no question about it, izakayas are popular places to indulge in food and drink. lying somewhere in between restaurant and bar, i like to describe them as japanese pubs. although many large cities already have their fair share of izakayas, they’ve only recently gained in popularity in montreal. sure there was always bistro isakaya on parc avenue and furusato on bleury, but i always considered them to be more restaurant than pub.
imadake is one of the few places i’ve come across in this city that has that casual izakaya feel to it, complete with low lighting, open kitchen, boisterous patrons, alcohol, good food, and late(r) hours. as a bonus, they also take reservations! so you’re in luck if you plan on going as a group. after all, it’s no fun to drink alone and more people means more food to sample, right?
an izakaya is made for drinking! so drinking is what i did. although very little of it. while imadake has sapporo on tap and it seemed like the popular choice, i opted for a glass of plum wine. this was my first time and probably my last. not that it was bad or anything like that. it was actually quite good and that is quite an endorsement coming from someone who doesn’t generally like alcohol. the plum wine was a little sweet and did not taste of alcohol. this is where the problem lies for me. i could have probably drank a whole bottle of the stuff, but my body almost didn’t make it through my one glass. as you can see from the picture, it was barely an inch of alcohol. that was still too much for me and my system completely shut down towards the end of the meal, right when i finished off the plum wine. without going into details, i gave my friends quite a fright and have vowed off alcohol forever. i promise, the drink was good, i’m just alcohol intolerant.
before my unfortunate experience with my drink, i got to enjoy the food. i just had to order the miso-marinated cow tongue. they had me at cow tongue. doesn’t the idea of tasting something that used to have the potential to taste you give you a thrill? okay, maybe it’s just me… for those of you who are already grossed out, i think you should give it a chance. the way they prepare it here, it tastes just like beef, but with a smoother texture than you’d get with steak. the meat was unexpectedly tender. i’ve had beef tongue before, but always the chinese way and it never looked this good. here, the tongue was sliced thin and grilled. it was the complete oposite of the grey-coloured stuff my mom would serve me. tako wasabi was another hit. the tiny pieces of raw squid were seasoned with wasabi and topped with a sprinkling of sesame seeds. it may look slimy, but it’s no worse than eating an oyster. actually, it goes down better because of the small pieces. they were a bit heavy-handed with the wasabi though. i find that its heat is additive, so if you’re not mindful of rinsing your palate every few bites, you’ll get quite a punch in the mouth with the heat of the wasabi coming out of your nose. you thought soda coming out of your nose was bad? this is ten times worse!
now onto the main attraction! it was for me anyway. i’ve wanted this ever since i watched anthony bourdain in osaka and when i heard that they had them on the menu here, i knew that i had to pay them a visit. what could this food item be? takoyaki, of course! these little ball-shaped dumplings are made of flavoured batter and filled with baby octopus. they came dressed with a squiggle of mayonnaise and dancing bonito flakes. i don’t recommend popping a whole one in your mouth because the delicious gooey filling can be quite hot. the taste is hard to describe. all i can say is, try it at least once. octopus balls for all! for the complete experience, i hope that one day they’ll pour the batter into takoyaki moulds tableside and let the customer do the cooking. yes, i saw tony do this on no reservations and yes, i want to experience it minus the airfare to japan.
a little more hit or miss were the pork belly skewers. on my first visit, they had a nice contrast of crunchy and soft textures. on my second visit, there were too many bits of unrendered fat that left the unpleasant feeling in my mouth of having just eaten a brick of lard. i would order them again because i quite enjoyed them the first time around and i’m hoping that the second experience was just a one-time unlucky occurrence.
i was happy to be among open-minded and adventurous eaters. it took little convincing to get an order of beef tataki. sushi is one thing, but many people are uneasy with the idea of raw beef. beef tataki is basically a tenderloin, briefly seared on the outside and the inside remains raw. it is thinly sliced and seasoned with ponzu. it can be quite good when done right. unfortunately, i found the one here to be sliced too thick. this made it a bit chewy and still stone-cold in the middle. i prefer my tataki to be slightly chilled, not ice cold. this would be one instance where thinner would be better. another disappointment were the korokke that came highly recommended by our waitress. these mashed potato & sweet corn croquettes lacked seasoning. they basically tasted like big balls of plain mashed potato. maybe some butter or roasted garlic in the mash would have enhanced it a little.
for the less adventurous amongst you, the miso-marinated black cod is a good option. the fish was flaky yet beautifully moist and devoid of any fishy taste that would accompany bad fish. it was simple and light. sometimes less is more and imadake executed it perfectly. the shrimp tempura also had that clean taste. they were crisp and not oily at all. lightly battered, all you tasted was shrimp, not oil. if you want something more substantial, the chicken karaage is the way to go. this is by far the best fried chicken i’ve had in town. the coating was beautifully seasoned and fried to perfection. again, no oily taste – they sure know how to fry stuff here! on the inside the meat was still moist. the chicken pieces were the perfect three-bite size; small enough to have a taste of the crispy outside with every bite and big enough to stay moist on the inside. i really hope the sizing stays consistent! eat it plain or enhance the flavours with a squirt of lemon and even though it doesn’t take much more than that, the mayonnaise is a welcome addition.
if you’re not a fan of sharing food, are on a tight budget, or are on a solo dining adventure, you’ll be happy to know that the menu has a selection of ramen. i can’t comment on any of these because i found myself more drawn to their other offerings.
the dishes on offer might not seem too expensive at first glance, but keep in mind that they are tapas-sized and the tab can run quite high. to avoid any nasty surprises, keep track of what you’re ordering (or get the sober one in the group to do it). the service can be slow at times and items show up at the table randomly; the shrimp tempura that went with my friend’s ramen order arrived a whole hour before the noodles did… sure, there are a few kinks to work out, but when i’m having good food in good company, i become more forgiving.
imadake
4006, rue ste-catherine ouest
montréal, québec
H3Z 1P2
T: 514.931.8833
www.imadake.ca
payment methods: cash, debit, credit cards
hours:
mon to thurs 12h00 – 14h30 & 17h00 – 22h30
fri to sat 12h00 – 14h30 & 17h00 – 01h00
sun 17h00 – 22h30
