Le Nil Bleu

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1 Commentaire

3.5

We certainly enjoyed our meal (see below for details), but we have also had the good luck of being able to enjoy excellent Ethiopian food in various other cities (e.g., Dakar, Washington, DC, Atlanta) & have to say that, while the food at Le nil bleu in Montreal was flavorful, it was bland by comparison. Maybe Le nil bleu thinks that it needs to tone down the flavors (&, especially, the heat) for the local clientele. For anybody who is new to Ethiopian cuisine, Le nil bleu offers a reasonable introduction. For us, not needing any such introduction, eating at Le nil bleu whetted our appetite, leaving us hungry for something more authentic. We wouldn't mind eating at Le nil bleu again, but we'll be checking out its competition first.

We had the vegetarian fixed-price menu for two people. The appetizer platter had three items (rather than four as advertised). Our favorite for the entire meal was the yeberdjane (eggplant puree topped with another puree involving a lot of garlic). The yetimatim (tomato) salad & carmelized vegetables were good, if less impressive. The main platter consisted of gommen (spinach), yekik alicha (split peas), yemesser watt (lentils), zucchini sire (zucchini & – a few - beets), & yatakelt watt (carrots, cabbage, & - a little - potato), with a kale salad in the middle. Of these dishes, we agreed that the gommen was the best, followed by the yekik alicha & yemesser watt. The zucchini, presented as somewhat spicey, tasted a little of curry but was very mild. In fact, none of the dishes were spicey in the sense of being hot. The kale salad felt out of place &, while innocuous, didn't add much. The quantity of food was just right for the two of us. In particular, there was enough injera; we didn't need to ask for any extra rolls.

My daughter had the hibiscus ginger drink. She really enjoyed it, despite the fact that it was unexpectedly fizzy & she doesn't like fizzy drinks in general. The flavor of ginger was somewhat stronger than that of hibiscus. My glass of red wine (Vega Tolosa nature) was fine if unexceptional. I was surprised not to see Ethiopian honey wine on the menu.

We chose to eat on the terrace & thus to enjoy a beautiful summer evening. A bus & a couple of garbage trucks reminded us that we were next to the street, but it was otherwise easy to ignore the street noise, at least on a Saturday evening in late June. On the other hand, our table was somewhat wobbly; looking around us, however, the others seemed more stable. Inside, the restaurant has rather low lighting; this could be an issue for anybody with low vision, especially when going downstairs to use the toilets. I noticed some large paintings or prints with generic African scenes (i.e., not particularly Ethiopian) & the zebra-print upholstered chairs.

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1 Commentaire

5.0

Fantastic food & wine with an excellent service!
Various vegan plays & player available. The flavours are great! Will be going back for sure :-)

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1 Commentaire

5.0

Un très bon moment, le menu découverte était à tomber par terre & l'équipe de service était très agréable,
Je recommande.

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4.0

Belle ambiance, de jolies tableaux le long des murs.

Les plats bien présentés par la serveuse.

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1 Commentaire

5.0

Great service & great food. Loved the experience, worth it!

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1 Commentaire

5.0

This is a fantastic restaurant. The service was fantastic, friendly & prompt. The food could not have been better. We've had Ethiopian in NYC & other places & this is easily on the list of best places. The spices, flavors & bread are great. Servings are very generous. We had way too much food, in fact. We ordered the tasting menu of meat & veggies for 3 people & the vegan platter for 1 person (which is such a great option, usually tasting menus have to be for a whole table, this allowed us so much freedom) - & we could not finish it all. We didn't have room for dessert. The wine menu is good, not great & the house cocktails tend to be based in fresh juices so they are sweet. & when they say spicy, it actually is - which is so great, usually restaurants warn, but it's kinda not spicy. The diversity of flavors was so fantastic I wish I could have eaten here all day. Eat here, go here, enjoy your evening. Oh, & the serving staff is so nice!

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1 Commentaire

5.0

We had eaten here a few years ago &, with two nights in Montreal, wanted to return. We had a late evening reservation & shared the vegan tasting platter for two - four appetizers & five entree items. It was delicious & we were glad we had returned. Strongly recommended!

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1 Commentaire

5.0

Vraiment délicieux. C'est certain que j'y retourne. Le personnel est très aimable & accueillant.

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5.0

Best Ethiopian I've had! I come from Ottawa for this!

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1 Commentaire

5.0

Ate here with friends before the tour de nuit. Great fuel for a 22km cycle ride! Never disappoints always yummy & the tasting menu is a great way to sample lots of dishes. Will return