New Chinatown Restaurant Tiramisu Incorporates Japanese Ingredients Into Classic Italian Dishes | Eater Montreal

"Located just behind the lion-flanked arches on Saint-Laurent at corner Viger on the ground floor of Hilton’s newly constructed Hampton & Homewood Suites hotel, I learned this swank new restaurant has settled into Montreal’s Chinatown and is currently in a soft opening ahead of an official debut planned for November 26. Incorporating Japanese ingredients into classic Italian dishes, the menu includes arancini made with sushi rice and served with a miso-based aioli; lasagna layered with a tonkotsu sauce and Asian celery; rigatoni arrabbiata seasoned with the Japanese spice blend togarashi and a yuzu-flavoured hot sauce to drizzle on top; panna cotta made with white soy and honey; and tiramisu spiked with Japanese whiskey. For skeptics of this kind of interplay—new to Montreal but well-liked elsewhere and sometimes referred to as Itameshi—there are still plenty of pasta and pizza options that fit squarely in the Italian camp. For drinks, I noted sakes and wines plus a cocktail list put together by Old Montreal favourite Coldroom where Italian standards (say, a negroni) get a Japanese twist (say, smoked plum). The project comes from the Lucky Belly Group (which also includes Le Red Tiger, Thip Thip, and Le Blossom) with executive chef Chanthy Yen, and the 3,000-square-foot space, designed by MRDK, mixes plush velvets, rounded furniture, retro light fixtures, terrazzo, groovy tile and upholstery patterns, and luxe marbles in a look inspired by 1960s Italian design. It also includes a café component called Caffè Misu serving beans from Café Saint-Henri plus Italian pastries and gelato, a sibling restaurant named Carla is planned for spring 2022 on the sixth floor, and the restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner at 989 St Laurent Blvd." - Valerie Silva