Ginger, Montreal.

My friend, who is my go-to for trying new restaurants and dining out, and I recently ventured down the street to Ginger, an asian-infused restaurant on Avenue des Pins, literally minutes away from my house. I don't know how I have never heard of it before! It is phenomenal. We went late, and so there were only a few other tables of people in the restaurant. It was quiet, dark, and intimate, but also felt very trendy and popular though there was little clientele there. 

Our server was great; we loved that she recommended appropriate drinks after having started with wine  before going out (which was a large bottle of sake to share :) ). However, when it came to suggesting menu items, it didn't take long to realize she was looking to raise the guest cheque average rather than meet our dining needs. For appetizers, we ordered the shrimp and veggie tempura and the beef tataki (as per her suggestion). The tempura was crispy and cooked to perfection, showing up at the table at a perfect temperature. And I must admit, although it was one of the most expensive appetizers, the beef tataki was well worth the money spent! It was a nice cut of meat, tender and medium-rare throughout. It.melted.in.the.mouth. It was heaped on top of a vegetable salad, including celery, carrots, and rocket accompanied by a sweet and sour tataki vinaigrette. Too much food for one person - and actually too much for the two of us! But we took it home and finished it with the rest of the bottle of wine afterwards :)

Main course - two huge rolls of fresh, delicious sushi! I'm not usually one for large rolls because I have a hard time eating them, but they were so good and worth the price. We got the traditional spicy tuna roll, which is a favorite of both of ours, and were surprised at how big the slices of tuna in the roll were. Not quite as spicy as we liked and lacking the tempura that is common with spicy tuna rolls, but good none-the-less. Although it didn't satisfy my craving for my favorite roll, it was good and, as the waitress told us, they definitely are not stingy with meat! The other roll we tried was the royal, which was one of their expensive rolls and another recommendation. Huge, delicious, and fresh, just like the other! 

I will definitely be going back to Ginger - the food was amazing, and the server was really great with all of our questions about the menu. I would recommend it to everyone, although it is slightly on the pricey side!