Indonesian and Malaysian cuisines may not have a very large representation in Montreal, but at Satu Lagi, avenue du Mont-Royal Est, they are honored like nowhere else in the metropolis – plus, no ingredients containing gluten has no right of way. The search for “authentic” tastes, the reproduction of dishes of which the majority of Quebecers are unaware and the refusal to compromise are the promise of a great culinary journey.
Take the sambal. This essential condiment made from chili peppers combined with a host of other ingredients has dozens of variations. For example, there is matah, a raw sambal made with chili peppers, shallot, garlic, kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, etc. Terasi is a sweeter and sour version of sambal, with shrimp paste. Then there is geprek, santan, kemangi and the spiciest of all, the commercial version of which is sold in all grocery stores, sambal oelek.
Owner Kevin Larken first opened the Krapow counter in 2021, a few doors further west, on Avenue du Mont-Royal. It has just moved to the former Tampopo, rue de Mentana. With Satu Lagi, he wanted to offer a more complete dining experience, focus on Indo-Malay cuisine and wash it all down with good drinks. Chef Jérôme Villarasa followed him. In the kitchen team, there is also Dandia Ojo, originally from Bandung, a city in West Java. He worked at the only Indonesian restaurant in Edmonton. Nay Arends has an Indonesian grandmother and has just returned from a trip to the archipelago. He was in the kitchen at Little Sister, an Indonesian “food bar” in Toronto. Nur Dana, from the island of Lombok, passes on her family recipes to the team. Jayson de Guzman, of Filipino origin, has worked in several good restaurants in Montreal, including Ludger.
I had perhaps chosen the worst night to show up at Satu Lagi. That Wednesday, a good part of the team was busy moving the Krapow to its new home. The bartender was on vacation. The room was quiet. But all this did not prevent me and my companion on taste adventures from spending a very pleasant evening at the counter, under the good care of Matteo, our disarmingly natural aspiring mixologist/waiter.
A meal here usually begins with a few “snacks,” nibbled with a cocktail, perhaps. Fried mushrooms (Jamur jamur) with curry leaf are particularly popular, and for good reason. Their breading rich in coriander, cumin, turmeric and cinnamon transforms these little bites of oyster mushrooms into real sweets. In the frying category, the crispy chicken drumsticks are also very well done. We opted for the one dripping with spicy fermented honey, and we didn’t regret it.
Satays are essential on an Indonesian table. Satu Lagi offers a nice assortment of these thin chicken or beef skewers almost always accompanied by peanut sauce. There is also a vegetarian version with tempeh. The kitchen was working on squash skewers during our most recent visit. Anyway, make your choices!
The next section of the menu has been dubbed “Tapas,” but it’s more of a medium-sized plate. It is under this title that we find the famous warm gado gado salad, the fragrant beef rendang curry (with its delicious vegetable counterpart of jackfruit) as well as the whole fried fish, crispy like chips, which you can eat from head to tail, dipping in both accompanying sauces.
Fascinated, we watch a cook as he prepares our “Tauhu Telur Goreng” with great patience. This mixture of tofu and egg is whipped into the pan like a soufflé, using big splashes of hot oil. It’s impressive to look at and decadent to eat.
When I return to the restaurant with the photographer, Kevin decides to make me taste dishes that we were unable to order the previous time, due to lack of spare stomachs. The grilled skate wing, very soft, is placed on a very aromatic sauce based on lemon basil (kemangi), lemongrass, galangal, shallot, green peppers and kaffir leaf. The fried duck leg, with its sambal matah condiment, is another great discovery.
In short, there is no shortage of exotic options and, unless you absolutely need to end a meal on a sweet note, I advise you to order one or two more dishes. The desserts are far from bad – although the first version of crème brûlée with pandan (a plant with a vanilla flavor) that I ate was not sufficiently set – but the cuisine excels above all in savory dishes.
At Satu Lagi, nothing is left to chance and the drinks menu is particularly extensive. When I arrive for the photo shoot, Kevin is shaking what might be described as the cocktail equivalent – and not at all cloying – of a pumpkin spice latte. The restaurant’s new bartender, Julia Mora-Mir (Sôra from her musical name), had not yet started her job. In addition to the creations, the menu includes “classics” (mojito, mule and other revisited martinis) and non-alcoholic cocktails. The wines are all the work of small producers from everywhere, but none from here yet. And in fact, I lied previously when I wrote that gluten is completely absent from Satu Lagi. There is beer, almost all from Quebec.
You can walk away from this restaurant with a reasonable bill if you avoid expensive dishes like whole fish and Hokkaido scallops. Both cost around $40, while the other most expensive dishes are $26 and the majority of “tapas” charge between $8 and $18, depending on the size or value of the base ingredient. But it is also very possible to spoil yourself if thirst and hunger are particularly great.
People with celiac disease can therefore eat here in peace. Those who discovered the restaurant opened last winter return again and again, grateful to have access to a “gluten-free” address of such quality. Vegetarians also have several options, the house having developed its own fish sauce… without fish! The Satu Lagi premises may be suitable for people with reduced mobility.
Satu Lagi is open Tuesday to Sunday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. The restaurant is participating in Montréal à table, which continues until November 19, with a beautiful five-course menu at $53.
