I woke up this morning thinking about mille feuille.
I’m not talking about the typical almost too-rich, layered pastry topped with vanilla and chocolate icing.
This was the stuff dreams are made of: impossibly delicate caramelized maple phyllo dough hiding pockets of deeply rich whipped clover cream—the perfect finish to our dinner at Bonheur d’occasion, the Saint-Henri spot that recently ranked 6th best new restaurant in the country.
Three Quebec spots made Air Canada enRoute’s Canada’s Best New Restaurants top 10 list — Montreal’s Bonheur d’occasion and Le Molière par Mousso, along with Espace Old Mill in Stanbridge East (a short road trip from Montreal) — which was announced at a gala in Toronto on November 1.
We swept into the discreet restaurant next to one of our favourite tattoo spots last night. The multi-leveled space with glossy white chevron ceilings was humming—groups of friends gathered around large, rustic tables laughing in the main dining room, while more intimate conversations were happening off of the bar.
One look at the menu and we immediately decided to order almost everything, the shared plates arriving in two swift services: swordfish crudo with kohlrabi and trout caviar; delicata squash, beurasse and hazelnut dukkah; endives, burnt orange and Taliah cheddar and leeks with Bleu d’Elizabeth and walnuts.
With a soft touch, our waiter suggested we add toasted bread with a silky anchovy laid atop the generous pat of butter to mop it all up—and proposed that we wash it all down with a slightly macerated German white wine (his favourite, and now one of mine).
After the tender halibut cheeks with artichoke and matsutake, and the top sirloin and jus served with a dollop of celeriac and pearl onion disappeared, we took pause at the idea of dessert (but so glad we didn’t).
As our spoons politely danced around each other for the final bite of what is now surely one of the best desserts in town, a roar of applause erupted inside the new restaurant.
The talented team, led by chef-owner Philippe Gauthier and pastry chef Victor Adnet, had just returned from the gala in Toronto, and the celebrations continued. As a panellist on the jury that helped shape Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2023, it could not have been a sweeter moment (almond flour, maple syrup, maple sugar and butter included).
For more about Air Canada enRoute’s Canada’s Best New Restaurants, click here.
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