Atti has been in the food scene for over 5 years. My first dining experience was in the first month of their opening where we had our 2nd food blogger get-together.
Atti is one of the first restaurants to integrate Korean cuisine into the Montreal food culture, but the food is altered to adapt the Westerner's palate. We occasionally dine at Atti during lunchtime when we have visitors at work and the food quality has never degraded over the years. This place is always busy during lunchtime, usually packed with businessmen, executives and professionals.
Their menu might not attract students on a budget nor those who are craving for authentic Asian food. Because of the increasing Asian population settling in Montreal, authenticity is the market. Since February, the downstairs (second basement floor) is converted into a Korean bar dubbed as Atti Bistro, only available in the evening. It's a whole new menu consisting of authentic Korean food at affordable prices that surely attract University students.
In Korean cuisine, a typical meal consists of an array of small sides to accentuate the flavours of the main dishes. Each side dish has a particular flavour, texture and temperature that will keep your palate entertained.
I brought two German colleagues to give them a small taste of Korea. We ordered a variety of shareable dishes that play a lot on the palate. Jjeol Myeon, a cold bowl of chewy noodles, contains a variety of chopped vegetables to help tune down the spiciness and sweetness of the gochujan sauce. With this kind of dish, you need to mix all the ingredients before serving, similar to a bibimbap.
The Mandu are deep-fried Korean dumplings stuffed with pork and vegetables - simple and delicious. The fried chicken is a must order, crispy batter and juicy-tender boneless meat served with a sweet-spicy sauce. The toppoki (tteokbokki) is a popular Korean snack made of soft rice cake, slices of fish cakes and sweet-spicy chili sauce - a classic dish worth tasting. Finally, the pajeon consists of an assortment of tempura vegetables and three types of flavoured Korean pancakes with bits of calamari and shrimp.
If you have already tagged Atti as a westernised Asian restaurant, do revisit again in the evening and go downstairs to enjoy some authentic Korean food. You won't be disappointed!
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| Jjeol Myeon - Spicy Chewy Noodles |
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| Mandu - Fried Dumplings |
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| Fried Chicken |
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| Topokki - Stir Fried Rice Cakes and Fish Cakes |
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| Modeum Jeon - Assorted Korean Pancakes |
