Written by Victor Yu on 19.01.18

Ramen and pokés are the current trends in Montreal. We believe that curry will be the next food trend for 2018. This is one thing that is definitely missing in Montreal, especially when the mercury drops below 0 degrees Celsius. Front-of-the-house Gabrielle and chef Huriel are both owners of the new Bighi Curry located in the Village on rue Ontario. They both worked at Wilfred sur Laurier, and chef Huriel has spent a year in Japan at the two-Michelin star L’effervescence.

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Their newest venture, Bighi Curry, does not limit itself in one style of curry; they do various stylesJapanese, Malaysian, Indian, Thai, you name it! They also offer private import wines and Japanese beers. They are open for lunch, brunch, and dinner. And their menu embraces seasonality!

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For lunch, it is a $15 prix fixe which includes an appetizer, a main, and a housemade iced tea. One appetizer is their daal cooked in an Indian-spiced broth complemented with homemade yoghurt and fresh herbs. As for mains, you can opt for their popular Japanese katsu curry – panko-crusted pork cutlet (tonkatsu) served with a thick mild curry sauce, and pickled daikon-carrot-lotus roots. This dish is also available on their brunch menu.

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There is at least one vegan item on their menu such as their Malaysian tofu curry. This curry is best described as a blend of South-West (India, Sri Lanka,…) and South-East (Thai, Indonesia,…) Asian flavours. For the South-West spices, they incorporate ginger, garlic, turmeric, star anise, and cinnamon. And South-East aromatics include galangal, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves. All these ingredients are cooked in coconut milk. The tofu is fried in panko spiced with smoked paprika. It is complemented with haricot verts and red onions.

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For dinner, their curries cost in between $15-17, or you can opt for a 7-course tasting menu for $40.

Occasionally, Bighi Curry invites guest chefs for a collaborative dinner. We were invited to one of their pop-up dinner with the catering service Sud-Est that specializes in Laos-Thai cuisines. Sud-Est has plans of opening a stall in either Jean-Talon or Atwater market in summer.

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This pop-up dinner was a 5-course meal, we had:

– Saku Sai Moo – Tapioca pearl dumplings stuffed with pork, cilantro, and peanuts, with tamarind caramel sauce in a lettuce wrap. It’s like a miniature version of the dim sum ‘chiu-chao fan guo’.

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– Shishito pepper & smoked tofu skewers, satay sauce, and red cabbage slaw.

– Turmeric onions, tomato-coconut red curry, okra, and mussels.

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– Thai ‘steak & potatoes’ – sous-vide flat iron steak, fried brined potatoes, roasted broccoli, and Thai massaman curry.

– Housemade yoghurt panna cotta, coriander syrup, passion fruit, and persimmon.

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Be sure to check their Facebook page for their next pop-up dinner!

Opening hours: Thursday-Friday 11am-2pm, and 5-10pm; Saturday 10:30am-2pm, and 5-10pm; Sunday 10:30am-2pm, and 5-9pm

1659 rue Ontario E., Montreal, QC, H2L 1S8
(514) 379-4443

Photos courtesy of Victor Yu (@randomcuisine).

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