Nikkei Cuisine Makes its Montreal Premiere at Tiradito

1076 Rue de Bleury, Montreal, Québec H2Z

After reading the title of this post, many will have 2 questions. 1) What is Tiradito? 2) WTF is Nikkei cuisine? (CHILLLLL. I’m getting there…)

Firstly, Tiradito is a Peruvian dish made of raw fish in a spicy sauce – very similar to sashimi (YUM!) – it is also the name of a HOT new restaurant that just opened in Downtown Montreal. I visited this past Saturday night, and was impressed by everything from the sophisticated tropical design to the one-of-a-kind concept. Restaurant seating comes in the form of a U-shaped bar (along with a solo table for larger groups) and you are being served by cooks and cooked for by servers – to be explained in more detail later.

Back to Nikkei Cuisine –  I enlisted the experts to explain! I heard firsthand about the inspiration behind Tiradito, the fresh concept, and Nikkei cuisine from one of the owners, David Schmidt. He and his partners have all made their mark on the Montreal dining / bar scene, so it is no surprise that they have created something as unique and stunning as Tiradito! Here’s what Schmidt had to say:

What was the inspiration behind Tiradito? Could you explain the concept behind the cooks as servers and open-kitchen design of the restaurant? 

The vocation of Tiradito is to spread out the tasks and provide equal salaries as opposed to in the restaurant industry. At Tiradito, there are no cooks or waiters, the employees partake in the over all production and service of the food and drinks. The idea came about when myself and my two partners, David Dumay and Marcel Larrea were were having a drink at Mal Necessaire, my tiki bar in Chinatown. We started discussing the problems with today’s restaurant scene and how we could try out a different model. There’s a lot less down time this way, no cooks waiting for the orders to come in bartenders waiting for drink orders. We all help each other out with the various tasks.

 

Describe the fusion between Peruvian and Japanese cuisines. When/where were you first exposed to Nikkei cuisine?

Tiradito, and for that matter Nikkei cuisine, is not fusion per se. Peru, since the late 1800’s and due to a few factors including Japan’s economic climate after the Sino-Japanese war, has the second largest ethnic Japanese population after Brazil. Nikkei cuisine is the mix of Japanese and Peruvian cooking culture and how it has evolved over the last hundred years. Marcel worked in Lima for Gaston Acurio at his famous restaurant Astrid & Gaston and opened Mescla in 2012 in Montreal which won the praises of the local press.

 

What is your current favourite dish at the restaurant? Drink?

Marcel’s ceviches are unparalleled, our Chilcano cocktail is made with a lot of love!

Because of the layout of the restaurant, and its intimate feel, I would suggest this as the perfect date spot. The moody lighting, cool cocktails, and small plates are sure to impress. And I totally agree-  do NOT miss out on the ceviche!