger over and over again until I got sick. It’s a mix of salty freshness that leaves you craving more. The yaki udon was nice and light and the wagyu beef burger, fries and coleslaw are just simply delicious. Pictures of everything with the exception of the yaki udon below. Click to enlarge!
But enough about the regular menu. I was there for the BBQ à la Thazard!
The event was scheduled to start at 1pm and I made my way there shortly after 2. The place had a good dozen or so people already seated at tables inside the restaurant. I believe initially the plan was to have the event in the back room and the adjoining alley. There was a severe thunderstorm warning in effect for the Montreal area which is why i believe it was moved indoors to the main part of the restaurant. Tickets were 10$ ahead of time, 15$ at the door.
Walked up to the bar as I usually do, found an empty seat and sat down. Dave was busy mixing drinks behind the bar and It wasn’t long before he noticed I was there, made me a drink and grabbed me a plate of food insisting I “grab some right away it’s going fast”. I was in no rush but none the less appreciated the service! A quick look at the food offerings for the BBQ:
I think some customers were a little confused about how the food was being served. More than one person walked up to the bar asking “where do we place our order or get our food?” The Thazard staff had sectioned off a corner of the bar, nearest the kitchen where the chef and staff would bring out plates. Customers could grab what was available as it came out. Once everyone at the event got the hang of things it was just a question of the kitchen keeping up with the demand.
Here’s a picture of some what the Kitchen was serving up. In the picture from bottom to top, are the Japandog, the orishi sandwhich, Okonomiyaki and the shrimp chips in the bowls on the right:
As often occurs as these types of events, people always rush to the food early on and the plates empty fast. I had been planning for the Thazard BBQ weeks in advance and had every intention of staying there until the staff told me it was time to go. It’s for this reason when I first sat down at the bar and saw the people run up to the plates each time one came out I just stayed in my chair and sipped on my drink.
The Thazard BBQ was well attended and had some local media taking pictures as well. I made a few new friends and one transplant from Chicago. We talked about some food recommendations in Chicago as I have a trip planned to the city coming up. The afternoon was “bien arosé” which loosely translates to “well watered”. A french expression to say the alcohol was flowing freely.
I was given a multitude of various drinks and shots throughout the afternoon “on the house”. I didn’t keep count, there was no point.
I got a chance to try every one of the items on the BBQ menu. From the top, the Japadog. Just a great tasty hotdog that wasn’t too heavy. Not certain what type of sauce or hot dog/sausage they had on it, but it was delicious. My newly made Chicago-an? friend informed me that it originated in a Vancouver food truck but I haven’t verified that fact:
It had been suggested to me, while I was in Japan to try some Okonomiyaki. However I had never gotten around to trying some while there. I figured trying it at Thazard would at the very least give me a first taste of the dish.
It had a slightly tangy, mushy and crunchy feel to it. I’m not overly fond of onions and the dish had more than I personally liked but it’s also a staple part of Okonomiyaki. All in all, not a bad first introduction to the dish.
The ribs were flying off the plate as soon as they arrived on the bar. Towards the end of the BBQ I managed to get one onto my plate. It was pure tenderness wrapped in a moist blanket and sprinkled with some sauce and light garnish. Would have gladly eaten a whole rack of them:
The maquereau saisi (mackerel) was another dish that would fly off the plate as soon as it was made available. Once again I decided to hold off towards the later part of the BBQ but was then informed that they were no longer serving any more. None the less Dave indicated it wouldn’t be a problem and a few minutes later I had a plate of the maquereau saisi sitting in front of me. I haven’t eaten enough of these types of dishes to really have an appreciation for it. That being said, as most of Thazards offerings it was light and went down easily:
The last two items were the shrimp chips and the oroshi sandwhich. Unfortunately I didn’t take the time to ask how either of them were prepared. The sandwich had what I believe was some porc and possibly some peppers or tomatoes on nice crisp bread. The shrimp chips were delicately seasoned, salty and simply delicious. Kept grabbing a few to wash down with the various shots and and drinks being thrown my way. You can see the chips, Okonomiyaki and Oronishi sandwich below. Sorry for the bad lighting/quality of this particular pic:
The event was held from 1 pm to 6 pm. It was getting close to 7 pm and there were no patrons left when I decided to pack up and head home. I try to never be the last patron in a place, even if I’m friendly with the staff. They were busy cleaning up and discussing how the event had gone. I settled up with Dave for my tab (thanks again man!) and was on my way.
I certainly hope we’ll be seeing more Thazard BBQ’s in the future. I for one won’t miss the opportunity.
mtl_dokkaebi
