Estrella's Montreal Deli

On the way to a barbecue in Langley, my friend gave me strict instructions "no food stops". Umm excuse me? I guess some people are really into their barbecuing… Do not even get me started on the horrible 200th Street too and I cannot stop for food?! Madness! I never complain about Richmond or Downtown traffic, but WTF is up with 200th Street? I hate it. The traffic can range from a mere ten minutes to a forty five minute difference off the highway to anywhere I have to go! So of course to treat myself, I had to stop at Estrella's.

Estrella's has been my go-to place for many years, as in half a decade! A couple of my friends from Montreal first introduced the restaurant to me during my SFU years and I fell in love. I even used to come here at least twice a week whenever I was in Langley.

Walking in, there is a nice smoked meat aroma which is not to be mistaken with greasy or the non well-ventilated kind. The restaurant is clean and there are a good amount of seats for this type of joint. Although during busier hours, Estrella's does get busy and a wait can be expected. As for the organized chalkboard menu, it is posted on the wall and customers order as well as pay at the front.

OLD FASHIONED POP ($2.50).

I was glad to see something other than Boylan in the fridge because I do not even find their drinks that good. Also, seeing Henry Weinhard made my day! There is a flavourful root beer taste and the drink is nicely carbonated, where the "spikiness" is smooth and not too much. The taste of root beer is also stronger than Boylan's.

POUTINE, SMALL ($5.99).

The house cut fries have a crisp exterior and tastes pillowy on the inside. As for the gravy, there is a rich beefy flavour along with a good consistency and is neither too thick nor salty. I also like how the squeaky cheese curds does not fully melt.

SMALL SOUP OF THE DAY, VEGETABLE AND POTATO LEEK ($3.49).

The soup tastes very creamy, rich and smooth. There is also a heavy natural sweetness which I found a bit too much, but did not mind since it is a natural sweetness.

THE MONTREAL, LARGE ($13.99).

Estrella's offers extra lean, lean, medium or a blend of Montreal smoked meat in a Petite (small), Classic (medium), The Montreal (large) or the Oh Canada (extra large) size. Since we could not spoil our appetites, the both of us shared The Montreal with dijon mustard. This is my first time having the sandwich with dijon and boy do I regret it. Yellow mustard is the way to go and fortunately Estrella's provides packages of mustard at the self serve counter. The mustard provides a nice zing and tang while the dijon felt more one dimensional, and extra mustard is always better!

The rye bread tastes very soft but kept its shape and the juices from the smoked meat does not seep through. About that smoked meat, the brisket tastes very moist and the whole sandwich requires little chewing. Honestly, it is not hard to devour the sandwich within minutes. As in literally like three minutes. The sandwich including the bread is so soft and melts in the mouth! The thin slices of meat taste juicy and well marbled, but neither greasy nor oily. BF was able to take his time with his sandwich and I was thinking how is that even possible? I was eyeing his half so hard but could not spoil my appetite for later.

TOTAL: $27.30 + TIP $4.70 = $32.00.

POSITIVES

- Friendly staff
- Great smoked meat
- Everything is housemade

NEGATIVES
- Portions are smaller than before
- That damn 200th street

LITTLE THINGS

- Medium is the way to go

- Pass on the dijon and go for the traditional mustard

- Vacuum packaged brisket is available for purchase

- The staff is friendly but Estrella's is the perfect example where people would put up with rude staff just for these sandwiches. Of course hopefully that will never be the case!

Food: 4/5
Service: N/A