noren — Restaurant in Montreal

Amazing home style Japanese brunches at the Noren restaurant. The restaurant has a reasonably small menu, which allows the team to concentrate on the quality and creation of delicious weekly specials. Every time you come by, you experience something homey and familiar, but at the same time, something new and refreshing, flavor wise.

Warm up your appetite with a delicious Matcha or Hojicha oat latte, while waiting for your meal to be prepared. The dishes are a perfect size for sharing or if you'd like to try a number of items from the menu at once.

The restaurant itself is reasonably small (12-13 seats), and gets busy pretty quickly, but the line-up system, where you note your own name and time of arrival on a board at the entrance and then are seated in order of priority, works very well.

Try to arrive earlier, as some menu items are very popular and start running out towards the end, and sometimes towards the middle of the day (ex. Tataki Salad).

The restaurant is also located in a perfect location for a picnic takeout; so have everything packed up to go and head to the Jean Mance park or to the foothills of Mont Royal nearby.

On the menu: • Oyako Chazuke (Weekly special): Salmon rice dish, ikura, mizuna, nori, shiso and wasabi, with dashi broth poured over the top. • Kamo Soba (Weekly special): Buckwheat noodles a dashi broth with slices of grilled duck, leeks, green onions, lemon zest and yuzu kosho. • Tonjiru (Weekly special): Soup with pork and root vegetables in a miso broth. Served with rice and small marinated vegetables. • Udon (Weekly special): Pulled chicken, cucumber, green onions, sesame sauce and J'ai Feng red oil. • Okonomiyaki: Cabbage patty with choice of Pork and/or shiitake filling. • Takoyaki (Octopus fritters). • Nasu Agebitashi: Eggplant marinated in soy, mirin and dashi. • Tataki Salad: Albacore tuna-with ponzu vinaigrette. • Potato salad with marinated egg and mustard soy sauce. • Miso Shiru (Miso soup with vegetables) • Goma Kyuri (Cucumbers and sesame) • Onigiri (Seasoned rice balls) • Tofu: Cold tofu with soy sauce, bonito, shiso and grated ginger. • Kashiwa Mochi • Matcha oat latte

Edit: Please note that the restaurant no longer makes Takoyaki (Octopus fritters).

Instagram:...

Short: Delicious takoyaki, exquisite okonomiyaki. Worth it !

This is a long overdue review. I first came to Noren 2 years ago. I loved the coziness of the space and simplicity of the layout. Curiosity drew me in. The Takoyaki were unctuous. The gooey batter inside contrasting beautifully with the crispy shell. Bits of octopus gives the perfect level of chew. Classic is perfection but I enjoyed the ponzu and japanese curry variation.

The Okonomiyaki is also a must try. I find the version with shiitake mushrooms the best. Interesting texture with some bite from the mushroom and lots of umami, sweet cabbage and dashi forward dried bonite flakes. Sweet sauce and japanese mayo seal the deal.

I have also tried the sides including weekly special bento, marinated aubergines, etc. All delicious and fresh!

It is "easy" for a restaurant to impress one's palate on a first visit. After all I didn't know what to expect and had little reference point on okonomiyaki and takoyaki. I do eat a lot of japanese food, at home and at restaurants. And I have made a point in the last two years of trying similar dishes at other japanese addresses (in NYC, Paris, etc). Noren serves the BEST takoyaki and okonomiyaki, hands down, and CONSISTENTLY. I have been impressed every time I have been (at least 20 visits) and that is no easy feat : having moved away from Montreal, I can only sparsely visit, my mind having embellished my souvenir of the taste everytime, yet I am positively impressed every time I go!!

So don't hesitate, go enjoy succulent food there or grab to go and enjoy at nearby parc Jeanne mance. Bravo to the chefs and staff: every visit is a...

Noren - A Disappointing Experience Despite the Hype

Noren, a small Japanese restaurant in Montreal, seems to be quite popular, as we experienced during our visit for lunch. We couldn’t book ahead since the space only accommodates up to 12 people, so we signed up on a waitlist. This system was convenient for us, as we were a group of six. However, due to the size constraints, we opted for takeout and ate in a nearby park, which was an easy solution.

Unfortunately, the food didn’t live up to our expectations or the high ratings we had seen online. We ordered onigiri, eggs, okonomiyaki, salmon don, and small beef. Across the board, the dishes were disappointing. The onigiri had overcooked rice, the meat was bland, and some items were excessively salty. It was surprising, especially since friends who had visited a few months ago had a much better experience. From what we heard, the head chef might have recently changed, and it seems the positive reviews on Google Maps reflect the previous chef’s work.

At around $40 for an okonomiyaki and a don (tax included), it felt overpriced for the quality of the food we received. Overall, we were quite let down by our experience and won’t be returning to Noren. Definitely not the Japanese jewel it used to...