Takara Restaurant Japonais

Takara Restaurant Japonais
4th floor of the Cour Mont-Royal Shopping Centre
1455 rue Peel, Montréal, QC
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7 out of 10

I'm always really nervous going to Japanese restaurants in Montreal. Well, nervous and excited, because the Japanese in Montreal is not known to be incredible, but that's not really fair, because the sushi in Montreal falls more into that category. Often, the Japanese food, cooked small plates with sweet and salty flavours, varying textures and beautiful presentation is very good. The interesting thing about Takara is that the chef is Japanese, unlike so many Chinese or Vietnamese-run establishments. So Takara is going for authenticity, and I'll bite.
The meal started with a complimentary amuse-bouche of a cube of something akin to salmon salad. A little bit of green onion and some garnish made the presentation pretty, but the salmon was bland and so was the liberally-applied mayonnaise.

My appetizer, pictured above, was the higlight of the meal, and was certainly an example of what the kitchen does best. Belly-fish was lightly marinated in sweet miso and served with fried eggplants. The oil soaked into the eggplants nicely, which I happy to find weren't over-cooked. The miso flavour wasn't as strong and fish-infusing as I would have hoped, but it was a prime example of Japanese cuisine - simple cooking with good quality ingredients. The beautiful presentation, the slightly browned colour of the fish, and the perfectly cooked thick parts of the fillet were wonderful. The thinner parts got a bit over-cooked, and unfortunately those were the first bites I took, but it just lead to the happiness of seeing that the kitchen had an intended level of done-ness in mind for the thicker parts.

For $23 this is a very expensive seafood soup. For the heaps of fish in it, though, it's definitely a good bargain. Inexpensive calamari and crabstick sat next to mackerel, shrimp, bellyfish, cod and one beautiful clam. The leafy greens and scallions were a beautiful colour addition to the bowl, and you can't even see the mounds of noodles hidden underneath. The bowl even came with a side of rice, as if there weren't enough noodles (though I understand that rice was necessary for when you take pieces of fish out of the broth. You can place them onto your rice and then get one good mouthful. The noodles can be saved for the end to slurp up the with the water-based broth that by then will have become infused with fish flavour).

The broth really was simple - just a basic dashi - and I was happy to find neither the broth or the fish to be over-salted.
Eel is very much not sustainable. I very rarely eat it, but at a good Japanese restaurant I find it hard to resist. The sticky sweet sauce is so appealing. Often you get just a tiny bit of eel stuck on a medium sized bowl of rice. This version proved a bit better. The eel was a bit more substantial, and the rice was just enough. Really, what it comes down to is how well the eel is cooked and the quality of the sauce. I'm happy to say the eel was nicely done, it consisted of more than just skin and fat and had a good amount of meat in it, and the sauce was addictive. Mirin and sugar and sake flavourings soaked into the entire bowl of rice, not just directly under the fish. I kept seeking out pools of it in the bowl's corners. All in all, very satisfying.

I still couldn't bring myself to try the sushi here, out of fear of disappointment. I would definitely come back for more of the appetizer-style selections. Things baked in foil, and a lobster dish that had sold out that day. Other options seemed more standard, like udon or soba noodles (not home-made), and breaded pork and chicken with rice. Still, if their unagi is any indication, the standards here are a cut above. When you crave fusion-less Japanese in Montreal, this is definitely an option.

Hours: Mon-Fri 11:30am-10pm, Sat-Sun 5:30pm-10:30pm
Expect To Pay: $35-$55 at supper for an appetizer, entrée, and drink or dessert, tax and tip included
514-849-8242‎