Nora Gray has been on my list for quite a while. Ever since I decided that I’m moving to Toronto, it is time to start checking off the restaurants on my list. Nora Gray was one of the priorities. It opened in September 2011 (same month as I arrived in Montreal!), and is known as one of the best Italian restaurants, which does not only recognized by the locals, but also ranked as no. 17 for Canada’s 100 Best!
Just a bit down from the Bell centre, Nora Gray is actually not too far from downtown. With its low-key exterior, it can be easily missed. Despite the food, the first thing I heard from people has always been “it’s very dark in there!”. The dark wood, leather banquettes, a long, polished bar created an intimate dining room with a clubby, cozy feel.
We started off with two appetizers, and this one was my favorite – fried mozzarella, confit cherry tomatoes, and pesto. It may sound simple, but absolutely amazing. The pesto and confit cherry tomatoes elevated the dish to another level.
The second antipasti was the crostini with jerusalem artichoke and taleggio, marinated mushrooms. It wasn’t bad, but we didn’t have the wow factor. We were expecting the jerusalem artichoke chips to be crispier (was a bit soft…), and more flavors for the marinated mushrooms. The sourdough bread was soft and chewy! I can totally have it on its own!
As for the primi, they offer two sizes: mezzo and completo. Go for mezzo, smaller portion, but you get to try more plates! This was the chili pappardelle with Quebec snow crab and garlic tomato sauce. It was absolutely amazing! With the generous amount of snow crab, my friend and I didn’t have to fight over it! The spiciness was very very subtle, and the depth of flavors of the tomato sauce was worth cleaning the plate with some housemade focaccia!
The other other pasta that we ordered was nettle gnudi with brown butter, parmesan, and toasted breadcrumbs. It may sound like a basic dish, but the depth of the flavors were incredible! The gnudi are just like gnocchi but in the size of meatball, as described by our waitress. They are made of potatoes and ricotta, so it was soft yet chewy!
It comes the secondi after the primi, which is the main course. We had the grilled pork chop with crushed lava beans and crackling. I think our high expectation led to a bit of disappointment. It was fattier than pork belly, and very greasy to the point where we lost our appetite for dessert.
Overall, I would totally go back for the pasta! There isn’t a lot of tables in there, so either make your reservation early or good luck with walk-in! It was unfortunate that we didn’t get to try the dessert, because I’ve heard a lot of good things about it! Perhaps, next time, I’ll skip the main course, and go straight for dessert!
Nora Gray
1391 Rue Saint-Jacques, Montréal, QC
Tel: +1 (514) 419-6672 (Reservation strongly recommended)
To never miss a post, follow Eat with Eva on Facebook and Instagram or simply subscribe! 🙂