Obviously trolling restaurant websites before my recent trip to Montreal, I continuously came upon a Syrian restaurant called Damas in Montreal’s Ourtremont neighborhood. The menu looked delicious and I was really intrigued by a Syrian restaurant, so I called and barely got a reservation about two weeks before my trip! Great success.
Montreal.
I will start this review by stating – Damas may be my favorite restaurant in Montreal. And if you know me (or have read this blog), you know I love food in Montreal!! Everything about Damas was awesome, from the service, to the decor, to the food. All top notch and I will definitely return to Damas next time I am in Montreal!
The interior of Damas.
Getting to the food, Damas has two menus – a la carte and a four course prix fixe (with a few extra treats thrown in by the chef!). Never having been to a Syrian restaurant before, we were not entirely sure what to expect and opted for the prix fixe at a cost of $75CAN/person. Our first course was a delightfully colorful salad made up of greens, some crunch, strong mint, fresh tomatoes, and a bit of pepper and balsamic. Absolutely delicious.
fresh salad.
The second course consisted of more cold appetizers – steak tartare. I love steak tartare and this dish was excellent. The tartare was made with a lot of spices and served with olive oil, nuts and a tiny bit of pepperoncini.
Steak tartare.
Our third course featured two types of hot seafood. The first was the MOST delicious octopus cooked in olive oil and served with onions, tomatoes, and a variety of spices. Definitely one of my favorite dishes of the evening!
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The second seafood dish was sea bass served with tomato and caper salsa! In my opinion the sea bass was great but it was not quite as tasty as the octopus! That being said, I would absolutely order the sea bass again!
Sea bass with tomato and caper salsa.
Both of the seafood dishes together!
Our fourth course was a lamb course. Lamb is probably my favorite meat and this lamb was no different! The lamb was served on the bone with the most delicious sauces!
The lamb was also served with a trio of hummuses, including an original and a beet hummus and the most amazing Syrian bread. The bread is the puffy round dish below, and it was super soft and filled with air. I had a couple pieces of this bread…
The table, complete with the excellent bread and beetroot hummus!
Hummus trio.
In addition to the lamb and hummus, we were also served a beef dish, which I honestly do not remember much about (the lamb really stole the show and I was pretty full at this point!).
More food – beef!
After all of that food, our waiter brought out two desserts, which were seriously the cutest desserts that I have ever seen! So photogenic!! The first was a rose ice cream delicately placed into a phyllo “cone” drizzled with honey and dusted with rose petals.
Rose ice cream cone.
Our second dessert was some sort of roll topped with honey and pistachio. Although I cannot remember what exactly this was, it tasted just as good as the rose ice cream and was almost as pretty!
Dessert with honey & pistachios!
In conclusion, our dinner was awesome and I will absolutely eat here when I come back to Montreal! For those planning a trip, definitely make a reservation in advance. Damas place books up! Damas also has a bar and serves drinks by the glass and offers an extensive wine list! For dressing purposes, the restaurant is not super dressy but its also not casual. Happy dining!
STEAL OUR DINNER
Damas: 1201 Ave. Van Horne, Montreal, QC H2V 1K4. T: 514-439-5435. Make a reservation here.
ON A BUDGET
Damas is a bit on the pricey side, but Montreal has restaurants for all budgets. For more budget friendly options, check out Juliette et Chocolat, Olive et Gourmando, and Marche de la Vilette!