XO Le Restaurant’s Free Form Lasagna – It’s being a while since I tried this dish (Oct 10th 2009), so I do not know how it did evolve. But this one I had on that specificc dinner was one triumph of a 3* Michelin caliber meal over the highest standards of fine dining at any corner of this small planet. Here’s how I did describe it, back then:
Called “Free form lasagna”, this dish — I predict — will quickly become the signature dish of their chef, Michele Mercuri: although, at first glance, it might not look like your typical lasagna, it is packed with all technical goodies of a lasagne: cheese, pasta and so on. But this is a unique luxurious creative version of the lasagna -> as you can see on the picture, it’s more of a “deconstructive” version of it. What the picture wont tell you (and that is why I do predict that this is a signature dish to come) is about the remarkable work that is done in terms of savourishness: from the small tasty chunks of lobster, succulent braided sweetbreads, enjoyable lobster emulsion, fresh tender baby spinash and oh so lovely stracchino cheese….every little element of that dish was a blast in terms of taste. Impeccably delicious. 5/5 and more if I could!
Click here for a detailed review of that dinner.
Bistro Cocagne’s Braised Lamb/Risotto – This dish shares my 2009-2010 top #1 meal in Montreal with XO Le Restaurant’s Free Form Lasagna. If I include the top tables that I have tried abroad, it’s in the top #3 ever! Yep, as stunning as that! Bistro Cocagne is a market driven table, so I was a bit sad when I recently found my favourite dish removed from their menu. My description of the dish:
that was a generous portion of fully flavoured, perfectly cooked (awesome braised caramelly textured on the outside, so tender — on the inside — that it would slide off the bone effortlessly). Heavenly! 5/5 for the lamb. So, as those who are used to me already know, I always eat the meat first, then it’s accompaniments separately -> The accompanying risotto was very interesting and refreshingly different from my usual risottos: it had some fresh enjoyable crunchy corn seeds, pieces of carrots, a perfect lite creamy consistency with a subtle enjoyable touch of sweetness (there was also what looked and tasted like slices of tamarind. I think this was sun-dried tomato, but they did really taste like tamarind. Those were a well thought addition to that savourish risotto). The risotto was evenly seasoned with amazing little savourish crunchy grains of rice (looked like arborio rice, to me).
Club Chasse et Peche’s Braised boar/Brussels sprouts/hazelnuts/Caramelized fig – I’ll let my description talk for it: ‘’’’Bathed in a very delicious light and flavorful meaty jus (the juice of the braised boar itself), this course has simply stole the show as my 2009 Mtl’s best main course (along with the Free Form Lasagna I had at XO): with a light amazing tasty crusty coating on the outside (basically a light elegant cheesy coating), perfect browny texture, ideally tender on the inside. This marvel-to-the-tastebud wonder was a genius workout of amazing flavorful meaty taste with accompaniments that were creatively so well thought: the hazelnuts in there were not just another ingredients to try…they were a perfect harmonious addition to the rest of this course. The caramelized fig was pure genius food work: intensely rich and tasty, it was the kind of tastebud amazement marvel that secured for good what I think of this cuisine: one of world’s bests. This, folks, would send even the best tables of the world (El Bulli, Fat Duck) to reflexion. Stunned!
Click here for the full detailed review of that dinner.
Chef Mario Navarrete’ s Tuna ceviche, Mango purée – Most of the dishes that this Latino genius has cooked for me, turned out impressive. I picked one of them, one that is of the next dimension. This dish is a showcase of precision and exceptional skills. Why? Because in the hands of an average cook, a mango purée is the ticket to overwhelm anything that it is mixed with. In the hands of a genius cook like Chef Navarrete, it is a revelation. The purée, of outstanding light consistency and delicious taste, was of ideal combination with that fresh morsel of tuna (here again, a lot of brilliant work in balancing well the peppery/spicy/acidic marinated taste of the tuna ceviche). Genius work to let each ingredient oozing in their pristine purity and yet complementing themselves. This is easily of solid 2 to 3 Michelin star caliber.
Chef Martin Juneau’s Butternut squash velouté, Chorizo – Oh my Lord! More of this overload of amazement and I’ll die happy!
The amazement here started with the exceptional textural visuals of this Velouté. In order to do justice to it, I am forced to pick a designation pertaining to the world of fashion/beauty: a glamourous texture! This one I was having on this lunch has a unique dense/glamourous/unique orange texture miles away from the usual orange pumpkin texture (We are all used to what a good pumpkin velouté looks like depending on whether it is deeply ripe or not, but this one’s exceptional texture was the equation of both the pumpkin itself + what the Chef made out of it). It was not too creamy, not too light but at ideal consistency. The work of tastes here was true genius: not only the taste of the velouté on it’s own was exceptionally moving/daring/unique, but the tastebud wonder concerto was not going to end there: couple of tiny slices of deep flawlessly cooked flavored chorizo added a supreme smartly well thought smoky-ness. The slightly-cooked tasty pumkin seeds found in that velouté added an extra dimension of welcoming nutty flavors to this Velouté to end all Veloutés. Note to myself: Finally the velouté that has stole the show from my all time world’s favourite haute fine-dining soup/velouté, Guy Savoy’s signature dish Black truffle artichoke soup! I always remind people that it does not take a myriad of meals to sense the exceptional greatness of a Chef. It takes one meal, convincing enough, to give you a definitive idea of the greatness (or not) of a Chef. This is more than ever the best proof of such statement. There was in that one single food item a showcase of exceptional talent, creativity, an passionate commitment of a Chef to it’s food. An exceptional dish that pertains to the repertoire of the best food items at any greatest Three Michelin Star. As stunning as that!
Restaurant Toque !’s Fromage Comtomme, crème au piment d’Espelette, pain craquant, gelée de piment, pomme et graines de tournesol –
Instead of offering the traditional plate of cheese, they brillantly concocted a cheese based marvel: caramelized apples with Comtomme cheese (turned into a slight cheesy fondue) might not be exciting on paper, but this dish is, to my tastebuds, one of the best daring/exciting/tastebud pleasers I could think of this year. From the nice crunchy mouthsome to the sweet and salty decadent balanced flavors and tastes, each bite of this tastebud marvel was a decadent propulsion to heaven. Litterally! In terms of moving tastes (as if that was not enoughly decadent, the creamy slighly peppery touch of Espelette chilly was shining through the dish, not to mention the delicious and exciting gelée of chilly) , this was simply a blast! Largely one item that all the world’s best restaurants would want to steal from Toque!.
Lamb Tataki at Restaurant L’inconnu – Perhaps, the best mastered cooking (preparation + execution) that I sensed behind a meat since a long time. Enjoyably spicy. That exceptional fresh upfront well balanced and yet daring spicy Soya/Ginger/Chili/Lime taste will mark my souvenirs for a long time. The meat was nicely marinated, of impeccable tenderness, with a depth of flavor that was pure heaven. Fresh fennel completed this amazing dish. Largely a dish pertaining to the level of the best 2* Michelin tables. One that will set a reference to the most in all accounts: exceptional daring taste, exceptional work of the flavors, exceptional meat quality, genius work of the spicings. Simply an exceptional dish!
Restaurant Laporte’s Oyster tartare, truffled scallops, Parsnip Velouté – Finally a mise en bouche that’s daring/moving on a Montreal fine dining table. I have always reproached the big majority of Mtl’s finest tables to not be enoughly daring when it comes to mise en bouche. That is not the case of this one mise en bouche: The creamy parnsip velouté was of perfect creaminess, sporting an enjoyable subtly sweet taste . It was topping a meaty flavorful tartare of impeccably fresh oyster. Even the chip you see on that velouté was remarkable: very tasty, enjoyably crunchy.A mise en bouche that is not only stunning to Montreal restaurants but also to world’s best tables. 5 star mise en bouche!
Foie Gras Poélé, Tarte tatin aux pommes, Sauce Caramel I go to restaurants for only one reason: educating my palate to potential new benchmarks of deliciousness. I go to restaurants only to experience prime palatability, or else..what’s the point of paying for food? This course of pan seared duck liver is my benchmark for savourish restaurant food of all levels, all around the globe. Euh..euh…yeah, I saw many talented Chefs trying this…but their creations never came close to half of the remarkable taste of this one dish I have sampled at KG. Now, do not run there hoping to reach the moon: it is food, remember? All I am telling you is that this one pan seared foie gras, on that July 6th 2010 meal at KG, have blown my taste buds away and will be remembered (by me) for a long time as one of the tastiest dishes I ever sampled.
Restaurant’s Toque! Pan-seated foie gras –
Very elegant chunk of beautifully-textured (perfect soft unctuous texture) pan-seared foie. Evenly cooked, deliciously tasty with an impeccable smooth inside consistency. It kept all it’s fully inner flavors. Bathed in a light subtly sweet delicious apple jus, with dices of apples and heavenly delectable dices of honey gelée. That apple jus is very distinct and lightens the dish. Simply, WoWed! Largely among the best pan-seared foie Items I ever had on any of the finest tables I dined at in Canada and abroad!
2009-2013 was the golden age of the restaurant scene in Montreal. At that time, Montreal had truly world class Chefs willing to work seriously. Fast forward 8 years later (the current post was last updated in 2021), and the restaurant scene in Montreal is a shadow of its former self. Back then, we had REAL Chefs who cooked like they got a family to feed. Nowadays, we have entrepreneurs who do not even care about the purpose of their own business: feeding people. They just care about feeding their own pockets. The sad thing is that, abroad, REAL Chefs can do both: feed you with great food while feeding their own pockets. A logic that eludes the so-called restaurant world in Montreal. It is little wonder that Montreal’s restaurant scene will take ages to reconnect with its once world class glory!
An anonymous Montrealer's Michelin Star dinners 
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