Film food

>> Feast on post-celluloid fare at Ex-Centris' Café MéliÉs

by SARAH MUSGRAVE

Eating Lebanese food can truly be a feat of determination, skill and dexterity--a task that could be put on a pedestal right alongside rubbin' your belly while patting your head. I offer this comparison because when I find myself eating Lebanese food, I'm usually very tired (it's often 3 a.m.), very drunk (again, it's 3 a.m.), and standing up (unfortunately, at 3 a.m.). If I try to count the number of Lebanese eateries that would inspire me to eat at a decent hour (and sober), I could do so on the fingers of one hand.
This month marks a year since the opening of the Ex-Centris complex, long enough for people to finally stop pontificating on the architecture and for the kitchen at Café MéliÉs to settle into its new digs.

The revamped MéliÉs is not the quaintly snotty little bistro it was when it shared a narrow space with the old Cinéma ParallÉle further up the Main. These days the restaurant's patrons are more likely to be talking about multimedia money than to be philosophically puffing Gauloise smoke into the air. If the previous locale was rooted in nostalgia, the new version is firmly set in the future.

With its profusion of metal, wood and purple Euro-lounge seating, the atmosphere calls to mind the sci-fi world of Alphaville--I was half-expecting to see cyborgs waiting the tables. The courteous and decidedly human service put us at ease, however, once we blotted out the electric boogaloo doorframe and Cirque du Soleil-esque soundtrack in the background.

I was curious to know if as much deliberation went into the food as the design of the space. And I'm pleased to report that this is the case, both in presentation and preparation.

The selection of appetizers is brimming with tasty ingredients like walnuts, goat cheese and curried mango salsa, along with tantalizing dishes like a caramelized artichoke, bacon and onion salad, and a gravity-defying grilled vegetable "tower." At about 10 bucks a piece, they're almost as costly as the main courses and would make a perfect, if indulgent, afternoon snack.

I started with the prosciutto with mascarpone and poached pears ($8.95), elegantly presented with a garnish of very fresh radicchio, chives, endives and curls of red and orange peppers. It was fantastic: a very imaginative combination of tastes, from the saltiness of the Italian cured ham to the soft cheese and delicate fruit flavours, with the added tang of a balsamic sauce.

The soup of the day ($3.95) was less inspiring. The thick mélange of tomatoes and rice was substantial if uninteresting, with a somewhat processed taste. Fortunately, other days mean other soups.

Main courses run the gamut from light, healthy pastas to steak frites to a smoked Gouda and Black Forest ham sandwich. The table d'hote featured chicken with apricot, veal chops or a grilled red tuna fillet with a citrus and soya sauce ($16.95). I opted for the fish dish, which rounded out the Asian flavours of the sauce with baby bok choi and mini-corn cobs. The tuna, beautifully presented atop slices of yellow and green zucchini, was seared to crispness on the outside and pink and tender on the inside (something which, before the days of sushi, would have freaked me out). The topping of deep-fried julienned onions was crunchy and subtle, adding texture to a truly excellent dish.

The baked chicken supreme with fresh herb cream sauce ($14.95) was not up to the same level of melt-in-your-mouth goodness. The creamy thyme sauce was very aromatic, but the texture and cooking of the chicken strips was uneven. Again presented as a piece of architecture, it was accompanied by zucchini, Chinese broccoli and saffron-infused rice.

We chose the bonbonniÉre for dessert ($5.95), a baked wrap of pastry containing fresh berries served atop an almost psychedelic pattern of red and brown sauces and yellow crÉme anglaise. The two rolls tasted as sweet as a jar of your aunt's best homemade jam and as tangy as a freshly picked raspberry.

Overall, I was impressed by the quality of the dining experience in the midst of such new-media-type surroundings. Luddites should note that, in addition to a fully stocked bar frequented by Ex-Centris staff working overtime, MéliÉs still makes a great cappuccino. :

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Le Prince

Address: 7385 Décarie (corner Jean-Talon)

Phone: 343-3355

Hours: 11am-10:30pm (closed Monday)

Best features: fresh fish, great grills and free watermelon!

Alcohol: yes

Vegetarian friendly: if you eat fish or settle for salad

Credit cards: yes

Wheelchair access: yes

Price:$11-30 per person, before drinks, tax and tip

Rating: *** out of ****