KazaMaza

If you are going out for Middle Eastern food and you happen to choose Kazamaza on avenue du Parc, you better show up hungry. I recently paid a visit to the restaurant with one of the Montreal Food Divas and the kitchen laid out a feast like I’ve rarely seen.

The restaurant is located in a lovely walk-up on Parc near avenue du Mont-Royal. Complete with a fireplace (it would be better if it was a working fireplace though), brick walls, honey-coloured hardwood floors, high ceilings and large windows, the space feels as comfortable as being in your own dining room. I wouldn’t be surprised if the space had once been an apartment that was modified to fit a restaurant. While the décor is warm it remains muted, bringing the focus where it needs to be, on the food.

Kazamaza served us some of the most delightful Middle Eastern food I have ever tasted. Fresh beef tartare, hummus and tabbouleh, smokey baba ghannouj and deliciously salty akkwai (like halloumi cheese; pictured above) were among the first dishes brought to our table. This food is perfect for sharing but be warned that your eyes will be bigger than your belly. A couple of glasses of wine and a few starters are more than enough to complete a meal. Unless you are bloggers like us and there no end to the amounts of food we eat.

For our main dishes we ordered the garlic chicken supreme (the garlic sauce is amazing) which was served on a bed of potatoes and the grenadine and tahini covered Kefta (ground lamb with pistachio, walnut, onions and spices) which Diva 2 seemed to enjoy immensely. I am still weary of lamb, no matter how people rave about it. The flavours of the succulent chicken and roasted potatoes lifted off the plate when mixed with the garlic sauce.

If you’re looking to break out of your food routines and try something that feels familiar yet is entirely exotic, Kazamaza is a great choice.

Image credit: Vadim Daniel Photography for KazaMaza