If you drive by the 1700th block of Notre Dame West in the heart of Griffintown, we can guarantee you have noticed two new spots pop up next to Grinder. The windows to both places intrigue and cause curiosity because the signage is barely visible, making one wonder: what lies behind this gorgeous façade? One of those spots is brand-new Japanese-inspired Shinji Restaurant. We stopped by this week to check out the place and can honestly say… wow. From the décor to the little details and freshness of the food, this is bound to be on your favourite “where to eat” list. We caught up with Shinji’s restaurant co-owner/musician (famously known from Simple Plan) to get the scoop on the chef, the inspiration and what the star dishes are.
What can one expect when walking into Shinji?
We wish to offer a culinary experience to our patrons; Shinji, our chef and co-owner, who is Japanese, cooks in the grand tradition of the washoku cuisine. His Japanese culinary experience roots him strongly in that part of the world, yet he remains aware of the high quality of some local Quebecois products such as the duck of Lac Brome, the Wagyu that he uses proudly. He also allows himself to bring different cultures into his Japanese gastronomy but remains a Japanese chef respectful of his heritage.
Shinji is a restaurant designed with a strong Asian undertone yet remains clearly modern and daring; Bruno Braen, who is behind Pullman, Chasse et Peche and Magiafoco, challenges Montrealers with his bold interior design. The plates we offer are built by a chef who is respectful of tradition, yet the setting is casual, fun and dynamic.
How did the name come about?
Shinji is the name of our chef, Shinji Nagai; Shinji IS the restaurant. He builds the menu, expresses his personality through his art, and is the aesthetic of the food.
There’s a lot of buzz about the head chef…
Shinji worked in a few very well respected kitchens in Montreal — people enjoy his cooking.
Let’s talk about the food. What are the star dishes on the menu?
– The Duck Arima
– Wasabi Crusted Tuna
– Shinji also likes to offer his inspirations of the day through his Omakase menu.
Great Sushi is always hard to come by in this area. Did you tackle that food group?
We offer sushi, but aren’t a sushi restaurant; our cuisine is Japanese.
A lot seemed to go into the design. What was the inspiration?
The inspiration hints at Japan but the idea was to create a dynamic environment where people could mingle, hear good music, and exchange with other patrons on their experience.
Everyone seems to be asking about the float-like device inside…
I am not sure what the reference is, but there is a communal client bar that is quite spectacular. The lights in the separators offer flexibility to the room that we’ve always wished to have in our restaurants – they also generate an interesting visual element.
Any advice for young professionals looking to get into the food industry?
Be inspired, don’t copy, find your voice, respect your colleagues, dare, trust your clients. I believe that it is much easier to lose a client than to make a regular out of a client; it’s all in the details.
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