Today was museum day in Montreal, but this entire weekend was food and culture weekend for my friend Mandie and I. We tried 3 different restaurants. All pretty upscale and expensive.
The first one was Laloux. I had heard they had changed owner and chef and wanted to check them out. The restaurant itself has not changed much. It still has the french bistro feel, and the staff has the attitude to match. I was disappointed by the food. It felt experiemental and not perfected yet. I enjoy trying new ingredients but not when they seem to be put together only for shock value with little respect to flavors and textures. Even dessert was disappointing…and God knows anything sweet will make me happy.
http://www.laloux.com/
The second night we tried Version Laurent Godbout. This one is located in Old Montreal and belongs to the same owner as L’Épicier that I have reviewed glowingly before. The beauty of Version is that it has a courtyard that allows you to eat al fresco yet away from car exhausts and fumes. The decor is modern and interesting. The washroom deserves a visit as it has a waterfall instead of faucets. The food was nice, original both in ingredients and presentation. I was impressed with the way bread is presented. I comes with olive oil and various garnishes and spices to dip in. The service was friendly and efficient…for a while but slowed down to a crawl after the main course. Worth a visit on a nice summer evening.
http://www.version-restaurant.com/
Finally, saving the best for last we went to L’Europea on the third night. I love this place. the decor, the place settings, the service and mostly the food! They keep bringing little samples of food, such as a tiny crab cake with a great spicy sauce, then a lobster bisque with truffle oil in a tiny cup, later a verrine of mushroom purée with piment espelette and before dessert they brought a tiny lemon meringue, a macaroon and a sample of caramel apple crumble. This to me is fabulous, you get to try so many different foods in one sitting. I love this concept!
http://www.Europea.ca/
