Viet-Thai Restaurant La Perle Noire

A spicy caramelized calamar appetizer plate.

While my relatives from Europe were in town this month, we discovered a new restaurant that is located nearby my place, right on the south shore of Montreal. It's a fusion of Vietnamese and Thai food which I found excellent. Although, my family are mostly into salty dishes, they found most of the dishes on the sweet side. I didn't mind it as I didn't find the sweetness overpowering. The presentation was impeccable and every dish we ordered hit themspot.

The restaurant is called La Perle Noire, and I do recommend it. Remember the saying, if you see a lot of Asians in an Asian restaurant, it means the place is good. Well, there were quite a few of us Asians enjoying the food there ;)

Here are a few pics of the luscious food we savoured, just to make your mouth water....Enjoy!

A Hot and Spicy soup filled with sea food.

Tofu stir fry with veggies


A finger-licking, lip-smacking deep fried Red Snapper served with a fish sauce dip.

Caramelized salmon steaks with ginger, garlic, onions and chili.

Refreshing Vietnamese Salad with Beef

Just came back from the beautiful city of Boston and enjoyed every minute of my stay. The food was phenomenal and the weather unforgettably hot and muggy. It was still schorching hot and humid in Montreal when I got back, but the rain has lowered down a little the humidity. And now I am craving Vietnamese food which I missed during my stay in Massachussetts. To beat the heat, I turned on the A/C at home, and prepared myself a refreshing, crisp Vietnamese salad made with wholesome ingredients : watercress, Arugula (Roquette salad), baby spinach, tomatoes and cucumber and a splash of the highly aromatic and savoury Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dip. A great meal on this hot summer day.

Preparation: 15 minutes

Recipe "au pif":
A mix of your choice of greens (Arugula, watercress, chicory lettuce, romaine, baby spinach) - enough for 4-6 people.
2 bright red and ripe tomatoes, cut in thin slices
1 small cucumber, cut in thin slices
1 handful of fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
10 slices of grilled beef marinated in fish sauce, or any other grilled meats you may have
1 tbsp chopped unsalted peanuts to garnish (optional)
3-4 tbsp of Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dip

Wash and chop your greens and mix them nicely in a large salad bowl

Add the slivers of cucumber and tomatoes.

Sprinkle the fresh coriander and as an optional topping, garnish with chopped peanuts.

Top the salad mix with slices of grilled meat

Drizzle about 3 tbsp of Vietnamese fish sauce dip.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6 people.

Share and enjoy.

White Chocolate pudding with a Hint of Matcha Green Tea

A heat wave is coming our way for the next few days, and I'm more in the mood to eating refreshing foods that take only minutes to make. This white chocolate pudding with a hint of matcha green tea is so easy to make with only 2 easy steps : 1) Blend and 2) chill.

It's the same recipe as my colleague Linda's Decadent Tofu and Chocolate Pie from last month's Popotte Santé gathering, made mainly with tofu.

The white chocolate gives this pudding a nice velvety texture with a touch of sweetness. The matcha green tea gives it a nice rich flavour. It's both refreshing and decadent.

Silken tofu, white chocolate chips, matcha green tea powder

Preparation; 5 minutes, Refrigeration time : at least 1 hour for best results

Recipe "au pif":1 (about 450g)large block of soft and silky tofu (Nori-Nu)
100 g (3/4 cup) white chocolate (such as Nestle white chocolate chips)
2 tsp matcha green tea (can be found in local Asian grocery store)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or in the micro-wave at medium for 2-3 minutes. Note that when using the microwave, the chips will not be melted after 2 minutes. Simply use a spatula and crush the softened chips until you obtain a melted texture.

Add the melted white chocolate and vanilla to the tofu in the food processor. Pulse until well incorporated.

Transfer the tofu chocolate mix into individual ramequins or small serving bowls.

Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hours, for best results.

Serve cold for a decadent and rich, yet so healthy, dessert.

Serves 4 people.

Share and enjoy!