Rustique

St-Henri is quickly turning into one of my favorite areas for food and more specifically desserts. Looking for something different to try for family Sunday dinner, I drove down to Notre-Dame and de Courcelles to a place I have had my eye since it opened a few months ago: Rustique Pie Kitchen.

Any place that uses a pie as its logo is alright by me however, once you enter the bakery, you realize very quickly that Rustique is definitely not just a pie place.

All manners of large pies, mini pies, caramel popcorn, peanut brittle, cookies, brownies…. A sweet tooth’s delight. We came away with a box of 6 mini pies, caramel popcorn and two marshmallow cookies sandwiches. The marshmallow sandwiches were quite good. Delicious homemade marshmallow of a perfect consistency stuck between the two cookies – either chocolate chip or peanut butter. The cookies themselves were quite good although I wished the peanut butter ones were softer. They were a little too dry compared to what I really love as a peanut butter cookie.

For the mini pies, we came away with 6 different flavours: apple pie, peach pie, berry crumble, pecan pie, blackberry ginger and wild blueberry. Off the bat, the pie crust for all of these was spot-on. Great golden flakiness without being dried out. A great buttery taste but not so much that it distracts from the filling inside each one. The individual fillings were all quite good. Tons of flavour with a clear use of fresh ingredients for each one. You can tell this is a place where everything is done from stratch. Of particular note, the blackberry ginger pie was a great combination that I have had before but now I definitely need to get a large scale version of said pie.

The caramel popcorn was a nice gluten free alternative for one certain family member and on top of that, was quite delicious. Nice crunch to the popcorn with a nice caramel coating. Very satisfying for the little amount I tried of that bag.

I loved my first experience at Rustique so much that I went two days later for a quick tea and mini key lime pie while sitting outside for a nice 30 minutes or so. Was a great way to spend a beautifully sunny and warm mid-afternoon and something I will definitely do again. If you love pies and all manners of other desserts, Rustique definitely needs to be on your list of places to check out.

Cheers!

Rustique Pie Kitchen
4615 Notre Dame Ouest
514 439 5970

Au Pied de Cochon

When one talks of Montreal culinary institutions, one quickly arrives at Au Pied de Cochon, chef Martin Picard’s ode to all things rich and decadent. From his roughly 80 seat space on Duluth Street East, he has built up a following which had allowed him to develop a culinary empire from his Cabane à Sucre and subsequent Tele-Quebec series to his now award-winning cookbook. His restaurant has, thanks to satisfied customers, food critics, fellow chefs and even some famous friends (Anthony Bourdain has sung his praises on many a TV show), become a don’t miss experience for food enthusiasts worldwide who visit Montreal. Despite all of this and even being a local resident, I had never the chance to eat there. Following my experience at the Cabane à Sucre a month ago, I knew that I needed to rectify that. And that happened this past Saturday.

The first thing you realize when you walk in is just how compact the restaurant actually is. Typical of the Plateau neighborhood, the space is deeper than wide and they use all the space they have to its maximal capacity. Even the wine cellar is a cramped side room with bottles stacked on both sides. The space is clean with wood used as the only real accents in the dining room. The kitchen and bar take up one side and allow for diners to see the magic happen if they wish.

Our 5 person party decided to take a “tapas” approach to the evening to allow us to enjoy as much of the food as possible. One of us had already been previously a couple of times so he helped guide our selections for the evening. For starters, we got the Cromesquis de Foie Gras. What a start to our meal. Bite-sized fried balls of foie gras which simply explode in your mouth when you bit into them. Little bundles of gluttony. These were so good that we ordered a second serving of these at the end of our meal as dessert.

Next up, Accras de morue with a spicy mayonnaise dipping sauce. Pretty much the best morue croquettes I’ve ever had. Beautiful crispy crust and loads of delicious morue inside, these were perfect as a starter.

Duck Carpaccio. After the 2 fried items, this was a wonderfully light and fresh dish. A little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, some onions and a egg plus some beautiful quality duck meat. Great simple dish that I would eat again and again.

Chicken wings with a maple syrup BBQ sauce. The wings themselves were good but the clear star here is that sauce. Deep in flavor with the right balance of sweet and spicy, this sauce would perfectly coat the back of your spoon when you went in to scope up the leftover sauce once the wings were gone. That plate didn’t have a spot of sauce left on it when it was removed from the table.

Homemade gnocchi with ricotta and pulled pork. Just a heck of a dish. Soft and rich gnocchi with the addition of some dynamite pulled pork. The ricotta added a nice creaminess as well to the dish.

And after all of that, we were only done with the appetizers! Next up were the main courses. First up, the restaurant’s version of a Montecristo sandwich. Stacks of fatty pork shoulder with melted cheese between two pieces of bread that were fried in what I suspect was duck fat but I forgot to ask. Either way, this was a cardiologist’s worse nightmare. For the rest of us, it was shear heaven. Every ingredient on its own was amazing but put together….. Sweet sweet music.

Plotté of pork shoulder, loin and hearts. Delicious rich broth to soak bread into. Great pieces of pork to enjoy. A very old school and hearty dish to enjoy. Likely the perfect course for a cold evening.

Foie gras poutine. The classic dish of Au Pied de Cochon. Boy did it not disappoint. The plate lasted all of 5 minutes between the five of us. The first you notice is the color and thickness of the gravy. This is no ordinary gravy – anything with foie gras in it could never be characterized as ordinary. The foie gras sauce adds a whole other level of richness to an already rich and heavy dish in poutine. Officially now my favorite poutine ever. And that is saying a lot given my love for Chuck Hughes’ lobster poutine.

A Parmentier. Think shepherd’s pie without the corn but of course, there is more to it than that with Au Pied de Cochon. Pulled pork base covered with their version of mashed potatoes – potatoes, cream, butter, cheddar and foie gras incorporated in. The whole thing baked off. The potatoes are to die for… And just may I have destroyed any further mashed potatoes I have at any other restaurant from here on out.

And finally, the tarte de boudin avec foie gras au sel. Flaky pastry crust with potatoes, caramelized onions, boudin and foie gras. Perfect blend of textures and flavors. Flaky and soft. Salty and sweet. Very nice way to cap off the main courses.

This meal was everything I had expected and more. You know you’ve had an epic meal when your server comes up partway through the meal, sees the lack of leftovers and goes “You guys are crazy”. It was that kind of night and given my experience at the Cabane à Sucre PDC, I wouldn’t have expected anything else. I officially have a new entry in my top 3 Montreal restaurants. And it was a long time coming.

Cheers!

Au Pied de Cochon
536 Duluth Est.
514 281 1114

SuWu

It is always nice to see a new spot pop up in my neck of the woods. The Milton-Parc district a.k.a McGill Ghetto and its adjacent strip of Saint-Laurent street presents some interesting options to check out and I certainly have my regular locales (I have mentioned how much I LOVE Icehouse?) Last week, SuWu neighborhood bar opened up replacing the now departed Cafeteria right by the corner of St-Laurent and Prince Arthur. I saw some pictures of the media event they hosted and decided that I definitely needed to try the interesting food and drinks that they were serving.

I sadly didn’t have the chance to take any nice interior shots of the bar but the first thing that sticks out about the space is the great decor and feel they have created. Outdoor-but-indoors look with copious amounts of wood panels, wood table and bar countertops, fake plants, a ceiling lattice with vines and lights hanging off from above. Add some great music and a few nice vintage touches and you have a setting relaxed enough to simply have a nice drink and watch the game but upscale enough to make it an evening out before heading elsewhere along the Main.

The bar has a variety of beers on tap, some speciality cocktails and a pretty interesting “Mickey” service with different varieties of tequila, gin and bourbon. To start, I ordered an bourbon Olde Fashioned. For me personally, this is my test of a bar’s (and a bartender’s) worth. An olde fashioned is a very classic and straightforward drink but one that can be royally messed up if you don’t take care to prepare properly. This one was okay. I’ve had better around the city but this is one I would order again to give it a second try.

The food menu is an interesting mix of warm and cold dishes that certainly are not what we would call “traditional” bar food. To start, a order of rosemary fries. Exactly what you would expect. Very crispy fries with a strong but not overbearing hint of rosemary. A good starter.

Next up, my big winner for the evening : mini biscuit and fried chicken sandwiches with kimchi. A very unique but well created dish. The biscuit buns were solid, the fried chicken was nicely seasoned and crispy and the kimchi added a nice little kick with the festivities. Absolutely a must order again.

To change it out, we ordered the spicy Edamame. I love edamame and in the end, while it was quite good, let’s just say that edamame covered with a spice mix is not necessarily the right thing to eat while sitting at a bar. A little too messy for my taste at a bar like this.

Still hungry, we ordered the Meat Ball Tacos. While very creative, this was a miss for me mostly on account of the hard shell tacos being used. I was originally under the impression that it would be soft tortillas and I think it would have made it better and more importantly, easier to eat. When the shells crack after a bit and fall apart, it makes eating meat balls and smoked mozzarella covered in tomato sauce a little bit harder. I get the texture addition of the hard shells but it didn’t do it for me.

Finally, this bar even has dessert! we ordered the rice crispy Panini with chocolate, peanuts and homemade creme fraiche. Rich and sweet, this was a very nice way to finish a night of food with a few drinks.

I did have some small issues with the service that evening – specifically the process of ordering food from the bar because the bartender who took our food order was also supposed to go pick up our order. At the same time, she got swamped with all the drink orders for all the tables so our food sat for pick up much longer than it should have. The staff seemed to fixed that issue by getting someone else to bring the food to the bar by the end of the night. It didn’t have a negative impact on the food thankfully and I will be curious to see on my soon-to-be subsequent visits – and believe me, there will be. I live 10 minutes away on foot for god’s sake! – if that was simply a opening week one-off.

I was quite satisfied with my first taste of SuWu and happy to see a new neighborhood bar opened up close by. I will definitely be heading back to try the rest of the menu that still has me intrigued. Hopefully, they make a good enough impression with the rest of the locals to stick around for a while.

Cheers!

SuWu
3581 St-Laurent
514 443 1455

Nora Gray

I had first heard of Nora Gray from Lesley Chesterman’s review in The Montreal Gazette last February. Having never been to either Liverpool house (where the principal proprietors had been prior) or its brother Joe Beef at that point, I made note of it and put it on the quite lengthy “places to go” list. Fast forward one year later and Nora Gray had become one of my most anticipated restaurants to check out. Luckily, I was finally able to enjoy a Friday night dinner there a few weeks ago with my family.

Walked into the approximately 50 seat space and right away loved the look of the room. Chic and modern with wood paneled walls, dark banquettes, black and white frames, dimmed lighting and a beautiful looking bar that I would love to spend hours at. Add to that the great alternative music that I became aware of over the course of the dinner and you have a space that certainly appeals to my sensibilities. This is a restaurant that screams timeless classics but with a young and hip touch.

As for the menu, it changes regularly and if I had to characterize it, I would say it is one of Italian influences but certainly not one shackled by what one expects from a typical Italian joint. To start off with, given co-owner Ryan Gray’s reputation as a sommelier and knower of things cocktail and spirits, I started with their “My Buddy Frankie” – Maker’s Mark, Campari and Vergano Mauro Vermouth. Very nice and balanced cocktail although if you don’t like Campari, I probably wouldn’t recommend it as that is the spirit that comes out the most. The wine list is mostly French and Italian which is not our family’s forte however our waitress was quite helpful in recommending some options for us and both selections she brought forth were enjoyed by all of us. Ryan also came by to see if we had any other questions about the wine list which was appreciated.

As appetizers, we started with the rabbit liver pâté with caramelized onions on top of housemade cornbread. This was a great dish – a perfect combination of everything you would like to have – the richness of the rabbit liver with the sweetness of the onions and the warm cornbread. Definitely something I would eat again…and again… and again. This was a one of those dishes where, after eating it, I went “I now want to try making this at home so others can try the combination”.

The next entree was grilled octopus with spicy red pepper sauce. Very nice again. The octopus was grilled perfectly and the sauce added a little kick to the whole dish.

The final entree was crispy sweetbreads with honey and horseradish served on a bed of crispy spinach. Now, sweetbreads is something that often automatically turns people off and as someone who only had some for the first time at Cabane PDC a week prior because it hadn’t been presented to me in a desirable way, I get it. However, when cooked and prepared properly, sweetbreads are a wonderful treat to enjoy. Nora Gray’s version is along those lines. By frying them, it creates a nice crispy texture to pair with the softer interior. The touch of honey brings a great sweetness that mixed nicely with the naturally fatty and earthy tones of sweetbreads. The crispy spinach was perfectly done as well.

Two mains were ordered amongst our party since a few redundancies took place between the 4 of us. The first one was the chick pea hot pot. I personally didn’t try it but my sister rather enjoyed it. The chick peas were of the right consistency and the whole thing had a nice basil taste to it.

I ordered as a main the porchetta with potato and broccoli cake. In Nora Gray’s version, the roast was stuffed with pork and veal. The roast was just perfectly cooked. The interior was soft and moist whereas the exterior skin was golden crispy. Rich and delicious in every way. Under the roast, the potato and broccoli cake was a nice contrast to the fattiness of the pork and veal. Very good plate across the board.

Next up were the desserts. First up, the ricotta tort with blood orange. Exactly as rich as you expect with something based primarily out of ricotta. The blood orange added a very distinguished citrus note to it. Very well done.

The flourless chocolate cake was quite good as well. No complaints here.

The one miss of the evening was the Concorde grape jelly. The execution was spot-on. The jelly had exactly the right texture however the flavour really didn’t step up like we would have hoped. The only negative in an otherwise amazing meal.

Nora Gray was a great experience that lived up to everything I had hoped it would be since I placed it on my to-go list over a year ago. The service was friendly and very timely. They were also quite understanding when I called ahead to say we would be late by 20 mins or so. They simply thanked us for the notice and mentioned to us that there was a reservation after us so we would not have as much time to eat by arriving a little late. Despite that, they never rush us and we left quite satisfied and of our own accord well before the next party arriving. I would have no reservations whatsoever recommending this place to anyone… As long as you can get a reservation of course! Now I just need to go back to spend an evening at that bar…

Cheers!

Nora Gray
1391 Rue Saint-Jacques
514 419 6672

Simplement D Liche Cupcakes

A quick post here about my foray into the world of Montreal cupcakes. Tasked with the job of finding cupcakes for my sister’s birthday but having absolutely no idea where to go, I went online and discovered, lo and behold, there was a cupcake shop located a short drive (or a long walk) away from my apartment. And so, I found myself heading to Simplement D Liche on St-Denis just south of Duluth.

I was in a hurry so I was unable to stay for long to enjoy the shop itself but I loved what I saw of its clean and simple look – a beautifully cupcake-filled display certainly didn’t hurt my perception! They have both normal and mini-sized cupcakes to enjoy. The flavors change regularly so I picked 6 different from those available that day and went about my day at work. I got to enjoy them over the course of the next 3 days.

The flavors I selected were vanilla, dulce de leche, key lime, red velvet, chocolate peanut butter and chocolate raspberry. I got to try the final four from that list. The cupcakes themselves were of a denser and richer consistency than I am used to in a cupcake – not that I am complaining. They still succeeded in being sweet and airy which, when paired with the different creamy and light frostings for each options created delicious cupcakes which hit the right flavor profile each time. None of them were overbearing with their flavour either – at no point did you get that “This is WAY too [insert flavour]-ly” moment. The key lime one had a nice lime taste that didn’t hit the overly sour notes you tend to get with bad key lime desserts. The chocolate peanut butter was as close to Reese as you could get without mixing the two items within the cake batter itself. The red velvet was as classic as you would hope to expect from such a flavour. The chocolate raspberry was the least memorable of the 4 but was still quite good all things considered.

All in all, D Liche was a great first experience in the Montreal cupcake scene that I would highly recommend if you are in need of a cupcake fix. Now I need to go expand my cupcake horizons within my wonderful city….. oh Woe is me

Cheers!

Cabane à Sucre Au Pied du Cochon – Sugar Season 2013

Warning: the following post may contains images of gluttony and copious amounts of food that may be sensitive for some readers but will definitely make you hungry.

And with that out of the way, let us discuss my initial pilgrimage to Martin Picard’s now infamous sugar shack up in Mirabel. Quickly for the uninitiated, 12 weeks during maple syrup season (February to May), Martin Picard and his team open up their restaurant space up North for a feast that celebrates all that is maple syrup. Reservations are taken starting December 1 by email and you wait 6 weeks before you get “the call”. It is a fixed price 60$ menu for the food – plus alcohol and one more thing I will mention later. You have a 2 and a half hour service to enjoy all the food before the next set of soon-to-be-stuffed patrons arrives for their turn. The actual dinner room itself is sits about 120 people at a time in a pretty classic sugar shack styled space. Wood panels, communal tables and bench sitting. Pretty much the one thing at this sugar shack that I would frame as “classic”.

But enough about that – let’s discuss the menu! First off, a series of maple inspired cocktails are offered to you: a maple daiquiri, a maple martini and a whiskey soda. The martini is vodka and a bit of gélinotte (maple liqueur) with maple cotton candy dissolved in and a maple stick as garnish. The whiskey soda is whiskey and maple soda with maple jello used as ice cubes. The martini was quite good but the whiskey soda was positively ridiculous. One of the smoothest I have ever had with a great hint of maple throughout.

After initial drink orders, we are a presented with an entrée of homemade desserts because they started to start and end the meal with desserts this year. No complaints on this end! Maple cotton candy, doughnuts, maple syrup toffee cones, caramel popcorn, crème caramels, almond croissants, maple madeleines, chocolate-covered whippets, maple sponge candy and finally shots of Jack Daniels and maple syrup. There was not a single bad item present. The only issue was fighting over each item amongst our party and wishing we had more…. But given what was coming, we should probably be thankful.

Once the empty dessert display was removed, we were presented with a bevy of dishes: fried duck legs with maple BBQ sauce; a cheese and potato omelette with sweetbreads and bacon; a crepe fried in duck fat with beans, cottage cheese and poached foie gras; crispy pig ear salad with duck hearts and some smoked salmon in maple syrup. The only thing here that didn’t work for me that well was the poached foie gras – the texture really didn’t do it for me. Everything else was amazing. The duck legs were perfect. I was a little disappointed to see that the original duck leg wrapped in salmon was altered but this was great nevertheless. The crepe was fluffy with a nice hard crust. The omelette had a great richness to it. The sweetbreads and the duck hearts were perfectly cooked and the homemade pig ears were light with a nice saltiness to them.

During the drink orders, our waitress mentioned that we could order the Shack meat pie as an extra to the meal. Having seen this monster get constructed on the TV show running right now on Tele Quebec, we decided this was a must. The pie stuffing itself is ground pork and pulled pork. Part play through cooking, they remove the top and place a large piece of “laracam” cheese with pecans, pig cheeks, foie gras, ham and arugula and finish that off in the oven. This is the best meat pie I have ever had. Hearty, rich, meaty with the added creaminess of the cheese – a perfect mixture of everything you would ever want in a great dish. Now, this thing is completely ridiculous and doesn’t come cheap but quite honestly, two bits in and you forget all about that. A must-try if you can get it.

Next up, we have the mains: smoked pineapple ham, green beans with almonds and maple syrup and a roasted chicken injected with lobster bisque and stuffed with foie gras, lobster and cotechino (an Italian sausage). The ham was beautiful cooked – great smoky flavor with the right hints of maple. The chicken was ridiculous and so rich as to be almost a joke – the lobster bisque injection creates a situation where the chicken tastes pretty much like lobster. This is kind of item that only the minds from Au Pied du Cochon could have come up with.

And finally, we get to the 2nd course of desserts. A angel cake with pecans and maple meringue, yogurt and maple jello and soft serve maple dessert with sticks of maple. These desserts were all delicious and were the right lightness needed after the extravagant richness that was enjoyed in the previous courses.

This was an amazing experience that I am so thankful I finally got to enjoy. For the initial price, the amount of food you get is insane. We were a party of 4 and we returned home with 4 takeout containers filled with food. Even the leftovers I had over the next 2 days afterwards were amazing. If you can get a reservation, yes it does take some very early planning but you need to do it. Quite honestly, this meal has likely ruined patty much any other sugar shack meal I ever have but that’s fine. It just means I need to come back again next year but believe me…. I most certainly will.

Cheers!

Cabane à Sucre Au Pied du Cochon
11382 rang de la Fresnière
St-Benoit, Qc

Satay Brothers

A couple of years ago, while visiting Atwater Market with some friends, I tried a food stand called Satay Brothers. Don’t exactly remember why I chose that particular food stand for food instead of the other ones present but I was quite happy with my choice that day. Fast forward to today and the Satay Brothers have opened up their prep kitchen on St-Jacques a few blocks over from the market to customers looking for their amazing asian fare during the winter time as well.

The restaurant has a small sitting area of probably about 20 or so people. I arrived solo on a surprisingly busy mid afternoon Saturday. It was busy enough that I was set up at the bar counter since no tables were opening up anytime soon for a solo customer.

To start with, I ordered the green papaya salad with grilled pork. This was a wonderfully fresh and light salad – a combination of what tasted like lemon, lime, mint and basil with the added crunch of peanuts to play with textures. Great start to the meal.

Next up, there was the classic steamed pork buns. A nice piece of fatty pork with some coriander, cucumber and a hoisin-like sauce. I loved these the first time I had them at the market and I still loved them now.

With the buns, I also added one chicken satay. Perfectly grilled and tender, when you added the amazing peanut sauce, the dish had a great kick to it. Believe me, I hate cucumber but you certainly needed them afterwards to help cleanse the palette.

Finally, for dessert, I decide to try the Kueh Salat. A combination of coconut, stick rice and pandan, this was a perfectly light and sweet dessert that played very well after the rest of the meal.

For all fans of the Satay Brothers from the Market, this is a must-visit to enjoy your usual summer favorites. For the rest of you, this is an extremely worthwhile visit – great food at a very reasonable cost. The Winnicki brothers and their mother have created a wonderfully homie restaurant experience. Alex, who was tending to the floor, was quite active – always interacting with his customers, starting up conversation while keeping service very snappy. The love shown to him and his family from all the patrons is a testament to the attention they put on everyone who comes through that door. I must also praise Alex from being quite understanding towards a situation with me that involved leaving money at a ATM prior to my arrival (unbeknownst to me when I came to pay) which is a problem at a cash only place. Quite the embarrassment for me but Alex was very trusting and was not concerned that I wouldn’t come back later on to pay (which I did 20 minutes later). For the way he handle my situation, I thank him very much and, irregardless of the amazing food, he has certainly ensured that I return on a much more frequent basis in the future.

Cheers!

Satay Brothers
3911 Saint-Jacques (in the winter)
514 587 8106
Atwater Market (in the summer)

Le Bremner

A quick story if I may: My first visit to Chuck Hughes’ restaurant Garde Manger was a defining experience for me food wise . We went as a family for my birthday (I think for my 20th) and I just fell in the love with the place. While the overall evening didn’t necessarily work for everyone at the table, everything about it worked for me. The look. The atmosphere. The awesome music. The crowd. And of course the food. Garde Manger showed me the kind of awesome experiences we here in Montreal are lucky to have and appreciate. It opened up a restaurant scene I didn’t really know existed back then – places that 20-somethings can enjoy great high end food in a environment that speaks to them. Garde Manger became one of my favorite restaurants that night and remains so today. I constantly remind myself that I need to go back more often. After Chuck and his partners opened up Le Bremner in 2011 a little further east on St-Paul St., I have been pinning to go. Last Friday, that opportunity finally presented itself.

The restaurant maintains a very similar feel to Garde Manger – non-descript facade, quite easy to miss if you were to walk by. Once inside, a bar on one side and a small seating area on the other. The space emphasizes the beautiful exposed stone & brick walls, the wooden tables and nautical theme pieces with some low lighting, funky accents (skater stickers all over the room ACs) and amazingly great music mix. Any restaurant that plays Jay-Z and Sublime’s “Santeria” in the same evening is alright by me.

Compared to its older brother, Le Bremner has a smaller menu and one very focused on seafood of all varieties. If you don’t like seafood, you probably shouldn’t bother eating here. Just come have a drink instead. To start off with, the table shared a couple of different entrees. First up, there was the snowcrab kimchee served on crispy rice cakes. Great use of the snowcrab to enhance the spicy kimchee in an unique way. It didn’t much for the rice cakes but they added a nice crunch to the dish.

Next up, the fluke and mayo chicharron with crispy chicken skin. Very nice dish that I had never had before. Rich and creamy with the nice added crunch of the crispy skin. Given my lack of knowledge about this dish, I don’t have much to critique here.

The shrimp and cornbread was the final entree. Great combination. The warm cornbread was wonderfully dense but not dry which is always my concern with cornbread. The shrimp was well seasoned and the whole dish had a nice sweetness to it. The items worked well separately but even better together.

For mains, the rest of the table shared the lobster pizza. Imagine a pizza with lobster meat, cheese and lobster bisque as sauce. Then add a egg in the middle. Yeah… I know. Stop drooling. This pizza was love for all things lobster. The bisque added a whole other level of richness to your standard pizza. I could have eaten the whole thing my self but I needed to save some space for this…..

Octopus and braised veal cheeks with fingerling potatoes, chipolini onions and fried coliflower. Once again, this was a dish where each item was great by itself but the combination made it that much better. The Octopus portion was huge and absolutely grilled to perfection. When you add to that the fatty goodness from the braised cheeks, the crispness of the fried colliflower, the sweetness of the onions and the starchiness of the potatoes, you have a perfectly well balanced dish that covers the gamut of textures and flavors. Simply a marvelous dish.

And yet, after all that, we still had dessert to get to. First, pancakes with sucre à la creme and pimm’s butter. Thick and fluffy pancakes with sucre à la creme at 11:30 pm, what’s not to like? I had originally expected a crepe but was pleasantly surprised when the dish hit the table.

And lastly, we ordered the chocolate pot de creme with peanut butter cream and salted caramel. The chocolate and peanut butter creams formed a rich, creme version of a Reese’s cup – never a bad thing. The only issue was the lack of presence of the salted caramel – could barely taste it. That would have taken the dessert over the top but alas…..

This was a meal that I had waited for a long time and it absolutely did not disappoint. An enjoyable 2 and a half hour meal in the old port that has me wanting more. Garde Manger holds a special place in my restaurant Rolodex but Le Bremner has found its way close to that level. I will most definitely be visiting again…. I only hope it doesn’t take me this long between visits ever again.

Cheers!

Le Bremner
361 St-Paul East
514 544 0446

EVOO Cuisine Soignée (Brunch Edition)

On a recent Sunday, I headed down by the Atwater Market to finally check out a brunch spot I had on my list for a few months now – EVOO Cuisine Soignée. This contemporary and stylish looking restaurant does a brunch service on weekends. The menu is relatively small but provides much variety outside of the usual fare you can get from many brunch locations.

As a starter, my friend and I ordered a side of housemade Nutella or NutellOO with some toasts. This was quite a treat and an excellent way to start the meal. Perfectly smooth texture with a wonderfully strong chocolate taste that just screams out “we melted down actually chocolate for this”. The hazelnut note was less than normal Nutella but still very present. Very well done.

Next up, we ordered a side of the Ricotta fritters. They came in 3 varieties – fennel, coriander and a third one which I forgot actually. All three were quite good although I really didn’t pick up any hint of coriander in that one. A dense yet fluffy interior with a crisp exterior, the ricotta comes through with the richness of each fritter. The sugar and the pastry cream added the appropriate sweetness.

As a main, my friend ordered the baked potato with spicy salsa verde. Right off the bat, this thing was a monster. A ridiculously huge plate that my friend couldn’t finish and even with my help, there were remnants. When even the waitress notes picking up the plates that most people don’t finish it, you know you are dealing with a big dish. The dish works pretty well – the combination of the poached egg, the creme fraiche and cheese with the actual potato creates a nice richness and creaminess. The smoked bacon adds a little crunch and the salsa verde, while not as spicy as it was implied by our waitress, added a very nice kick to the dish. Definitely something I never would have expected for brunch.

On my end, I ordered the sausage roll with spicy red cabbage and mint compote. The roll was a large whole sausage with caramelized onions wrapped in puff pastry. Very good although I must admit that I had expected the interior to be a sausage and onion filling. Because the sausage was whole, as soon as you cut it, the pastry just fell off the sausage. A pretty minor issue in reality. The red cabbage added some texture and bite to the dish all while giving that little hint of spice. The mint compote was nice and light – the perfect way to cleanse the palette as you went about your meal.

This was a very nice experience from beginning to end. The service was friendly and attentive all while being timely. The variety of the menu is a nice plus for them – very creative options for people who want something else out of their brunch. I truly looked forward to coming back at some point for their dinner service.

Cheers!

EVOO Cuisine Soignée
3426 Notre-Dame Ouest
514 846 3886

Poutine Week MTL 2013 Recap

As I am writing this, we are 40 minutes away from the end of the first ever Poutine Week MTL. The brain child of Na’eem Adam from the Mechant Mangeur and his team at Food Week Montreal Inc., this week long event is a continuation of the 1st ever Burger Week he organized this past fall. 30 restaurants stepped up and provided us with many wonderful plays on poutine to try out. My work schedule and location limited my opportunities but I managed to check out 4 different places over the course of the week.

First up, I felt it was my civic duty to visit Blackstrap BBQ to vote on my personal favorite poutine in the city even prior to this week. I have already sung the praises of this poutine before so I will keep this short. Just perfect combination of great fries, solid gravy and cheese with the added smokiness of the burnt ends. I could literally eat this poutine weekly…. Which is why I try to avoid visiting Verdun too often. If you haven’t visited Blackstrap BBQ yet, there are numerous reasons to check them out but this poutine ranks as one of the major ones.

Next stop was Burger Bar Crescent for their jack Daniels BBQ pulled pork poutine. This was a solid entry overall. The pulled pork was quite good with a nice sweetness in the sauce. The fries were very nice and the cheese had the right level of squeakiness. However, the gravy was pretty flat to me and my friends. It left us with a poutine that was good but not great.

Our third spot was on Super Bowl Sunday for a little brunch at Fabergé in Mile End. I had never heard of their breakfast poutine before but I most certainly do now. A creative play on a poutine with roasted potatoes, caramelized onions and peppers, cheese curds, hollandaise sauce, a egg and your choice of ham, sausage and/or bacon. All the elements mix together perfectly to create almost a breakfast hash. The key things to me were the sweetness of the caramelized onions and peppers as well as the relative lightness of the hollandaise sauce which did not overpower everything else. This was a monster of a meal – one that really set the tone for the Super Bowl Sunday feist that followed many hours later.

The final poutine was the Italian Sausage poutine over at BEVO pizzeria. In full disclosure, I won 2 free poutines from them through a contest on twitter so I invited some friends and used those poutines as starters in a group meal. Containing mild cheddar, confit onions, peppers and obviously an Italian sausage, this was a very good poutine. The onions were particularly enjoyable.

Poutine Week was a wonderful week in all areas except for the waistline. Congrats to the whole team who sets this up and to all the restaurants who let their creativity fly. I am certainly looking forward to next year and I hope those of you who missed out can join in the fun next time around!

Cheers!