Last week, I finally found myself at Damas. Yeah… I know. How could someone who enjoys so much the Montreal restaurant scene have never been to Damas before? I have no good answer really… neglect? Circumstances? I will admit that Syrian cuisine is not something that all my dining friends enjoy so that may have played a part but regardless, I finally entered Damas ready to see if the praise is well earned.
Located in Outremont on Van Horne, Damas is a high-end sit-down Syrian restaurant. The space is very warm and welcoming despite its large size and multiple rooms. Lots of colour, patterned tiles and interesting lighting. The space was noisy enough which is understandable given how busy the room was. Service was sharp throughout the evening.
If you enjoy more casual middle eastern cuisine, you will recognize some of the flavours here but this is a whole different level. First up was the Fattouch salad – a beautiful salad of crispy pita, lettuce, various vegetables and herbs. Very nice mix with the crunch of the pitas and the fresh veggies. I loved the addition of the pomegranate seeds for a touch of sweetness. The vinaigrette was subtle but a little balance of oil and acidity.
We then had a platter of 4 different dips with bread – hummus, mouhammara, eggplant mutabbal and beet mutabbal. All four were excellent – classic creamy hummus, the sweet heat of the mouhammara and the lovely notes of beet and eggplant in the mutabbals. Perfect entry point for the meal.
Our final appetizer was one I really wanted to try once I read the description: Shish Borek – lamb dumplings served with coriander yogourt sauce, aleppo pepper butter and caramelized onions. The dumpling themselves were quite good – lovely gamey lamb flavour. The yogourt sauce, while being pretty thin, still brought a nice creaminess with a touch of spiciness to pair with the lamb. The sweetness of the onions mix well also.
At this point, we were already pretty stuffed but had already ordered one main dish each. Frankly, we could have done with only 2 to share amongst the four of us given the portion sizes!
First was the Damas Shish Taouk – chicken breast served with picked vegetables, sumac fries, garlic mayo and house orange ketchup. Good char on the chicken. Compared to the rest of the dishes, it lacked some punch flavour-wise. The fries were good and of course love the garlic sauce!
Next dish was the Fattet Mozat – Alberta Lamb shank and shoulder served with rice, tahini yogurt sauce, crispy pita, pistachios, cashews and ghee. An amazing dish – the lamb just fell off the bone cleanly. Very flavourful and tender. Tons of flavours through the sauce – some richness, some heat, some sweet. Everything to pair well with that lamb. I had some left for the next day and it was just as great the second time around.
The third main was another lamb dish, the Fattet Makdous – eggplant stuffed with marinated lamb leg served with tahini yogourt, crispy pita, tomato sauce and pine nuts. Another excellent dish. More tender flavourful lamb but this time paired up with more acidity and earthiness with the eggplants and the tomato sauce. The yogourt brought some richness to counterbalance the acidity.
Our final dish was Samak – mediterranean seabass served with walnuts, peppers, onions and tajin sauce. The fish was flaky and tender. Again tons of accent flavours through the sauce and the veggies. At this point, I wasn’t hungry anymore but found a way to try it at least a bit!
We left Damas happy and quite full. This is a restaurant that will hit your pocketbook but frankly, the quality of what you get and also the portions themselves is such that you will not leave disappointed. It took a long time to get to Damas but believe me, it won’t take as long to come back.
Cheers!
Damas
1201 Van Horne
514 439 5435
Ramblings from the Complex Mind of a 30 Something 