Lychee

We arrived at Lychee incredibly early for dinner, being sure to beat the rush since we’d forgotten to make a reservation. The doors had barely opened before we opted for a seat by the window to observe the Mont-Royal foot traffic passing by on the busy Saturday. Our waitress brought us over lemon water and swiped our wine glasses, as we debated over the closest SAQ since we’d forgotten that we’d chosen a BYOW.

We opted out of alcohol altogether and waited to order our appetizers. Before other patrons sat down, service became spotty at best, which is hopefully not an indication of how the wait staff might perform with a full room. As the lone table to a room of staff, one expects more attentive service than that which tests your patience. Eventually someone came around and we ordered the calamari rondelles ($6), tod mun pla (Thai fish cakes, $6) and a tom yum soup ($3.95) to start.

The restaurant is small and would begin filling up soon. My soup arrived quickly, to my surprise and pleasure. The broth was clear and of good quality, very flavorful and aromatic, and packing a hot chili punch indicating that the chilies next to a menu item indeed meant it would actually be spicy. Soon our other dishes arrived. The calamari were thickly coated with a tempura-like batter, more spongy than crisp with a sweet chili dipping sauce.

The Thai fish cakes were interesting. The accompanying picture in the menu depicts them arriving as a plate of four, when the menu clearly specifies three, and arrives with the same sweet chili sauce that graces the calamari plate, though being pictured with a green condiment. Despite being infused with red curry, the fish cakes were hardly spicy. Their quality was inconsistent, as if one were fresh and two remained from a previous service. The freshest of the trio was a moist and fragrant patty with no discernible fish flavor, such as the white fish it contained; the other two somewhat pappy and boring in comparison.

As my main meal I had ordered a green curry with chicken and shrimp ($14), which I was eagerly anticipating to clear my sinuses. What arrived was clearly not green, but I sampled it anyway. By the time I could get the attention of anyone to alert them that I’d ordered green and not red curry, I’d already eaten the contents of my plate, as it was quite enjoyable regardless. Our waitress questioned me if I was sure I’d ordered the green curry, which, of course, I was, but I assured her it was no problem as the red curry was very good. With this I ate sticky rice, which certainly helped me devour any sauce that may have otherwise gone uneaten.

To my displeasure upon arrival of our cheque, a tiny container of sticky rice fetches a price of $2.50. I had been under the impression that it was included with our meal when I was asked if we wanted rice or noodles. Shannon, who chose vermicelli with her general tao chicken ($11.95), paid a similar $2. This was less of a sticker shock for the sticky rice than it was a surprise to find us charged for it at all. Our final bill came to just over $50 without alcohol, which seemed a little steep for what we’d received. The curry and soup were worth a repeat visit, but the rest of our experience left a bit to be desired.