Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Café Pamplemousse

This place is located right beside one of my friends' apartment (corner of Ontario and Beaudry) so I finally decided to go get something to eat there today. I would say it's mostly a breakfast type of place with many breakfasty items on the menu and a few salads and sandwiches. They also have the plat du jour for lunch.
It's actually not that small (it looks really small from the outside) with around 50 seats in the house.


I wanted something not too heavy and not too expensive so I went for the ham sandwich. I was instructed by the waitress that there were big pieces of ham in there which made me happy! I like big slabs of meat in my sandwiches :) So I had the sandwich, not in a tortilla, because they were out of those but in bread. 



It turned out to be an ok sandwich for an ok price. It cost me, with taxes, a bit over 7 bucks. Meh. Basically, it was ham with tomatoes and lettuce. Lots of mayo and lots of mustard. A bit TOO much. The too much kind that when you bite into it, it runs all over your face too much. And it was seriously lacking salt. Why oh why are people afraid of salt? I mean, taste it, and then add salt if needed, no?

And now, the scores:

Food: 6
Service: I'll give her a generous 8,5. I mean, she just said hi and took my order but she was very nice

I would expect the breakfasts to be better so go there early and have one of those :)


Cafe Pamplemousse on Urbanspoon

Monday, June 24, 2013

Marché Hung Phat

Last year, I was in Corsica for three months to do my internship. You know what I craved the most while I was there? Going to Hung Phat and buying that lovely mix of beef, cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts, vermicelli, mint and peanuts. Bun Thit Nuong its called and damn is it ever good!

This vietnamese place is more of a restaurant with a tiny grocery section than the opposite. And there are about 8 seats. But people know about this place. OH they KNOW!!!

I used to work at the Sushi Shop in the Marché Jean Talon and so pretty much any chance I got, I was there. Mmmmm... just the smell of it! The beef is marinated in this heavenly sauce and it just melts in your mouth (I swear!) So what you do is you put the whole thing in a huge bowl. Then, you sprinkle the peanuts like so and rip up the mint leaves. Then, of course the sauce. Reminiscent of a spring roll sauce, it's just a tad sweeter. Mmmmm!!!! The whole thing is just great. It's a good thing I don't live near there because I'd always be buying (AND eating!) it!

As for the score, I give it a 10. I have to! 

If you haven't been there, go! Yes, you can get banh mi and the girls are really quick but go for the bun thit nuong and you will NOT be disappointed!


Marché Hung Phat on Urbanspoon





Friday, June 21, 2013

Notre Dame des Quilles


I'd been meaning to go to this place for a while and was really excited when I made plans to go with one of my friends tonight. Yay! Finally!

Actually, it ended up being more like boo. That's right, I said it! Anyhoot, we met up and walked to NDDQ on Beaubien. Got in, and said hello to the bartender (he didn't even nod) and went to sit in the adjoining room by the window.

We started talking about the fact that it looked like a cool place with all the miss matched stuff and, of course, the two bowling alleys (pretty cool!). 10 minutes later, we realised that even with only one customer (who was done her meal), we still hadn't seen the waiter. I started getting mad of course, cause that's what I do (I get a bit hulk-ish like). And 10 minutes later, I was fuming, so we left.

On top of it, by the time we left, there were a couple more patrons in the place; no service for them either! But they looked like regulars so maybe they're used to it. We walked out and no one tried to stop us, which was another annoying factor.

Oh, and the table was sticky. True story.

And now, the scores :/

Food: Well, apart from the store-bought chips the girl beside our table kindly passed on to us, we didn't EAT ANYTHING. So, a big fat 0

Service: I'd say with all the rudeness, -2 (that's right, I'm so mad, I'm going into minuses!)

I have to say that I WILL go back. Why? Because it's just so cool that they have bowling going on in there. I loves me some good bowling! But before I do, oh I'll let them know about my unsatisfaction!!!




Notre Dame des Quilles on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Caraïbe Delite

We got the idea to go to this restaurant after reading the 'Best of MTL' in Cult (# 3 - best caribbean). What a great idea! So we headed to this tiny Guyanian restaurant on Avenue du Parc on a rainy evening a couple weeks back.


The place itself looks old and a tad ghetto actually. Old chairs, old tables, christmas lights, popcorn walls, posters of Guyana and fake plants were very present :p But you know what, the place itself is never (NEVER!) as important as the food. Apart from if, you know, there are bugs and shtuff. There's room for about 24 people. Anyhoot, we got in and we were the only ones in there. I believe there's 1 chef and 1 helper (the man who also welcomed us).

Rum punch
We got the menu and water very fast. First thing I saw on the menu (and if you know me, you'll say 'duh!') was the rum punch for... wait for it...3,50$! Well hello there! It was freshly made, had a great smooth texture and was actually very refreshing. 

As we were looking at the menu, we noticed that many items seemed more of the indian persuasion and we started wondering. We then learned this: 'Guyana's geographical location, its sparsely populated rain-forest regions, and its substantial Amerindian population differentiate it from English-speaking Caribbean countries. Its blend of Indo-Guyanese (East Indian) and Afro-Guyanese (African) cultures gives it similarities to Trinidad and distinguishes it from other parts of the Americas. Guyana shares similar interests with the islands in the West Indies, such as food, festive events, music, sports, etc.' (wikipedia).

Shrimp curry!
Let's get to ze food! We had the shrimp curry (with an add-on of pumpkin{1,50$}--a to do!) and the chicken dahl served in a little soft pocket of goodness. It looked like a wrap. The curry came with a refreshing salad, rice and a very lovely plantain(my new obsession). YUM!!! The only, really, the only thing was that the shrimp were a tad overcooked. But the whole dish tasted so damn good, I'll forget about the overcooked shrimp :p It was on the spicy side of things but hey, that was to be expected! The flavours were all there! And I still added some hot sauce cause, you know, I like it hot :p

Chicken Dahl
The chiken roti was great as well. The chicken was really well cooked and the seasonings were again very present. VERY tasty! Oh and it was dsamn cheap!

The service was great throughout. Maybe because we ended up being 4 in the restaurant...but that never stops a bad waiter! We had great water service and our waiter was very attentive. The food also came quite quickly, considering the staff that was present! 

And now, the scores!

Food: 8
Service: 8,5

I'd been there about 6 or 7 years ago but this time it was even better. Don't be fooled by the actual restaurant. The food is awesome.

ps: Cash only!

Caraïbe Delite on Urbanspoon

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Blackstrap BBQ

On a rainy day, Isa and I decided to visit a restaurant we'd been meaning to eat at. So we took our butts to Verdun, rue Wellington.

This place is tiny, much smaller than I would have expected even with the reviews I had read before going. It had two large picnic tables and 2 counters where people can sit at. You have to be ready to share your space. What you do when you come in is order from the girl at the counter and bam, not even 10 minutes later, you got your food! Oh and the place smelled of smoke from the smoker... twas very nice!


We got the brisket and the ribs. Both came with coleslaw, a cute little bread and a side of our choice. I had the macaroni and cheese (which came fried in a little pocket of goodness) and Isa had the veggies (kale and I dunno what). We also had some fries. Because who can eat ribs without fries I ask!?

Let's start off with the coleslaw. It was OK but too vinegary and not salted enough. The mac n' cheese was very good and I found it quite original but again, it lacked seasoning. The brisket was dsaaaamn fine: flavorful and well seasoned and went really well with the lovely BBQ sauce that was provided. Speaking of BBQ sauce, there was one spicy one that was a tad too liquidy and too vinagary and sweet one that was just perfect (but a bit of liquid smoke int here, we both agreed, wouldn't been even greater!)! The fries were good, obviously homemade, but I thought they weren't salted enough. On the other hand, Isa liked them a lot! The ribs were good but we're used to sauced ribs and not dry rubbed ribs so it was different. You can add your own sauce, which is nice but I still think they should have both on the menu!

Now, everything you get, meat wise at least, is ALWAYS fresh. Why? Well, they have a small-ish smoker and they smoke that shiz once a day so when it's done, it's DONE! And this is all written on the wall :)

The service was very pleasant. Well, they don't wait on you but still. The girl was very nice and chipper and we got our food very fast. The only thing is that we felt the girl should have told us about 'Le Gros', this kind of combo of pretty much everyhting on the menu for 35$ and with taxes and tip, we ended up paying about 42$.
And now, the scores!

Food: 7.5
Service: 8

If you like BBQ, go there, you'll be pleased.


Blackstrap BBQ on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Leméac



Une autre critique de mon ami Mathieu! Merci Mat pour ton esprit critique et tes beaux mots (tu écris vraiment bien!) :)

Un soir avec votre amoureuse, vous vous dites "on se fait le Leméac?". Vous réservez. Vous avez énormément de chance parce que c'est la fin de semaine du Grand Prix et que, bizarrement, il reste une table. Vous arrivez au Leméac, vous vous faufilez jusqu'à votre table, évitant les m'as-tu vu du showbiz qui n'osent plus aller au Pied de Cochon de peur de scraper leur silhouette, vous zigzaguez entre les pitounes de char, les "accompagnatrices" d'hommes politiques et la bourgeoisie locale. Serge Chapleau est assis dans un coin et dessine un truc sur la nappe. Outremont vous regarde, vous avec vos fringues improbables de petite classe moyenne Rosemontoise. Et là, soudainement, Miracle. Non seulement le serveur ne se fout pas de votre gueule. Il s'occupe de vous. Il vous installe. Il vous sourit. Pro. 

C'est un peu l'entrée en matière idéale que j'attendais depuis longtemps, un resto un peu bourge mais pas froid, où vous vous sentez tout de même invité, sincèrement et chaleureusement. Le serveur nous installe, donc. Miss B (ou Miss E ? Je ne sais plus) commande les raviolis de champignons au jus de viande, noix de pins et roquette et moi le crab cake sauce gribiche et julienne de concombres. Les raviolis étaient en bonne quantité, ni trop ni pas assez et trempaient dans une sauce à la viande chaude, pas trop onctueuse, parfaitement comfort food et garnie de champignons frais et goûteux. De mon côté, le crab cake mélangé avec quelques brindilles d'aneth et un soupçon de citron (pas trop, les restos cachent parfois un poisson un peu vieux sous des excès d'aneth, mais à moi on ne me la fait pas!) était parfait. Légèrement grillé, tiède avec une sauce gribiche faite dans les règles avec une petite pointe acidulée tout à fait agréable. On arrose tout ça avec un excellent riesling autrichien bien frais et hop, on passe à la suite avec envie !

En plat principal, Miss a pris le suprême de pintade, safe mais parfaitement exécuté. Le poulet de Cornouaille braisé avec frites de polenta aux olives noires criait mon nom et j'ai succombé assez rapidement. On sait généralement avec certitude qu’on est dans un bon restaurant quand le chef parvient à vous faire un plat de poulet qui ne soit pas ennuyant. La chair était parfaite, bien braisée, pas sèche et la polenta de toute évidence faite à la main se déliait dans la bouche. Le goût de l'olive était bien présent sans écraser tout le reste. Enfin, la portion était généreuse et reposait sur des épinards chauds. Le Lirac (La Lorentine Domaine de Marcoux 2011, à boire!) était sincèrement fabuleux. 

Seule ombre au tableau, le dessert. Hé ouais. Bizarrement, c'est souvent là que le bât blesse, même dans les meilleures maisons. La tartelette au citron que j'ai commandé ne valait pas celle de Chez Léveque (c'est dire!). La crème de citron était pâle et beaucoup trop liquide et la pâte trop dure. Le tout était difficile à manger, il fallait que je casse littéralement ma tartelette. Quant au coulis de lime qui l'accompagnait, ridicule et inutile. Arrêtez avec les coulis, pitié. Miss me fait remarquer en contrepartie que je suis un nazi de la tarte au citron et que son dessert à elle, une mousse au chocolat, était généreuse, ferme avec un vrai goût de cacao frais. Les trois mini madeleines au chocolat noir qui l’accompagnaient étaient adorables.

Enfin, le service était excellent, très pro. Le déroulement du repas s'est fait naturellement, sans rush de notre serveur qui par ailleurs s'est révélé excellent conseiller en matière de vin. 

Leméac est depuis quelques années une des meilleures maisons de Montréal. La cuisine y est excellente et on dira sans doute plus tard que la fin des années 2000 et le début des années 2010 c'était l'ère du Leméac, du Pied de Cochon, etc. Cette réputation est justifiée à mon humble avis. Toutefois, pas d'angélisme ici : le Leméac n'est pas du tout dans une optique d'avant-garde gastronomique. C'est une bistronomie raffinée, mais une bistronomie quand même, à laquelle on pourra reprocher son manque de guts et de jouer un peu trop safe. 

Service : 10 (Rien à dire. Impeccable. Le meilleur service que j'ai eu dans un resto montréalais depuis des années)

Bouffe : 9 (Une merveille. Mais la tarte au citron, bon…)

Cher Leméac, si tu me lis, surprends moi plus que ça la prochaine fois !

Note: Après 22h, table d'hôte un peu plus abordable à 27$!
Leméac on Urbanspoon 

Monday, June 10, 2013

Le grand comptoir

Another lunch date with my dad :) He wanted to go to Le Grand Comptoir and well, I can't really say no... because, well, he's paying :p

So we get there and since it was scorching hot outside and very pleasantly sunny, the terrace was full to the brim. We had to go sit inside but I think we prefered it because there was air in there---we could actually breathe! It was pretty much like every french bistro so I won't take 8 hours describing the inside. There were about 30 to 40 seats outside and around 60 inside. Ish.

The waiter didn't even look at us when we came in, he was busy taking pictures for a woman at a table. I was flabbergasted. Very annoyed. Therefore, it did not start off really well. At least we got water quickly and he explained to us the plate of the day which was on a chalkboard in front of us.


Vegetable soup
My dad had the porc and I had the salade niçoise. We both had the soup to start off with. It was soooo nothing special. I coud've made a way better soup at home. It said vegetables in a fish stock... I guess if you really looked for it, you could taste the fish. It was well seasoned though.

Salade niçoise
I then got my salade niçoise. Meh. It was a shizload of lettuce and ¾ of an egg, a tiny TINY little piece of anchovy, a lot of canned tuna, four capers and some other veggies. There wasn't that much vinaigrette on it so a lot of it felt blend in my mouth. OK, it wasn't THAT bad but it wasn't nearly as good as I'd hoped it would be!

I think this place runs on regulars, mostly. Like my dad.

And now, the scores:

Service: 6,5 (could have been better but the bad welcome and all...)
Food: an average of 6,5

Nothing special. I'm hoping other items on the menu will be better if I go back a second time.

Le Grand Comptoir on Urbanspoon

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Pizzafiore

After Isa came back from Barcelona, she was QUITE tired. So, we decided to make it easier on both of us and just go out to a nearby restaurant. She chose Pizzafiore.


I don't think this restaurant is that old but it looks old when you're inside. And not 'good' old. It looks a bit like how my grandmother would have designed it. Meh. Oh but the good thing is that there are two, yes TWO terraces. It's more of a family restaurant. I would never in a million years go on a date there.  There's about, I'd say 150 seats ISH. Oh, there's also this huge wood burning oven when you come in, which makes you think your pizza will be better than average. Oh can I please also mention that there are Christmas lights up permanently and they are full of dust. Second 'oh': there's a freaking tv in the corner. Why???? I'm sick of restaurants with tvs. I want no more tvs. NO MORE.

The waitress came as soon as we sat down, in the almost empty restaurant and offered us some water and the menu. We knew we were going to share a pizza (it IS named PIZZAfiore after all... you don't go there to eat spaghetti) and we decided to share onion rings as well. It had been a while for me and onion rings. Maybe it should have stayed that way (more on this later). We also decided to have some sangria even though at some point Isa said 'wait, did we already order sangria here and did not like it?'. Well turns out yes. But it had  been a couple years since our last visit.

Here's the breakdown. The onion rings were dry and over fried but it was
still a good size portion for the price. But hey, I say make it smaller but better! We had the Parmigiana pizza mainly because, well, who doesn't love bacon on their pizza? It was tomato sauce, pepperoni, bacon, olives, parmesan cheese and mozzarrella. The bacon added saltiness to the pizza
which was nice but the crust was nowhere near perfect. Actually, it was only partially cooke din the middle. Meh. And then the other half was too hard. It was not worth the 17,95$ we payed for it. At least the oil with hot pepper flakes made it a tad better. The sangria was yet another disappointment: it was clearly store bought and lacked flavor.

The service started off really nicely: she welcomed us, brought us water very rapidly, took our order quickly. Then, she started talking to the other waitress and it was like a tiny little party. OK, I'm exagerating but come on!!! If you want to talk to your fellow waitress, go somewhere where the clients won't see you! That shiz is just impolite!! Pffff...Some people!

And now, the scores!

Food: 5.5
Service: 7

Not a great experience. I guess you can order some pizza (they deliver) and hope it's better than the one we had but I think next time, if I want pizza, i'll just go buy it across the street!



Pizzafiore Lacombe on Urbanspoon

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Bistro Olivieri part trois

We woke up this morning and since a: we were very hungry and b: I was slightly hungover, we decided to treat ourselves to brunch at Bistro Olivieri. You guys know that this place is probably our fave resto to eat at. But you know what? It's going down.


I hate doing this, especially to our fave restaurant, but here's a list of bad shiz that went on.

1. 5 minutes after we sat at our table, our waitress comes and tells us that she hadn't seen us. OK... it's not like you're 15 minutes late, no need to tell us you didn't see us.

2. She brought us our plates and told me she was coming back with bread and she never did. She actually never did. I had to ask the other waiter for the damn bread which I got when I only had a couple bites left.

3. She never came to ask us if we were pleased with our dishes.

4. The pitcher of water was left on our table (and after looking around, on all the occupied tables). I mean how lazy are you? I remember a time when the people that worked there were all trained at ITHQ and did everything perfectly.

5. As we were leaving, the waiter (probably on break...hopefully) was at the counter, drinking a glass of wine. I think that's a tad unprofessional.

6. I had big pieces of goat in my omelet. It was not nearly as pleasant as it could have been if shredded.

Service: 4,5
Food: 6,5

It's true that brunch is not as good as their dinner menu but we were still disappointed. And yes, it does hurt to diss and rediss your fave restaurant. But hey, you gotta do what you gotta do!

As Isa was saying, it's just not the same! We used to feel appreciated when we went there and the waiters and waitresses were all so nice. Today we felt like a burden.

Bistro Olivieri on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Bouillon Bilk

My friend Camille is clearly annoyed that I've been bugging her and bugging her about writing this review. How do I know this? Well, she actually wrote it today :) Merci Camille!

Hi, good people of the internet,
My name is Camille, I'm Marie's friend from school and I will be your guest blogger today.

As the spoiled little girl that I am, my favorite restaurant in town is Bouillon Bilk on St-Laurent street. My dad goes there a few times a week and I tag along when I can. Bouillon is not located in the best part of the town (between Maisonneuve and Ontario,kind of a ghost town), but that doesn't stop it from being full almost all the time, so call ahead!

The lunch menu is really cheaper than the dinner menu (as it goes in almost every higher end restaurant): the plates are a lot simpler, but still really good. It gives you a good idea of what the chef is capable of. But if you want to splurge I highly recommend going there at night, as the food goes from good to simply amazing.

The food is not too meaty, which I appreciate, and there is always at least one vegeterian or pescetarian dish available. The menu changes regulary, but some classics, like the turkey poutine (yummy !) are always on it.

Crab toast with apple and cheddar and perfect hard boiled egg

Pea ravioli and pulled beef (the cute kid is NOT on the menu)



Rabbit three ways
Filet de bar


Portions are small at lunch (but they are enough for me) but quite decent at night. The staff is really friendly, not only because we are regulars, but they know their produces and wines really well.

Note: the restaurant is not really toddlers-friendly, there is no children menu or special seat, but our little Juliette didn't mind and loved the still warm and soft cookies.

The scores:

Food: 9,5
Service: 9,5

The scores aren't perfect 10's only because i am really picky. But i highly recommend it.

Note the urbanspoon score! That's almost unheard of! Obviously a good choice (if you've got the $)
Bouillon Bilk on Urbanspoon

Sunday, June 2, 2013

La Champagnerie: bar à sabrage

Yay! I got invited to yet another media restaurant opening! Shall I say it or shall you? I rock! Ok, a lot of other people rock too but still :) This time, I brought Isa and we were hoping to get a few bites and a glass of bubbly...but we got so much more!

The new happening place is located right smack in the old port, right in front of Marché Bonsecours on St-Paul. It's very easy to get to from Metro Champs-de-Mars. I always have this preconceived idea that if you say old port, it's too far for me. But it's not.

So you get there and there's this old black car, going with the theme of drinking champagne, Marilyn Monroe (you know, how she took a bath in champagne and everything) and the whole bit. It was cool! We got there earlier this time (last media restaurant opening I went to, I got there  almost 2 hours after the beginning of the event and there were no seats and a bunch of people), and so we were able to roam around before it got full. There's this huge bar in the middle and apparently, according to one of the waitresses, when the tables will be in, it will seat around 200 people. The place itself looks great: half old rock and half brick, with one wall made of concrete, it looks both industrial and classy at the same time. It's charming, it really is. One thing you need to know though: there's no terasse. That kind of sucks: who doesn't want to be outdoors, sipping on bubbly and enjoying the nice weather? There is a place out back in the parking lot where people went to smoke but that's not the same. And you obviously can't bring your glass of bubbly/champagne with you (or this bodyguard type man tells you that you must go back in!).

Anyhoot, there were two tables where waitresses were pouring bubbly. At first it was Cava Segura Viudas and then some prosecco (I believe also Segura Viudas). It changed throughout the evening. And let me tell you, there was bubbly. And more. And THEN more! It was gooo-hoood times! And on top of it, there was food! I mean, what more can I ask for? Good drinks and food? Hello!

Oh and Abeille Gélinas (Mitsou's sister) was the DJ that evening and it was very enjoyable and happening I gotta say. She was very nice. Especially with all the photo ops she had to be a part of!

Variety of test tubes
The result!
Test tubes!
They have this really cool concept: champagne cocktails! Oh and if by now you're thinking you will never  be able to afford drinks at La Champagnerie, think again: they have very affordable prices and of course then there's the really expensive stuff! Their wonderful cocktails that will cost you about 12 to 14$. Not too shabby! Alright, let me tell you about these great cocktails! First of all, when we got there and saw the test tubes on the bar, we didn't know what to make of it. But then someone told us to just take one (or two ;p) and put them in our glass. Great, GREAT idea! It adds so much to your drink!!! We had a couple: death in the afternoon which is supposed to have absinthe but we didn't really taste that, champagnolada which is a twist on pina colada, it was special and lovely, bergamot 75 with bergamot puree and classic cocktail. All of these were tasty but I think my fave was the coconut one; reminded me of Cuba! YUM! I have to say that these drinks can be dangerous: adding alcohol to alcohol? AMAZING! We had one glass of champagne at the end of our evening but unfortunately, I don't remember the name of it :/

Let's talk food. AH food, my first love :) They were not cheap on that either which was nice! There was pretty much always someone passing by with something to offer you. I must also mention that the chef is Danny Smile (Danny Francis), chef (or ex-chef?) at Chuck Hughes' Bremner and also from Top Chef Canada (ya, I'm a food network addict)! You can check him out @ http://dannysmiles.com/


At first we tried an item off menu, it was a grilled tomato with burrata (mmmmcheese) and basil. Very simple yet good. Could have used a tad more seasoning but it was still enjoyable.

We then had some oysters, very simply plated over coarse salt on a rectangular piece of slate. Very nice. OK, I'm still not used to oysters, believe it or not, but I had a couple that evening and they're growing on me!  

After that, we were served a ceviche in a shot glass. On the menu, they're calling it Ceviche Guatemalteca (side note: the waitress, instead of saying this, said ceviche Guatémalien, which isn't really a word...). She was nice though so we'll forgive her! This dish had shrimp with tomato, onion, coriander and lime. After I had eaten the shrimp, i took a shot of juice! What? It was good juice!

Then, the beef tartare. Unfortunately, I wasn't too pleased with it :( It had big pieces of meat and I like my tartar much finer. Also, I found the portion to be too big (you won't hear me saying THAT every day). And the addition of capers and mustard did not save it. It remained a bit blend.


The disappointment of the evening: pork belly with watermelon. First of all, what a funny combo. Second of all, the pork was way too tough and dry to be enjoyable. It was quite a let down, because before it entered my mouth, that piece of pork looked goooo-hoood!

So, basically, all in all, the food was good but not exceptionnal. It's a good thing I was there for the bubbly because if I'd gone there only for the food, I would have been disapointed.

The service was amazing. They were clearly overstaffed but that's what you have to do on the day of the opening (or the pre-opening in this case). There was always someone available to answer our questions or to, you know, give us a drink. We talked to Laeticia, this charming waitress who knew a lot about the bubbly and the champagne. It's always fun to know that the waiters and waitresses know their stuff. And since there were many of them, no one was running around like crazy, even the bartenders seemed chill. Even later when there were more people, they just kept on giving away food and drinks and they were still moving at a normal pace :)

At first, it was an older crowd, perhaps 40's, 50's with a small amount of younger peeps (most likely including my fellow bloggers!). As the evening progressed, a lot more people were coming in, most of them in their mid 20's and 30's. This included a couple handfuls of actresses and actors like Christian Bégin from Curieux Bégin, Catherine Proulx-Lemay from one of my fave french shows, Unité 9 and Anick Lemay from Mauvais Karma and of course from Uniprix fame ! :)

One of the main events was of course the uncorking of the bottle with a saber (sabrage or sabering I guess?!)!!! So cool to see :) They of course did this outside but then they did it a couple times inside as well. Hum, I guess there's going to be lots of liquid on those floors!
Alright, and now, the scores!

Food: 7
Service: 9
Bubbles: 8,5

Such a great new place to go have a couple drinks and maybe also eat some food! Try the cocktails, they are well worth it! Don't forget, they have something for every budget!

La Champagnerie on Urbanspoon