Bistro Nolah propose des plats authentiques inspirés par les traditions culinaires riches de la cuisine cajun et créole. Le menu présente des incontournables tels que le jambalaya mijoté, le gumbo épicé et le poisson-chat noirci agrémenté de mélanges d'épices audacieux. Les clients découvrent une approche directe des plats réconfortants qui privilégie les saveurs robustes et les méthodes de préparation traditionnelles. Les plats signatures incluent souvent des beignets frits et des sandwichs po-boy aux crevettes qui représentent le patrimoine culinaire varié du sud des États-Unis. La cuisine maintient des normes élevées pour la qualité des ingrédients afin de garantir que chaque plat capture la chaleur et les arômes distincts des recettes classiques du Bayou. Cet établissement demeure une destination pour ceux recherchant une véritable cuisine du Sud préparée avec précision technique et constance.
Bistro Nolah est largement considéré comme une destination de choix pour savourer une cuisine cajun et créole authentique inspirée de la Nouvelle Orléans dans le West Island. Les clients louent régulièrement la qualité et les saveurs des plats tels que les crevettes aux gruaux, le brisket, le poulet frit et les beignets, soulignant le soin apporté à chaque assiette. Bien que l'atmosphère intime et chaleureuse ainsi que le service attentionné soient très appréciés, certains convives mentionnent que l'espace peut devenir bruyant et parfois exigu. Malgré quelques commentaires sur une épice parfois trop prononcée ou des prix élevés, la grande majorité des visiteurs décrivent une expérience mémorable et excellente, revenant fréquemment pour profiter tant du brunch que du souper.
There are good restaurants, very good restaurants, exceptional restaurants & then there is Bistro Nolah! Wow, this place just gets better & better.
I’ve been many times, & it has been consistent, but tonight, I see that they have perfected what I thought they already mastered! The fried chicken was melt-in-your-mouth perfection! My husband had the pork belly appetizer, & it did not disappoint.
The curry mussels were unbelievable, a sauce you will be thinking about for quite some time. I had the shrimp & grits as a main & my husband had the catfish. We both kept shaking our heads in disbelief as to how perfectly & carefully all the flavours came together flawlessly.
We have had many wonderful meals, this one will remain high on our list of the most unforgettable ones.
Excellent service! The guy taking care of us knew exactly what he was talking about. Everything a little spicy so be sure to ask. Unique & beautiful dishes with lots of flavour. Finally desserts to die for!
Bistro Nolah is, & will continue to be, a hidden gem in the West Island of Montreal.
Before I finally indulged myself & experienced its offerings, almost everyone I know was raving about it. "The best elevated cajun food in the city" they were saying....& to that statement: I wholeheartedly agree.
From the subtle ambience, to the genuine manners of the staff, this establishment has come to be one of my absolute favourites in "the West".
I ate there with my mom, who is mutually an eloquent woman with a refined taste. Not afraid to speak her mind, she is always honest about her outlook on a restaurant. To be clear, she also very much enjoyed the tastings & libations of Nolah.
Upon ordering our meal, we were graciously offered a New Orleans delicacy known as "a hushpuppy". A hushpuppy is a bite sized, savoury ball, made with a cornmeal-based batter; that is deep fried. Sometimes being overly dense & over-fried, they can be too chewy. To my surprise, these hushpuppies were absolutely crisp on the outside & had a perfectly tender interior.
For our appetizers, we ordered the Louisiana crab cakes & shrimp tacos. The shrimp tacos, although as delicious as anticipated, did not go beyond anything ordinary. The crab cakes however, were absolutely scrumptious. The fried cakes bursted with crab flavour, rightfully highlighting it as the hero ingredient of the dish. Served with a mildly spicy aioli & some corn niblets, every layered flavour & texture accentuated the flavour profile of the crab.
As for the entrées, we ordered the jambalaya & blackened catfish to share. Both dishes sang a sweet, melodic Louisiana song. They were truly delectable. The deconstruction of the jambalaya was innovative in presentation & made for a combination of different bites. This dish included all the familiar flavours of a jambalaya & enhanced every single one. It included jumbo shrimps, a tomato-based, dark roux, sauce with rice that was packed with creole herbs & spices. The added vegetables & micro-greens were unnecessary but provided the "fine dining" touch.
The blackened catfish simultaneously tickled our tastebuds & unquestionably transported us to the docks of New Orleans. A perfect blend of spices, alongside fresh sautéed vegetables & raw shaved radish, the balance within each & every ingredient was a perfect equilibrium. A truly authentic & grasping touch, on the fish, was the orange "Pontchartrain" sauce. I have never seen this sauce served with fish anywhere in Montreal. The name of the sauce derives from Lake Pontchartrain in southeastern Louisiana & like the lake, the thick, buttery sauce, was teeming with fish.
To end such as stunning meal was an even more stunning dessert. The bread pudding, being a humbling & when done correctly: crowd pleasing dish, was luscious & delightful. Topped with fresh fruit & a Jack Daniels syrup, it was frankly hard not to finish. Simple, not simplistic, this is a staple in southern cuisine & was executed with such finesse & ease (as it should be).
Bistro Nolah is a distinct establishment & in all honesty, an exquisite restaurant that is recommended to anyone who loves cajun cuisine &/or looking to expand their culinary horizons.
Wow, just WOW. Mix awesome southern cooking with great service, a friendly atmosphere & an affordable wine list with unique selections & you have Nolah. Fave dish of the night was certainly the Braised Short Ribs, though the Gumbo is other-worldly as well. Don't get me started on the Grits since I can live off those things. All in all, go here & you won't be disappointed!
I think I found my little hidden gem in the West Island this is definitely Cajun food to its best small place great ambiance & food is phenomal had the Jumbalaya & wow blew my mind! Drinks were on point very quiet & cute. Overall perfect food & authentic Cajun. It's the type of place you don't want to many people to find out about because it's going to get so popular but yet you just have to express how good it is !!!
I've been here twice, & both times were equally amazing. Their food is beyond this world in flavour. We also had very good service. It is on the pricier side, but worth it.
After hearing some 20 something people discuss how great Nolah’s food was, I decided that I should check it out. Looking at the web site…. New Orleans food seemed an odd choice for Montreal , but the Chef's were highlighted by name. Having the Chefs names featured, is unusual in West Island restaurants. It’s usually higher end restaurants downtown that feature their ‘ Chefs’ name, as a draw. Sometimes it’s just image & sometimes it’s because the featured Chef is special. Featuring the Chef usually indicates that the profile of the restuaurant is higher end & priced accordingly. So far OK . The West island does not have any really good Chef driven restaurants in my opinion, & it would be nice to have some.
So enough for the preamble……….. After visiting Bistro Nolah for Dinner this week I am still waiting for a good Chef driven restaurant in the West island. As a background, I have been to a few very good restaurants in New Orleans during a business trip around 10 years ago.
I started with a Gumbo with Choritzo. A bowl of dark brown sauce surrounded a mound of rice. Bits of tomato, ocra, & Choritzo sausage could be found under the dark mix. Quite spicy , the thick mixture was heavily spiced . The taste was unrefined & uninteresting. It didn’t taste fresh & probably wasn’t. The spice was the dominate taste except for the bits of choritzo which registered a hotter taste. To be honest, I’ve had soups that I enjoyed more ,come out of a can.
The main was a decent sized piece of Alaskan Cod on a bed of wild rice. The Cod was dry & overcooked. The taste was so so. Maybe it could have been fresher. The wild rice was plain & uninspiring. The surrounding vegetable were mostly roots, carrot, beet, & did not compliment the fish or wild rice at all. Flavors were boring & I ate it for sustenance rather than enjoyment. I didn’t finish either the appetizer or the main.
My partner had a Shrimp main. The shrimps were a bit too spicy & masked the shrimp flavor. They were cooked OK, not overdone. I usually don’t order shrimps in Montreal restaurants due to the poor quality of farmed shrimp imported from Asia. I love eating shrimp in Florida & I make sure they are wild & fresh caught domestic shrimp. Not frozen & farmed. So I guess I am prejudiced against shrimp served in Montreal restaurants since they invariably use defrosted & farmed shrimp. The shrimp were OK , for what they were. Again the side flavors on the plate were uninteresting.
So I am still looking for a good Chef driven West island restaurant.
Would I want to have a recipe for how they prepared any dishes I ate………… No!
Prices were certainly not modest . Service was OK. For the price they charge, tablecloths would be nice, even if it’s a bistro. It’s a bit noisy & they played the music a bit too loud for my preference. I guess trying to appeal to a trendier crowd.
Would I go back to Nolah.....I don’t think so. Maybe I could give it a second chance, but it didn’t give me any pleasure to eat there so why bother. I might have given it a 2.5 star if I could. I would have rated it a 3 star if it was a diner instead of a restaurant with airs.
