Kyo Bar Japonais offers a splendid Izakaya experience
With MTL à TABLE continuing until November 17, you could not make a better choice than Kyo Bar Japonais (www.kyobar.com) in Old Montreal.
We absolutely love this restaurant and were pleased to return there in advance of the MTL à TABLE showcase of local dining establishments. Kyo Bar Japonais immerses you in the frenzied vibe of an Izakaya with the hushed atmosphere of a sushi bar, with a list of over 25 sakés.
For “Izakaya” you share everything that is ordered. Everyone at the table generally picks some items that they want and when the dishes arrive they are put at the center of the table. You use small plates called “torizara” to take the food you want and eat it.
Situated in the boutique Hôtel Place d’Armes and operated by Corner Collection, this chic Japanese tavern offers high and low seating as well as dining options at its bar or sushi counter, all accented by enveloping brick walls, beautiful wood paneling and hand-crafted lanterns. Service is laid back and never rushed. There are 101 seats in the dining room, eight at the bar and a seasonal terrasse of 40. Refined and dynamic, the restaurant combines the frenzied vibe of an Izakaya with the hushed atmosphere of a sushi bar and a menu offering both types of cuisine.
Our server Elizabeth greeted us and provided an excellent overview of the Kyo formula.
We recommend you start your visit at Kyo with an exclusively crafted cocktail, or choose from a wide selection of imported beers. Classic cocktails are revisited with a Kyo touch, like the pinky ginger, consisting of Pur vodka, raspberry, ginger beer and soda. Their selection of imported beers, mainly from Japan, is sure to accompany your meal perfectly.
We did indeed go the route of Izakaya. Each dish that arrived was a true treat. We started off with gyoza wagyu, panfried waygu beer dumplings with sweet chili shoyu, truffle oil and green onion. Next was the gyukaki aka miso, beautifully prepared grilled skewers of AAA beef marinated in a mixture of red miso, sake and Montreal steak spice. From the sushi bar we went for the tataki maguro (bluefin tuna, green onions, jalapeno, crispy taro, aji amarillo cream and truffle ponzo), the rainbow (shrimp tempura, tuna, salmon, albacore, hamachi and avocado), maki kitano (spicy crab, tempura, asparagus, cucumber, avocado, kimchi mayonnaise and chives). Finally, the seven piece nigiri, was a delight: suzuki (sea bass), sake (salmon), kihada (red tuna), hotate (scallop), saba (mackerel), bincho (albacore tuna) and hamachi (yellowfin tuna).
We savored every morsel and concluded the meal with a spectacular Miso and sake marinated black cod (gindara saikyo yaki). While everything was beyond delicious, this was the culinary highlight of the evening. We remembered their desserts, notably the yuzu doughnuts dipped in a creamy condensed milk sauce. We enjoyed that and some bread pudding.
Jacob Murat is the head chef and the main creator of the menu.
Kyo Bar Japonais is located at 711, Côte de la Place d’Armes. The restaurant is open for dinner seven days a week and lunch on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday. For more information call (514) 282-2711 or log on to www.kyobar.com. Here you can also see their MTL à TABLE selections.
