A Cloud of Confusion in P.S.C.

The Pitch

Back in September of this year, in my review of Shushuto, I went over the gentrification of the Canal Lachine-adjacent neighborhood of Pointe-Saint-Charles.  While that restaurant sits on the fringe of the borough, most of The Point's commercial activity lies on Rue du Centre.

Amid the many changes sweeping the area is an increase in its Muslim presence, made evident by the Khadijah Islamic Center and Marché Bengal.  Joining these and sitting right next door to the aforementioned Bengali store is Grillades Amira, which I suspect is owned by the same folks.

Open for just over a year, this grill made waves on Instagram thanks to its long wooden boards piled with assortments of meats, which I naturally had to check out.

The Mood

Walking into the small-ish restaurant, we immediately noticed a cloud of smoke floating around.  Perhaps there was a ventilation/exhaust issue tonight, causing the owners to leave the doors open.

In addition to the strong cooking odor which stuck to my clothes until the next day, the temperature inside quickly dropped, causing many patrons to eat with their coats on.  Setting that aside, the crowd tonight was very diverse, mostly consisting of families from visible minorities.

tagged:  BLOCK YOUR NOSE

The Food

Amira's menu lists a hodgepodge of dishes spanning many mediterranean cuisines.  Starting with Greek from Europe, passing through Lebanon in the Middle East and ending at the Maghreb in North Africa, I was a little surprised not to find any dishes reflecting the owner's origins.

Options abound (all halal), from grilled skewers and sandwiches to braised chicken and all-in-one bowls, but my companions and I had our sights set on one of those assorted boards which went viral.  Not wanting to spend over $100 on some of the premium variants, we asked a staffer if the 1.2kg mixed grill for $70 was appropriate for three people, to which he said yes.

Less than ten minutes later, a long, narrow and pretty wooden board was placed in front of us.  Heaps of chicken and beef shawarma sat next to skewers of grilled chicken souvlaki, kabab and filet mignon, served with a green salad, grilled veggies, rice, Greek bread and garlic sauce.

I found the brochettes tender and delicious, while the shawarma was crispy but lacked in flavour and spices.  The platter was beautifully composed and certainly enough to feed three hungry guys, but the proportions did not make much sense.

Heavy on the meat and low on carbs (one piece of bread cut in four and a small mound of rice), it made me wonder if I was unwittingly placed on an Atkins diet.  Also, the hummus – which we asked extra of – was barely a dollop; that's a single-scooper in my world.

tagged:  GOOD FOR SHARING HALAL

The Service

Service tonight was friendly and efficient; someone comes to your table to take your order then bring your food, after which you pay at the counter once done.

The only shortcomings revolved around general conditions of hygiene: my menu had encrusted parsley leaves on its front, the bottle of ayran I took from the fridge had something sticky on its cap and my glass of water smelled like dishwasher.  None of this bothered me much, but someone more prissy could have caused a scene.

tagged:  GERMAPHOBE HELL

The Verdict

Although I normally do not make up my mind about a restaurant from a single visit, I felt like the all-in-one platter did give me a rundown of everything on offer here.  Yes, we tried to go for dessert, but they were all sold out except for the tiramisu (another outlier) – of course the Dubai chocolate knafeh was gone.

I did enjoy the board's variety and skewers, but I do question its disproportionate meat-to-carb ratio and how all-over-the-place the menu was.  Ultimately, I find Montreal has better mashawi and shawarma out there; but I could see myself dropping by Grillades Amira after a night of drinking at nearby Milky Way – they do open until 3AM after all.

tagged:  PLAN B.

3

Price per person:  $23.33