Bistro Nolah

Medjine

5.0

je ne suis jamais décue! nourriture extraordinaire!View more

Aug 27, 2023
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foodlover13

14 Reviews

5.0

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!

kristinaz

1 Review

4.0

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.

missj

3 Reviews

5.0

Amazing food, amazing atmosphere, amazing service. Make reservations in advance!

SKYMTL

1 Review

5.0

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!

Pilsbury79

1 Review

5.0

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 !!!

Julia_M

2 Reviews

5.0

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.

MatMan

2 Reviews

2.5

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.

If you are looking for an excellent chef-driven restaurant in the West Island "area": perhaps you could try Bistro Carambola!

kristinaz

Feb 21, 2019

mlarocquem

5 Reviews

4.0

Good food. Great little place to try out, they have a beautiful patio. Waitress was great, service was good. A little over priced in my opinion, but I would go back, everyone enjoyed their food

Foodie

1 Review

5.0

Looking to fill a hunger that demanded quality food, we mutually decided to dine at Bistro Nolah. We had been there once before but only soon after it had initially opened & were curious to see how they had maintained or even surpassed the previously noted high standards.

Our meal started with an "Amuse-Bouche" of hush-puppies which had a delicious inside & really took off when paired with it's accompanied Chipotle Mayo. We then ordered drinks, absolutely delicious Mango Martini & a Nola Special Mix.

Appetizers came next with my wife ordering the Chef Choice Trio, Pork Belly - fried oysters- & Prosciutto wrapped cheese filled fig, & I the Pork Belly With Figs. We both now have new respect for Pork Belly. Absolutely delicious & tender & the reduction it came with was like icing on the cake. Her fried oysters were amazing & the Prosciutto wrapped & cheese filled fig was something I've never tried but will have to again as it was very tasty.

For our mains she had the seafood Risotto with seared salmon, jumbo shrimps & jumbo scallops & I ordered Shrimp & Grits. The Shrimp & Grits simply put was outstanding! Perfectly done jumbo shrimp with a Cajan seasoning & sauce on them & cheese infused Grits with tons of great flavors & perfectly cooked vegetables. My wife's Seafood Risotto was perfectly done in a creamy sauce with accompanying seafood done to perfection. The standout for me of her excellent dish was the tender & flavorful jumbo scallops seared perfectly.

For dessert we had the Beingets & the Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce. Both are must haves & serve as a delicious end to an Excellent meal & dining experience.

All throughout our meal, the waiting staff were On Point & seemed very enthusiastic yet professional about what they were doing. The ambiance was light but relaxed & good for dining. Service overall was A+.

Bistro Nolah Impressed us as a great combination of great food, service & atmosphere. We will definitely be back with more friends.

lolalolita

6 Reviews

4.0

I was looking forward to this experience having read all the amazing reviews on this website. Maybe because the reviews hyped it up so much, I was expecting greater things that did not materialize. Don't get me wrong, the food is really very good with lots of flavours, but I would not say it was totally mind blowing.

They start you off with the biscuits, which are good, but not fabulous. The hush puppies are very good with a delish jalapeno remoulade, but overly deep fried. The crab cakes really have a lot of crab meat but are also very deep fried. Our mains were also very good but we felt we did not get value for the price. We had the bread pudding which had a beautiful, luscious bourbon sauce & a real decadent chocolate torte. However, the caramelized pecans on the torte were burnt.

The ambiance is ok, but feels a little cafeteria-ish. Maybe table-cloths & different finished décor would help. I would definitely recommend this restaurant. It is good, although a bit over priced for what you get. Maybe it's not as mind-blowing for me as everyone else seems to think.

tryanythingonce

6 Reviews

5.0

Excellent food, excellent service. We each started out with a hush puppy. My husband started off with the crab cakes, I with the seafood gumbo - delicious, with a good-sized scallop & shrimps, but I wish there was a little more seafood thrown in. My husband's main course was the shrimp jambalaya, mine was one of the evening specials - pork osso bucco - both delicious as well. For dessert, we selected the trio - bread pudding with a chocolate torte, & beignets - also excellent.

A little out of our usual dining budget, but well worth the occasional visit. I would definitely go back there.

nylasor

16 Reviews

4.0

I went to Bistro Nolah with my son & had a great time. We started off with the trio appetizer & the fried oysters. I didn't care much for the fried oysters but the trio was amazing. There was scallop ceviche, which melted in your mouth, crab cake, & lastly, grits. I would have licked the bowl. It was that good.

For our mains we had the braised short rib, & my son had the cornish hen Both were very good.

I was very happy that I had finally tried this restaurant. When we left, my son who is 10yrs old looked at me, & said "Thanks Mom for bringing me here, it was great!!"

Happy eating!

Foodie

1 Review

4.5

J'y suis allé car j'étais dans l'ouest & je voulais diner dans un resto sans gluten. Je suis coeliaque. J'ai été accueilli à bras ouvert. La gérante, dont la fille est aussi coeliaque, est hyper sympatique. J'ai pu manger une soupe SG alors que dans de nombreux restos elles sont faites avec un roux donc gluten. Je le recommande à tous les coeliaques !

dandouna

12 Reviews

5.0

GREATTTTTT FOODDD my boyfriend called the duck "the best thing he has ever tasted" the service was very friendly also. i will go again, but only for a special occasion. A lil over priced to be somewhere we go often.

Foodie

1 Review

5.0

What can I say, absolutely fantastic! I have dined at over 1000 restaurants in my lifetime (38 years old), & this one is on my top 5 list. I love the service, warm & inviting. & Chef Richard & the gang can create unique, flavorful food! I have been here 7 times in 6 months, have tried almost everything, & still want more. Bravo! Try duck confit, a must & best on the island.

Foodie

1 Review

5.0

This is the one spot I go to when I visit Montreal. The Chef, Staff, food, & ambiance make for a great night. You have to try everything on the menu over time, but you especially need to try the bread pudding for dessert. Well worth the trip to the West Island. I highly recommend Bistro Nolah!

Foodie

1 Review

5.0

Best food I have ever had !!!! By far the best dinning experience I have had in a long time. A must try for all!