This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
Throughout the province, there are restaurants featuring Middle Eastern cuisine. Here are seven places to visit to experience this cuisine brimming with flavor, color and warmth.
MONTREAL
Syria and Armenia
Aleppo and Little Aleppo
These two excellent addresses near the Jean-Talon market are benchmarks for Syrian and Armenian cuisine. Since the start of the pandemic, Alep (fine cuisine) and Le Petit Alep (casual cuisine) have been one. The chef and owner, Chahla Frangié, prepares, among other things, a shish kebab terbialy (filet mignon marinated in a tomato and garlic sauce, seasoned with Aleppo pepper and sumac), which is one of the favorite dishes of customers. You can also taste recipes handed down by your parents, such as kebab osmally, a beef kefta topped with a tahini sauce, garlic butter and cilantro, then topped with almonds and toasted pine nuts. Then there is the basterma, thin slices of dried beef in a crust of spices, a typical dish of Armenian cuisine, which reminds him of the flavors that flavored his childhood.
191 Jean-Talon Street East
Lebanon
Cafe Chez Teta
The owners, Mélodie Roukoz and Antoun Aoun, have made Café Chez Téta a perfect modern-day Lebanese address, like those you would come across in the trendy neighborhoods of Beirut. We take a Lebanese coffee with cardamom, we taste a manouche (flat bread) lahem bi ajin (with meat), with extra lemon and cayenne pepper, please! And don’t forget to take a dessert for the road, like the unmissable halva brownie with sesame seed cream and pistachios.
227 Rachel Street East
KazaMaza
Authentic, affordable, absolutely delicious, KazaMaza’s menu has everything to please lovers of Lebanese and Syrian cuisine. Chef Moustapha Daham does not hesitate for a second when asked what is the emblematic dish of the house. It’s the braised lamb shank topped with yogurt and tahini sauce and garnished with parsley and onion salad. Inspired by the art of eating well together, owner Fadi Sakr believes that this moment of sharing at the table is also a way to take care of the people we love.
4629 Park Avenue
Zyara
First located in Quartier DIX30, in Brossard, the magnificent restaurant Zyara is now located in the Central Market. Chef Nabil El Khayal is well known for his pitas cooked on the spot, perfect for wrapping all the delicacies on the tasting plate, ideal for tasting everything according to him! There are also the kibbeh labniyeh, one of the chef’s favorite dishes, meatballs coated in semolina, then fried and served with a hot sauce made with yogurt and mint.
1004 Central Market Street
SHERBROOKE
Iran
Persepolis
Since 2016, Sherbrooke residents have been pampered with fine Iranian cuisine thanks to Persepolis, which is also a good “Bring your own wine” address. On site, there are two main categories of dishes, stews and grilled meats. As for stews, the one with lamb shank flavored with saffron and accompanied by dill rice and green beans is one of the most popular dishes of the house. Among the various grilled meats offered (lamb, chicken, salmon), it is the kubideh, skewers of ground beef marinated in sumac, onions and a succulent blend of Iranian spices, which includes turmeric, saffron and cinnamon.
305 King Street West
Quebec
Lebanon
Zeitoun Lebanese cuisine
In January 2021, Marie-Chrystelle Cheikha realized a dream she had cherished for 15 years by opening her catering service, Zeitoun Lebanese cuisine. Initially, she worked in the kitchen of a caterer specializing in events that had to close due to the pandemic. A few months later, in June, she opened an outdoor sandwich counter at the Grand Marché de Québec. And since last October, she has been occupying the interior restaurant of the Grand Marché (at 2and floor), which includes a delicatessen of products imported from Lebanon. You can find the classics, such as keftas, falafels and kibbeh, but you can also discover the mudardara (rice with lentils, Lebanese spices and fried onions) and the crazy (simmered with broad beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic and olive oil).
250-M, boulevard Wilfrid-Hamel
GATINEAU
Lebanon
Opened in 1979 in the Hull sector, the Beirut bakery offers a whole range of Lebanese dishes to take away or in catering service, in addition to Moroccan dishes (couscous), Italian (lasagna) and Greek (salad and tzatziki). Their hummus is even said to be one of the best around. That’s good, since the pitas are freshly delivered almost every day.
269 Laramee Street