Dinner at Kalalu

For our final excursion, we decided on a real restaurant, where we could experience the fusion between the trendy Montreal culinary scene and traditional Haitian food. In the middle of the happening Latin quartier on St. Denis tucked away on the second story, a black iron staircase took us up to the charming restaurant Kalalu. Tastefully decorated, mahogany tables flowed from the dinning room out onto the patio, accented by vibrant Haitian paintings glowing by candlelight.
Since we saw many cod products at both Marché Méli-Mélo and La Foire Des Antilles, we decided to order cod cakes for an appetizer. They were flakey, and delicious, accompanied by a light, tangy tarter sauce. Far from greasy or fishy-tasting, the cod fish plate was fabulous. For the main course I decided to go with griot, the famous Haitian dish that the woman at Marché Méli-Mélo told me was a quintessential Haitian dish. The griot included deep-fried pork, a dish of rice and beans, plantains, and a salad. The pork was accompanied by two meat sauces, one flavorful and the other very spicy in addtion to the pikliz, which we saw at Marché Méli-Mélo. The griot was fabulous, the fried pork was very lean, the salad was flavorful, and the plantains were very fresh. The rice and beans were almost identical to those at Marché Méli-Mélo and La Foire Des Antilles.

We talked to our waiter to find out more information about the authenticity of our food. He explained how the griot is very traditional, but the pork was just much more lean than the classic griot. Since Montreal has a generally health conscience population, the fusion maintained traditional Haitian flavors, while creating a healthier dish. Additionally, all of the chefs and the owners of the restaurant are Haitian. Despite its trendy location and atmosphere, Kalalu still provided typical Haitian food, just with a slight twist of sophistication and pizzaz.




Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed our look into Haitian cuisine. After finding clean, popular places to eat, I was able to explore foods and flavor that I would have otherwise never experienced. Classic Haitian food is not about being refined, trendy, or healthy, but rather using local Haitian ingredients to prepare meals that feed the soul.