By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up minorgan@yahoo.ca
When one thinks of Portugal, a great seafaring nation with a huge fishing industry, seafood cuisine comes immediately to mind. Portuguese cuisine, like the rest of the Mediterranean, uses the freshest of high quality ingredients and prepares them with a deft simplicity synonymous with this part of the world.
Montreal, as we all know, is a recognized international showcase for cuisines from every corner of our plant, but Portuguese ‘tavernas’ and restaurants are comparatively few in number and have had a hard time keeping their heads above water when they do manage to present themselves on our restaurant scene. The undeniable flagship for Portuguese food in Montreal is Cafe Ferreira who, for many years, has celebrated this wonderfully fresh and vibrant cuisine.
When a new arrivals present themselves they are not always given a fair chance to achieve their place in the sun.
I must admit that my experience with Portuguese cuisine has been sadly limited, but I have always appreciated, enjoyed and regaled in the cuisine of the Mediterranean that gives us only the freshest and best ingredients all prepared with utmost simplicity allowing the taste of the food shine through.
It was with this in mind that I ventured out the other night to visit Boca Iberica. Boca Iberica, a relative newcomer, is neatly tucked away just off the street on Rachel St at the corner of bustling St Laurent blvd. The interior of this restaurant is by no means ‘taverna’ style, it exudes a much more trendier atmosphere with dark stained wood paneled floors, high industrial ceilings, white topped laminated tables with contrasting black wooden chairs. There is a long matching bar down one side of the restaurant and its entire back wall is a massive showpiece of industrial stainless steel that incorporates a fireplace in the corner. It also sports a large outside terrasse seating, I am told, upwards of sixty people in the summer.
The menu at Boca Iberica features all the expected Portuguese specialties: Caldo Verde, Cod Fritters, Octopus, Salted Cod, Lamb and of course a choice of fresh Grilled Fish. Appetizers and Tapas are priced between $6 and $18 while main courses are between $21 and $36 (rack of lamb). Their accompanying wine list features an excellent selection of Portuguese wine all at very reasonable prices…
We started our meal with one of my favourites, Grilled Octopus. It was presented as a whole tentacle and came nicely charred and drizzled with a pleasantly tart and fruity Portuguese olive oil, fresh lemon juice, capers and a relish of tomato and onion. The fresh taste and slight smoky flavour from the grilling were all there in spades, but it could have spent just a few more minutes in the tenderizing process for my taste.
For main course I chose the Grilled Yellow Fin Tuna with a mustard and sesame seed crust. It was cooked to a perfect rare, crispy on the outside and luxuriously warm in the center. It too was dressed very simply, but perfectly, with the same delicious olive oil, lemon and capers. It was accompanied by a perfectly cooked medley of fresh vegetables and two rosettes of pureed potatoes, the potatoes being a bit over salted to my taste. My companion chose the Grilled New York Sirloin with a rich foie gras sauce. The steak was fork tender and cooked to a perfect medium rare and the sauce, in spite of its presumed richness, did not over power the meat, but married with it perfectly. It was accompanied by a stack of homemade potato chips that had unfortunately lost most of their crispness along the way and were quite rubbery. We accompanied our meal with a very pleasant light and fruity Portuguese wine, Caves Velhas Catedra ($36).
For dessert we both chose what seemed to be a Portuguese rift on trifle or tiramisu it proved however to be an indulgent and sweet finale to a more than satisfying meal. Service throughout was professional pleasant and never overbearing.
Boca Iberica would be a wonderful summer ‘to go to’ place once their terrasse is in full swing, the perfect place to people watch while enjoying a cool drink and some of their many regional tapas dishes.
*I dined at Boca Iberica with a voucher from Living Social that included a three course dinner for two and a bottle of wine to share so I am unable to give you an accurate price for the meal.
12 rue Rachel O (corner blvd St Laurent )
Tel : 514507-999
Mon – Fri : 12pm – 3pm 6pm – 11pm
Hours: Sat: 6pm – 11pm
Sun: Closed
Website: Not available but can be located at www.restomontreal.ca
