Mike Cohen Reviews: Poissonnerie & Restaurant Rayan serves up sensational seafood

It has been 12 years since Poissonnerie & Restaurant Rayan opened its first location in Rosemount. There are now four locations and counting: 4528 rue Belanger in Rosemount, 6080 Côte-des-Neiges, 2020 Lanthier in Ottawa and the first franchise at 8090 Langelier in St. Leonard.

Poissonnerie & Restaurant Rayan offers casual dining with a Middle Eastern feeling. Nothing here is pre-made. The concept is quite unique. Upon your arrival, customers head directly to one of the chefs and choose from the wide selection of fresh fish and shellfish lining the bar. The service is prompt and convivial. It is quite novel to go to the seafood bar to handpick your dinner.

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Mikado: Montreal celebrates 30 years of serving some of the best sushi in town

There was a time not too long ago when I did not particularly care for sushi. We’d go to a sushi restaurant or pick it up for home and I’d generally order chicken or salmon teriyaki. However, while frequenting the popular Mikado Restaurant (www.mikadomontreal.com), I gradually developed a taste for this amazing Japanese favorite.

Mikado first opened its doors in 1987 on St. Denis Street and followed that up with another locale on Laurier Street near Hutchison. The latter relocated to a new and larger space nine years ago. Chef-owner Kimio Nguyen introduced an NDG locale on Monkland Avenue in 16 years ago.

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Pacini restaurants offer up plenty of variety and announces new program battling food waste

When I heard that the Pacini restaurant chain had launched a new program to deal with food waste, I was intrigued.

Every year on Earth, people waste 1.3 billion tons of food, which is responsible for releasing 3.3 gigatons of greenhouse gases per year. According to FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, this is not only a major economic loss, but also “a serious detriment to the natural resources humanity depends on for nourishment.” In addition, the more food that’s wasted, the bigger the environmental impact.

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