Food With A Point

It’s very rare when one goes out for dinner with others and not once during the meal is there something that someone won’t eat. It is particularly uncommon when at least one person at the table likes to stick to European standards that have been tested and true and you take them to a modern take on a Vietnamese restaurant. This was the scenario but a few days ago when I patronized La Feuille de Menthe with some friends.

This newbie on the scene can be found in the old locales of Au Cyclo, a Montreal Vietnamese trademark back in it’s day. I had never been to the previous so I can only attest to our present experience, which on the abnormally frigid night, was cozy and very soothing.

It is important to set the stage because without a doubt, one does not go to La Feuille de Menthe for the décor (I had flashbacks of the Asian buffet I frequented as a child in Brossard) or the ambient music (Julio Iglesias muzak) or because they want a fast meal (we were the only table and yet managed to linger for three hours when it could have been more like two). Essentially, if you aren’t in a good mood and plan to nitpick, don’t go on that night. However, if you have friends you haven’t seem in a few months and there is some catching up to do, people to gossip about and exchanges of information about past culinary escapades, head to this spot. It’s casual and comfortable in every sense.

Once seated, we asked the owner to guide us through the menu. I found it clever that she included laminated reviews of the restaurant with the menu, allowing us to gauge which dishes might be of interest, depending on the critics we most associate to – a filter of sorts. In the end, she made the final decision because her smile swayed us to believe she would make the best choices and we were handsomely rewarded.

Three people, three soups. One crab and tomato, one chicken and coconut and one won-ton (I mentioned this was a modern establishment). No comments other than delicious and balanced were uttered between slurps.

A plate with two spring rolls cut sushi-style and artfully presented came next. Typically light yet overflowing with rice vermicelli, the beef and mint was robust compared to the shrimp and basil variety but both married well with the warm peanut sauce.

Next, a tempura battered and fried soft-shelled crab not only reaffirmed to those who had previously enjoyed them how good this dish really is but actually converted the other, generally more squeamish member – a noble feat in itself.

The main dishes were when we understood the genius that is Vietnamese cuisine, when properly executed. Poisson a l’aneth or Dill fish is exactly that. Served on a sizzling plate, a tender and juicy whitefish is carpeted with loads of fresh dill and green onion. Take some rice vermicelli on your plate, add some lettuce, mint, coriander and purslane leaves, some Nuoc mam (fish brine) and top with the fish and some roasted peanuts. Heaven, pure and simple. The other main dish was a whole coconut, filled with a creamy seafood, broccoli and button mushroom stew. Spoon on some rice and add a dash of teriyaki sauce and you’ll know how balanced flavours and textures can lead to total escapism.

After such a feast, there was no need for dessert yet the fortune cookies that came with the bill (about $20+tx/person) were such a great touch. Far from being chic, they were in perfect harmony with the décor, the muzak and the semi-kitsch presentations on the plate. Mostly, they evoked the nostalgia of Asian meals pasts while also speaking to the fundamental values of this meal – good, comfort food with a lot of soul. There is wisdom to that just as there is wisdom in those cookies…

La Feuille de Menthe

5136 Parc, (514.272.1477)

It’s a BYOW. I would opt for something like a Gewürztraminer or a sweeter Riesling from Alsace but nothing serious - something fun.