While browsing through my Zagat guide I noticed an almost perfect score for a Latin fusion restaurant called Raza on Laurier St. After doing some research, I found out that the head chef Mario Navarrete Jr. was born in Peru, came to Montreal in the early nineties and graduated from a respectable culinary school to work in top Montreal restaurants before opening his own establishments: Raza, Madre, and A Table. Because of the culture diversity in Latin America along with its rich cuisine, there are so many different types of cooking styles and preparations that vary from nation to nation, so chefs have an incredible opportunity to invent something new and inspiring from the old roots, now known as Nuevo Latino Cuisine.
If you’re in the mood for eggs over easy, bacon, and home fries, then Madre isn’t your place as this isn’t your run of the mill American style breakfast. This Sunday only brunch spot features fancy dishes such as hanger steak in smoked chilli with patatas bravas, or sweet potatoe French toast with carmelized bananas, and everything is served with masterful presentation. The restaurant is very small and seats about 20-30 people in a café style with a very modern setting. The kitchen is open concept, allowing guests to watch the mainstays of the food service industry hard at work.
One of the first things I noticed was how exceptional our waitress was, she was very pleasant, knew the menu inside out and she really just knew how to handle the tables at this restaurant; the service was perfect.
Breakfast begins with Madre’s signature home made sweet potato bread rolls, some whipped butter and a side of a very sweet compote. The rolls were warm, soft, and easily torn apart. While they were a bit sweet, there wasn’t really any hint of sweet potato to my senses, but nonetheless they were fantastic rolls to start the meal.
Then came what I put on my top 100 list; Poached Eggs & Chorizo Bubbles with Carmelized Onions, served on toasted bread. The dish featured generous amount of chorizo (some of the tastiest slices I’ve ever had) along with chorizo bubbles, covering a good amount my meal. The bubbles had a really nice taste of chorizo that seemed to just enhance whatever it touched, especially the perfect poached eggs. Presentation wise, the only thing that kept this dish from being flawless was the outer layer of the toast that looked burnt, but I was thankful that it didn’t taste bad it was just blackened from the searing. There was a side of green beans & carrots, that were not really needed to accompany this dish, but it made everything more colorful, as did the chopped tomatoes and onion.
I also ordered a side of home fries, and Madre’s version was no less innovative than my poached egg dish; slices of roasted sweet potatoes met with a thick and tasty garlicky aioli and garnished with snow peas for added crunch to an already very smooth texture. The home fries were delicious, they had a very rich bright taste, and the aioli made it very filling. Unfortunately they took this side off the menu for reasons I am not sure of, but it was great while it lasted.
The Sweet Potato French Toast was too good to pass up, so that became my girlfriend’s order. The toast was swimming in syrup that was made from fresh cane sugar, a brilliant replacement for commercial fructose-based sugar syrups found at most breakfast places. The toast was flawlessly fluffy, sweet, and with caramelized banana, it was nothing short of amazing. Then there was dark chocolate poured from top to bottom like a champagne fountain, only it was much tastier than champagne. The French toast had a side of fresh fruits, and it was a much better choice instead of vegetables. The gluttonous dish was marvelous, a sure pleaser.
I am quite excited to try dinner at Madre, assuming that it be as good as their Sunday brunch. Madre offers something different from everything else in the city, which is why the restaurant is sought out by so many people because we all want to try something new and intriguing and Madre offers exactly that.
Madre:
2931 Rue Masson, Montreal, QC, Canada, H1Y 1X5
http://www.groupemnjr.com
JarredReviews is my personal weblog. The opinions and experiences represent my own. If you read that I didn’t particularly enjoy a meal or restaurant, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try it and see for yourself. Restaurants can have an off day, people make mistakes, we’re all human. My writing is mainly so that you can find out about great restaurants that you may have not heard about, and also to give you an idea of what I enjoyed that you can experience for yourself. Food reviewing is very subjective and you must take this into account and use your discretion when reading any review; If I have had a bad experience somewhere, do not let that stop you to try the restaurant yourself.
