Monami — Restaurant in Montreal

This place was my go to on so many Friday night outings.

Bring your own beer or wine. Great food - especially the Korean fried chicken and Bibimbap. The menu to get the free starters is a little confusing and some of the servers are reluctant to load your table. But that was getting better.

Nice atmosphere - at the time very busy - only restaurant I have seen turn over tables 3 times during my stay - wait - eat - pay. It is not too big - but still - 3 turnovers at supper is a restaurant owners dream, the dishwasher not so much.

But as all restaurants do - they started tweaking the plates that made them so popular - suddenly charging for meat in Bibimbap (bad move), chef change (not good), opening a franchise 2 blocks away (not smart). Opening many other franchises (good move). Messing with the fried chicken recipe (another faux pas). When a place gets busy - you never mess with the food - we are all there for the food - all you can do is raise prices across the board - never cut portions - absolutely never cut portions and raise prices. Lastly if you want to commit restaurant suicide - never do all 3 - mess with prices and recipes and portions.

We have not be back since - it really saddens me. Maybe they fixed things after business declined. BUT absolutely the best Fried Chicken in town when they are doing it like they once did - No competition.

Now - its not a fancy place - its a food place - when empty would think you were in a St.Leonard Italian Café - if it were not for the sexy Korean music videos going all the time on the giant screen.

You need to try it - at this location. King can beers available next door at the dépanneur or SAQ...

Horrible experience.

Right off the bat, the server forbade me to sit on the same table as my friends, since they chose all you can eat, and I was ordering meals, which was understandable. But then, this server comes up to us to let us know that we need to pay an extra “party fee”, because we are more than 5 people. Hello?? We weren’t even allowed to sit together, and now he’s asking us to pay a fee when we can’t even communicate between us??? 😐

Throughout the rest of the evening, this server displayed horrible attitude as well, treating us like a nuisance rather than hungry customers.

The food was mediocre as well. The two times i went beforehand, i had all you can eat, which was (at best) okay. But honestly, for the price, you could be getting far better food and experience elsewhere (e.g. Sota or Gyu-kaku). This time around, I ordered a ramen tteokbokki, and I kid you not, it was literal instant ramen noodles paired up with soggy tteokbokki in a watered-down soup. The food was so bad I couldn’t even finish it, the portion wasn’t extremely generous either. Mind you this is the first time I couldn’t finish a dish at a restaurant, simply due to how terrible it was.

If i could give 0 / 5...

I popped into Mon Ami Somerled today, and wow, what a treat! We had the fried chicken and bibimbap, and I’m already excited to go back.

The fried chicken was absolutely delicious—super crispy, juicy, and bursting with flavor. It came with a little dipping sauce that added such a fun zing (Mana), and I couldn’t stop munching on it! The bibimbap was a cozy delight, served in a hot stone bowl that made the rice nice and crispy at the bottom. It was loaded with fresh veggies and a perfectly gooey fried egg. It was yummy and satisfying.

The place has such a welcoming vibe, with K-pop tunes playing softly and a laid-back feel that makes you want to linger.

I’m already dreaming about my next visit (that chicken is calling my name!), and I’d totally recommend this spot to anyone who loves Korean comfort food. Can’t wait to try more...