The second edition of Taste MTL (as known as MTL à Table) started yesterday! It is a great opportunity to discover Montreal restaurants, many of which are upscale, at affordable price! The table d’hôte menus range from $19 to $39 before taxes and tip, and some restaurants offer late-night menus after 10 p.m. at $19. It runs from November 1st, 2013 to November 11th, 2013 with over 100 participating restaurants!

I’ve decided to start off with restaurant Plein Sud, which is located in the Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood.

Plein Sud offers a three-course set menu at $19 before tax, which include an entrée, a plats, and a dessert. Menus of each restaurant can be viewed on the Taste MTL’s official website (see the link in the beginning of the post).

The ambiance is really chill, and even though the owner of the restaurant can barely speak/understand English, he still makes an effort to explain the menu to us!

Since this year’s Taste MTL is co-presented by Les produits d’érable du Québec, hence at least one of the dishes in the menu will have maple syrup. This was an amazing appetizer to kick off the night! Goat cheese has never been my favorite cheese, but I loved how the strong taste of goat cheese is well-balanced with the chestnut and maple syrup! The pastry outside is still crispy upon serving. My plate was emptied right away!

Since the other main course is veal (I don’t eat beef/veal), I have to go with this choice. I didn’t know it was served with rice. The calamaris are not overcooked. It is soft and tender. Though the main sauce is tomato puree, it is a bit spicy in the end (but not that spicy to blow you away). The rice is coated with butter, which balanced out the sourness and spiciness of the calamari. However, this was really filling that my friend and I didn’t finish the rice because we still want to save some space for dessert!

Fiadone is a Corsican-style cheesecake. It is typically made with goat’s milk cheese and ricotta. The fiadone at Plein Sud is a lime flavored fiadone. Lime-flavored desserts are often light, which is perfect after a rich, flavorful meal.

Pastizzu is another traditional Corsican dessert. This is another lemon flavoring dessert, which is made with milk, sugar, and eggs. I loved this one, because it is not as lemon-y as the fiadone. The texture is a bit airy and soft, just like a pudding, but more firm.

Overall, this was a great experience! You should definitely try out at least one restaurant before the event ends! However, reservations are not necessary, but it is recommended! Since some of the famous/popular restaurants get full really fast, make sure you call to reserve prior heading to the restaurant!

More posts of Taste MTL will be posted, so stay tuned 🙂