Sea quest

You'll find fresh fish and more at La Sirène de la mer

by SARAH MUSGRAVE

It's worth heading into uncharted waters--in this case a desolate strip of Jean-Talon--for a visit to La Sirène de la mer, a family-style seafood emporium that's best described as Red Lobster with a Middle Eastern twist. You'll find the best of both worlds here, as the tasty Lebanese specialities and simple fish dishes complement each other perfectly.

The décor is faux-fancy, with a large mural of Greek ruins flanked by floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking ugly condos across the street. The crowd is more multicultural than a Canada Council grant and the atmosphere is welcoming without being overpolished: there's linen on the tables but the pita bread is presented in plastic bags.

You can nibble on pickled turnip, green olives and very hot peppers (that look deceptively mild) while perusing the huge selection of appetizers, including hard-to-find dishes like foul (homey fava beans) and Armenian sausage as well as standards like baba ganouj and tabouleh. If you're lost at sea when it comes to Lebanese food, the staff will help you out. It seemed as though our waiter was using Whisper 2000 to overhear our menu dilemmas from across the room. When we were finally ready to order, he appeared at the table and without prompting said, "Half the fatouche salad will be enough," and "The salmon filet is better."

To start, we indulged in the grilled octopus with olive oil, lemon and garlic ($15.99). It was soft, not chewy, and the diameter of the pieces was so big that it conjured up the unsettling image of a man in a wet suit wrestling with the enormous tentacles under water.

The aforementioned half fatouche was a refreshing combination of mint, juicy tomatoes, toasted pita and chunks of cucumber in a lemon and thyme dressing ($5.49). Our other choice was the kebbe boulette, a personal favourite ($6.99). The four cracked-wheat pockets shaped like mini footballs contained a savoury mix of ground beef, spices, onion and pine nuts. We accidentally ordered the kebbe nayeh, aka beef tartare, and the waiter very nicely whisked the platter of raw meat away.

The main courses were of a decent size, but less excitingly ethnic than the starters. The six grilled shrimp ($15.99) were well cooked and juicy, with a hint of spice. They came with a side of standard cocktail dipping sauce. My companion asked for steamed vegetables instead of rice as an accompaniment, and again the substitution was no problem.

My filet of Atlantic salmon ($14.99) was pink and tender, flaking easily under the fork. The rice was plain but delicious and there was a copious amount of lemon to sprinkle at will. Neither main course was breathtaking, but there was no question that the ingredients were extremely fresh and carefully prepared. In addition to seafood, there is shish taouk (about $10) and beef or lamb dishes.

It was back to exotica for dessert (about $4). A definite must is mouhalabieh, a firm, milky pudding presented in a parfait glass. It's topped with finely chopped fresh pistachios and pink-tinted rosewater that perfumes the smooth, chilled texture below. Equally good was the halawat, cheese rolls similar to a soft canoli without the pastry, served with nuts and sweet syrup.

If you are the lucky owner of a vehicle during a Montreal winter, you may also want to consider creating a similar feast at home. A lot of the Middle Eastern items on La Sirène's menu can be found at the Adonis grocery store on Acadie and there is a superb poissonnerie attached to the restaurant.

La Sirène de la mer

Address: 114 Dresden (Jean-Talon W.)

Phone: 345-0345

Hours: Tues-Fri 11:30am-10pm; Sat noon-11pm; Sun-Mon 11:30am-9:30pm

Best features: fresh seafood, Lebanese appetizers and desserts

Vegetarian friendly: yes

Credit cards: yes

Wheelchair access: yes

Alcohol: yes

Price: $22/person without tax, drinks or tip
Rating: HHH out of HHHH