J spot goes for the G-spot

>> Sexy sustenance shines at the Copa

by SPANKY HOROWITZ

My mom would probably freak out if she saw the saucy graphic used by Jason Nelsons for his new restaurant, appropriately christened "j." (as in j spot). She would probably never eat there, and that's fine by me because j. is also home to that celebrated watering hole where music and passion are always in fashion: the Copacabana.

Nantha Kumar ostentatiously paved the way when he began serving authentic-yet-trendy Malaysian cuisine from the minuscule kitchen at the back of the bar, then successfully graduated to his own digs on Duluth. Since then, El Blue Moon and Caseiro have tried, unsuccessfully, to fill Nantha's apron straps, leaving room for a rising young star on the Montreal culinary circuit to move in and show us what he's got.

Having spent time in the chi-chi kitchens of Mess Hall and Neva, Jason (you can call him "J") Nelsons has paid his dues and is clearly ready to bloom. He has created a small menu of mostly Asian cuisine, lending his own inspired artistry to each dish. An example of this artistry would be the Pad Thai ($9). At first glance it looks like an ordinary Pad Thai: rice vermicelli, basil, cilantro, peanuts, sprouts, etc. Yet our lovable chef has smoked the chicken breast himself, adding a sweet and woodsy flavour to the dish.

The strawberry curry and coconut soup ($4) scores points by using fruit to control the fire that a curry can sometimes spark. Chunks of fresh strawberry and cubes of sweet potato (apparently a favourite ingredient of the chef) melt in your mouth to mingle with the thick and velvety fruit and curry broth. My only complaint: a dinner roll or any equivalent would have been nice to snack on during our wait and would have provided something with which to mop up my almost-empty bowl.

The perfectly cooked "Chinese marinated grilled sirloin steak served with sweet potato mash and vegetable sauté" ($10), was a big hit for my carnivorous compadre, just as the vegetarian pie ($7) made with sweet potatoes, corn and Paris mushrooms satisfied my vegetarian vultures. Both dishes made good use of the popular sweet potato (aka yam), although my yammy mash was rather bland on one visit and bursting with flavour the next. The crispy phyllo pastry that housed the veggie pie provided perfect textural contrast to the pasty sweet potato, which was oh-so-sweetly lubricated by a juicy tomato-apple relish.

Other notable dishes included the simple starter of spinach salad ($5) with grilled plantains and grilled cantaloupe in a five-spice and honey dressing, the baked salmon ($12) with a deliciously sweet miso and maple glaze and the vegetarian maki rolls ($4) with cucumber, mango, avocado etc. The chef's personal touches added extra oomph to all of these dishes save for the sushi rolls, where the vermicelli noodles used in place of the sushi rice seemed to take away, rather than add to the dish.

The j spot has definite staying power, depending on the ever-changing whims of the St-Laurent street hipsters and a few possible modifications on the part of the owner. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend changing the illustration adorning the sign and menu, as it lends a tasteless quality to the very tasteful food served at this new eatery (although I just may be too old-fashioned). The J-man also could have been a little more "interpretive" with the menu title of "interpretive sexy cuisine." Your food is sexy, but if you tell us it's sexy, then it isn't. And I don't want to seem like a kvetch, but where's the dessert? :

Comments? foodspanky@hotmail.com

J

Address: 3910 St-Laurent

Phone: 982-0880

Hours: 6-11pm, closed Mondays

Best Features: trendy food at decent prices

Alcohol: yes

Vegetarian friendly: yes

Fish and Seafood: yes

Wheelchair access: yes

Credit cards: yes

Price: $12--16 per person, before drinks, tax and tip

Rating: *** out of ****