Restaurant review | Jaja: making your place in the sun

Through the good times and, sometimes, the not so good, our restaurant critics tell you about their experience, present the team in the dining room and in the kitchen, while explaining what motivated their choice of restaurant. This week, Jaja, ready to emerge from the shadow of the late Pastaga.

Why talk about it?

At the end of May, Jaja will blow out its first candle. But the establishment that succeeded Martin Juneau’s Pastaga doesn’t seem to have quite managed to find its place in the sun in the busy Montreal restaurant landscape. However, it is not the talent in the kitchen nor the quality on the plate that is lacking, as I noticed earlier this month.

Who are they ?

The career of Francis Duval and Geneviève Beaudoin is solid. Both are in the kitchen, he with the savory one, she with the sweet one. The story is cute: they met at Pastaga, while they were starting out in the kitchen. They then made their way, Francis notably at Butterblume and Hélicoptère; Geneviève, at Patrice Pâtisier and at Mousso.

When Martin Juneau and Louis-Philippe Breton ended the Pastaga adventure, they were ready to run their own establishment, to take over. First very gently, at the beginning of 2023, without changing its name, then more officially, in May 2023, under the new identity of Jaja. The team is small. In the dining room, their precious sidekick, head waiter Frédérique Duca, leads the way with ease and professionalism.

Our experience

My time at Jaja was an opportunity to question myself about what defines coolness Montreal. I have very often visited very busy darlings of the month, with a certainly dynamic atmosphere, but where the result on the plate was not always up to the standard. hype (forgive the anglicism).

But it is rare for the opposite to happen to me: an almost empty room – I admit, this cold rainy April evening had nothing to make me want to go out, but still – a rather flat atmosphere, but a series of small dishes, each one as delicious as the next, and an excellent selection to indulge in.

In short, there is an element of mystery in the alchemy that ensures that a restaurant succeeds or not, in an overloaded and volatile market. Perhaps because the dining room has remained essentially unchanged – from the outside, an inattentive eye might believe that the Pastaga still lives there. We know that new things are attractive. But we can understand that rather than investing in a new decor, the new owners preferred to concentrate on what they know well: food and wine.

And they do that very well. Far too many not to be better known.

Jaja applies a popular formula, that of small and medium-sized dishes and natural wines. But the plates, highlighting local and seasonal products, are particularly elegant and well composed, and their presentation is careful. We feel the kinship with the old establishments where the cooks have passed, in particular with the Hélicoptère.

The three of us scoured a good portion of the menu of a dozen dishes. I really liked the meaty oyster mushrooms, placed on a burrata cream, whose creamy and earthy side was balanced by the crunchy and salty pieces of fried chicken skin. As for the cute gougère, very generously garnished with poultry foie gras mousse and cherries, it lacked lightness. With its sweet taste, I would have taken it more at the end of a meal than as an aperitif.

For the second course, we liked the plump homemade chipolata sausage, tender and juicy, topped with its charcuterie sauce and accompanied by grilled rapini. Comforting. Pretty, the plate featuring the urban char from Opercule was well balanced between its creamy white butter sauce, the bitterness of the grilled radicchios and the acidity of the Somerset red grapes from Bourdelais.

The popcorn-style sweetbreads have stolen hearts, with their honey glaze and their variation of Jerusalem artichokes: roasted, in espuma and in chips, accompanied by diced pear, for a fruity touch. Again, a beautiful harmony on the palate.

Obviously, you shouldn’t miss the desserts! Anicet’s layer of cheesecake, applesauce, phyllo dough and autumn honey whipped cream was lovely and tasty – the only problem was that the phyllo dough, which was difficult to break, lacked lightness. I preferred the incredible pannacotta with its olive oil cake, topped with clementines and crunchy meringue, with its little marmalade side, all fresh and delicious.

To drink

A short selection of cocktails invites you to enjoy the aperitif. No show off, but simple and well-balanced offerings, which highlight local products, like the menu. My coupette, which combines Cirka wild gin, ginger syrup from Quebec and Vert de Miel vermouth from Desrochers, delighted me with its herbaceous flavors and acidity. Perfect to whet the appetite.

Passionate about natural wine, Francis and Geneviève take care of the fairly short selection, which makes room for new arrivals and artisan wines. The discoveries are numerous and delightful. Our choice, the Nu Rosé from Domaine Syfany, in the Czech Republic, was an absolute delight, full of fruit, fresh and with a crunchy acidity, but with just enough strength to pair well with our dishes.

Price

Between $17 and $23 for cold starters, $19 to $25 for hot dishes, around $15 per dessert. 4-course tasting menu at $75 per person. Cocktails range from $13 to $17; on the wine side, a few choices in the $50 range and several around $60-$70.

Good to know

Jaja will celebrate its 1^er anniversary on May 28, with special guest chef David Ollu, of Hélicoptère. We promise several surprises! Details will be revealed shortly.

Information

Tuesday to Saturday, from 5:30 p.m.

6389, boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montreal

Visit the Jaja website