West meets East feast

>> BAZaAR’s blend of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine is a triumph

by GENEVIEVE PAIEMENT

Anise was one of those restaurants. People practically wrote soliloquies about the tasting menus. And the flawless marriage of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours with classical French technique drew endless kudos from visiting and local food critics alike. Sure, a meal at Anise might have set you back $200, but, some asked, what price can you give to paradise on a plate?

Then suddenly, this past March, after nearly six years of business, Anise was gone. Foodies across the city mourned the loss of the best Montreal had to offer. Les Chèvres and Area closed around the same time, sparking much debate about the feasibility of keeping a high-end restaurant afloat in this city.

That’s why the existence of BAZaAR (full name: “BAZaAR Anise Grilling & Company”), which recently rose from Anise’s ashes—same location, same owner-chef, Racha Bassoul—is so exciting. The concept of the food remains the same, but you no longer have to spend such a very pretty penny for your East-meets-West culinary rapture.

With appetizers starting at $6 and mains at $15, Bassoul’s brand new creation is a far more casual affair, focusing on grilled seafood and meats, and classic Eastern street foods. The décor has lightened up too. Now, amidst all the clean lines, there are more colourful photographs and Middle Eastern flourishes, and upstairs is a cocktail area that’s distinctly mid-century modern with lots of teak, curved glass coffee tables and mini menus offering an edited version of the appetizers list.

The beautiful early summer evening my dinner partner and I visited BAZaAR, the place was alive with chatter and dusky sunlight was still pouring through the glass-fronted façade. After nibbling on the tasty and fresh amuse-bouche of mixed marinated olives, crunchy toasted pita, some silky hummus and a demure eggplant purée, we settled on a half-bottle of the 2002 Bourgogne Domaine Pierre Guillemot ($30), which, we gambled, would be nimble enough for seafood but full-bodied enough to stand up to a meat dish.

To start, we decided to share the lamb samosas with seven spices, pine nuts and red pepper tapenade ($8) and the grilled octopus and red lentil salad with fried shallots ($12). The samosas, those three plump pillows, were fried to perfection and had bubbly-crisp exteriors wrapped around ultra-tender chunks of fragrant lamb that paired beautifully with the flavourful red pepper sauce.

As for the octopus, after one bite, I shook my head in disbelief at how they managed to pack that much flavour into one diminutive tentacle and combine it with a medley of textures that created a quiet perfection. The slight crunch afforded by the grill, tempered by an unbelievable tenderness, was truly the stuff of memories. It came perched atop a pile of small orange lentils and tiny bits of orange with peel.

For mains, my fellow diner opted for the half Cornish hen marinated in yogurt and ras el hanout ($18) and I went for the whole market fish, in this case, sea bream, grilled with coriander, ginger and cumin ($26). As for accompaniments, you can choose between fries, ratatouille or grilled vegetables. We went for the fries and ratatouille, both very good examples of their kinds.

Here, again, the denizen of the deep was the champion—extremely fresh, the generous amount of coriander, cumin and garlic imparted an intense flavour that truly outshone the hen, which was good, but seemed on the bland side when compared to the wow-factor of the fish.

The sweet stuff came in the form of a superb, refreshing none-too-sweet terrine of field berries ($8) and a delightful “douceurs du bazaar” ($3), which included two tiny morsels of Turkish delight (one rose, one lemon), a piece of pita with a dark, sweet and intensely tangy raisin molasses sauce with a dab of tahini coulis, and a bite of melt-in-your-mouth pistachio halva.

Though it will never qualify as cheap eats, BAZaAR’s jaunty stride through Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and straight-up bistro fare is far more accessible than its last incarnation and that’s good news for more frugal food fans.