Biiru is a relative new comer to the burgeoning bunch of Japanese izakayas now open around the city. An izakaya is type of informal and casual ‘after work’ Japanese drinking establishment that serves food to accompany the drinks. They are quite often compared to taverns and pubs, but I find them much more akin to the Spanish tapas bars that also serve drinks and a wide selection of small dishes of food (tapas). Izakayas have a definite ‘edgy’ feel about them and are way more raucous than their Spanish cousins!
Biiru, neatly tucked away just off a rather innocuous part of St Catherine street on City Councillors, has a decor and ambiance that is at once definitely bold, colorful and eclectic with large colorful murals on the walls, hanging Japanese paper lanterns and large Japanese calligraphy over their bar eerily back lit with rows of sake bottles.
The night we were there the place was packed with a young crowd of revelers and food lovers crowded into the small high ceiling industrial space where the heavy wood tables and rustic captain chairs are packed very close together.This was not at all uncomfortable, but rather added to the lively convivial atmosphere. Forget the serious conversion here, just sit back, join the crowd and go with the flow.
As with all izakayas the drinks share equal billing with the food. Their specialty cocktails, made continuously at their large sit up bar, combine traditional alcohols and sakes with distinct Japanese infusions. The wine list is almost nonexistent with the emphasis put on a healthy choice of sakes served cold or warm in two different sizes.
The menu is composed of many categories of Japanese dishes employing many different cooking techniques: Gyozas, Soba Noodles, Tataki, Sushi, Sashimi, Yakitori, Ramen Noodles, just to name a few. The night we were there the dishes I saw coming out of their small kitchen showed a lot of care in both preparation and presentation.
The staff at Biiru were supremely tested on the night we were there. The fear of any restaurateur is to have the restaurant fill to capacity all at once which it did just after we arrived, putting a great deal of stress both on the bar and kitchen staff. All things considered the staff was up to the challenge and handled the crowd flawlessly.
Before delving into their menu we started with one of their cocktails, Totoro ($11) an exotic mix of Appleton rum, simple syrup, shiso ( a Japanese herb ), kiwi puree and fresh lime juice and a glass of Sapporo draft ($9.50). For our meal we eschewed the minimalist wine choices and settled on a bottle of Hakutsura Jumai Gingo Sake 300ml ($24).
From their menu we chose a selection of six dishes: Gyoza ($7), Ramen ($13), Candied Salmon ($9), Chicken Heart Yakitori ($6), Kamo Tataki ($10) and Chicken Thigh Yakitori ($6).
The Gyoza (Japanese dumplings), six of them, were filled with a rich pork filling, sautéed slightly crispy and drizzled with a thin sweet and sour sauce seemingly redolent with a touch of ponzu and topped with finely shredded scallions…delicious! The Ramen, served in a large ceramic bowl, was a meal in itself , a colorful mix of pieces of pork shoulder, cheese curd, dried seaweed, bean sprouts, half a hard boiled egg and lots of ramen noodles all bathed in a rich and slightly spicy chicken broth, a great balance of flavors and textures. The Candied Salmon was, as advertised, sweet, but ended up being a tad over cooked and the sweetness of the sauce was a bit cloying given the lack of a sour component to the dish to offset its sweetness. The six or seven very small diced pieces of salmon was very small for the price tag and the presentation lacked the care of our other dishes. The Chicken Heart Yakatori was a definite adventurous step into the wild side for me. It consisted of two wooden skewers each threaded with nuggets of chicken heart grilled and basted with a slightly sweet sauce. They were tasty enough, a bit chewy and didn’t personally blow me away. They were accompanied by a small tasty salad of creamy and slightly spicy cabbage salad. The Kamo Tataki, a dish of four very thinly sliced cold duck breast cooked medium rare, but sadly a bit on the tough side. It came with a shredded apple and marinated jalapeno salad a good foil for the richness of the duck and its sauce of yuzu jam. The portion again was a bit small for the price tag. Our final choice of Chicken Thigh Yakatori consisted of two nicely grilled skewers of caramel lacquered pieces of moist chicken thigh. It was delicious and came with the same creamy cabbage salad.
In spite of consuming all this food we found room to sample one of their ‘made in house’ desserts, a Malteser Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream ($5). The brownie was sinfully moist and unctuous, thank God for the ice cream which mellowed out its richness…sinfully delicious!
Biiru is a definite adventurous and lively addition to the Montreal restaurant scene. The most challenging aspect of opening a new restaurant is to identify and find that special ‘niche’ in the market. If you are able to accomplish this successfully it will bear heavily on whether or not your restaurant is successful and ultimately profitable. By the signs of the packed house of happy revelers on hand the other night at Biiru they are well on their way. There is no better publicity in the restaurant business than being faced with capacity turn away crowds…word of mouth spreads fast!. Their menu is so varied and interesting that it definitely begs a return visit, perhaps in the summer when we can try out their terrasse
Our meal came to $121 (including cocktails, sake and taxes)
1433 City Councillors Street (Corner St Catherine St West)
Tel: 514 903-1555
Website: www.biiru.ca
Tuesday – Thursday 11.30 to 2pm 5pm to 10pm
Friday 11.30am to 2pm 5pm to 11pm
Saturday 5pm to 11pm
