by MATHILDE RABBAT

I know what they say about chicken noodle, but in my book it’s fermented soybean that soothes the soul. Though there’s no real scientific way of proving it, I’m convinced I warded off an attack of the flu by guzzling several pints of miso soup last spring. A bout of the sniffles the other day prompted me to put my plan into action once again and hightail it over to Miso, a relatively new sushi bar on Ste-Catherine and Atwater.

Miso occupies a giant space, thoroughly overhauled to ensure that no telltale signs remain of the McDonald’s that used to be there. The yin of more dim tones has extinguished the screeching yang of fast food, and happy hour has replaced the happy meal, but like the golden arches, it’s open for breakfast (on weekends), lunch and dinner every day of the week. Miso’s menu is as huge as the place itself, which is spread over different levels, kind of like a cruise ship. In this case, the promenade deck is the large, sunken terrasse with an outdoor bar, which is nice as these are few and far between in the downtown area, and the 5 à 7 features two-for-one specials.

The joint’s lunch special features a choice of soups, a small salad and a main dish. I may have come in search of miso soup—which is decent at this place—but I found something even more eventful, the spicy lemongrass chicken soup. In fact, I wouldn’t have minded if my whole meal had solely consisted of one big portion of the stuff. Whiter than white chicken strips lie submerged in a pond of fresh coriander, tasty lemongrass, tomato cubes, sprouts, ginger, sliced bamboo shoots and tiny straw mushroom bonnets. Spiked with a dash of chilli oil, it’s the type of thing that gets the juices flowing without setting off a five-alarm fire in your mouth.

The selection is extensive when it comes to main dishes, hovering between the $10–$22 mark for lunch specials. These include sushi and sashimi combos, as well as half a dozen teriyaki and tempura dishes. Sadly, the katsu seafood selection ($10.95) featuring shrimp, salmon and scallops, just didn’t cut it, as everything was breaded so heavily that the flavour was lost in the thick, fried batter.

Better was the beef à l’orange ($11.95), thin strips of meat fried in a batter that crimps them into irregular corkscrew shapes, cloaked by a sweet, sticky, soy sauce. Shreds of rind are detectable to both the naked eye and the tastebuds—tangy and delicious. The beef came as part of a bento selection—a take on the traditional Japanese boxed lunch with several dishes in separate compartments—with a few other characters: crunchy stir-fried veggies (broccoli, bok choi, baby corn, water chestnut, carrot and bamboo shoots), a pork dumpling trio (best eaten hot or not at all) with peanut dipping sauce that I found way too viscous, and sticky white rice with a black sesame sprinkle. The twisty beef and the vegetable medley far outshone their box-mates.

Now that I’m past my elementary school days, I can’t think of anything more fun than eating lunch out of a box. They may not feel the same way over at Bordeaux, but there’s just something about eating from segregated compartments that strikes my fancy.

If dinner’s what you’re after, there’s also a lot to choose from in this full menu. As to appetizers ($3 and $9) and main supper dishes ($10–$18), noodle, seafood, pork, beef, chicken and some tofu and veggie plates, they’ve got it all in either grilled, deep-fried or stir-fried form, with lots and lots of sauces. When it comes to sushi, sashimi and maki ($3–$16 per order), there’s lots of that too, in both the raw and the cooked varieties ($25–$59 for combos).

Miso
ADDRESS: 4000 Ste-Catherine W. (at Atwater)
PHONE: 908-6476
HOURS: Daily 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.;
Sun–Wed 5–10 p.m.; Thu–Sat 5–11 p.m.
BEST FEATURES: Spicy lemongrass soup, wavy strips of beef in a bentos box with sweet sauce, sunken outdoor terrasse with two-for-ones at happy hour.
ALCOHOL: Yes
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Main level yes, washrooms no.
VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY: So so
CREDIT CARDS: Yes
NON-SMOKING SECTION: Yes
PRICE: $10-$22 for the lunch special (excluding drinks and dessert, before taxes and tip) and $25-$35 for a full dinner
RATING: **1/2 out of ****