Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Monsieur B. - BYOW


BYOW restaurants are always interesting.  Either it is to try a new wine without spending tons or by bringing more than one bottle to make your own wine and food pairing, being able to bring your own alcoholic drink is always an added value.  And it doesn't take off a lot from your bill!

I have heard about Monsieur B. quite a lot.  In the same group as Les Infidèles, Les Héritiers and O'Thym, other interesting BYOWs, Monsieur B. is a small place that has a lot to offer.  On the corner of Villeneuve Street where it used to be a depanneur, Monsieur B. is discreet in the neighborhood.  But do not be fooled, it is packed!!!

The B. of Monsieur B. is for bistro and the restaurant's chef Georges Blais is describing his cuisine as simple, fresh but with quality. He offers a menu that is original and intuitive changing every few weeks to adapt to the season's best ingredients. 

 

Amuses bouche - Cod fritters and rabbit rillettes (4$)


The amuses bouches are served on a blackboard type of dish and is decorated beautifully with its accompanying sauces.  The cod fritters are good, although a little pasty.  The addition of the aragula spicy mayonnaise did add a little touch.  The rabbit rillettes on the other hand were lovely.  With some citrus peel in it along with the mustard, the combination of flavors was spot on.

Lentil soup

 

The complimentary soup was comforting.  They pureed the lentils to have a smooth concoction full of flavors. Hearthy and satisfying, all you can expect from a winter soup!

Seared Spätzel with truffles, snails, mushrooms and bacon chips (12$)

 

A word with a diaeresis and a 'z' is way too cool not to be noticed!  Made of flour, eggs and salt, spätzel is a type of egg noodle which were traditionnally scraped off a wooden chopping board to create drops of dough.  Monsieur B. pan seared these drops of deliciousness into a hot pan making them perfectly crunchy! It was absolutely delightful along with the earthiness and squishyness of the snails and the mushrooms.  The bacon chips added a salty and smoky touch to this delicious appetizer!

Trou Normand: Mango sherbet and vodka

 
I must say that it was a very intense and heavy in alcohol Trou Normand.  The sherbet was bursting of freshness and the mango flavor was very true to the real thing.  Maybe because I am not much of a vodka drinker, but gosh, i felt it was a little bit too much for a simple trou normand.

Angus beef topped with Foie gras and truffle butter, bone marrow mashed potatoes (28$)

 

The most worthy and orgasmic heart attack in a dish! The steak is nothing special itself, perfectly seared and caramelized, but will not stand out amongst other red meat that are well prepared.  However, the butter sitting quietly on top of the steak is wow! As it melts and infused into the meat, it just spreads the fatty and buttery flavor of the foie gras with a subtle aroma of the truffle.  It made it so luxurious!  The bone marrow mashed potatoes could have been an absolute success. However, they were unfortunately served a bit cold. And you know how it feels when mashed potatoes are not at a good temperature; its grainy and just not right.

Bergerie du Fjord and home made granola (4$)

 

I was nostalgic of my trip to Saguenay where the city was surrounded by the beautiful Fjord.  And there, I often eat cheese as dessert as myself am not much of a sweet tooth. Cheese with fruits and nuts were a perfect conclusion for my meal.  The home granola bar was surprisingly good, not too sweet and greatly paired with the nuttyness of the firm cheese.

Monsieur B. is overall a restaurant that offers a 1 page menu filled with fresh and seasonal ingredients that are prepared with care and expertise.  Although we brought our own wine, the bill was a tad more than I expected it will be.  Since the amuses bouches and trou normand were proposed along the meal, I wasn't expecting we had to pay for it, not that it matters. But it does add up in the end.

Also, do make sure to reserve in advance. The place is small and cozy and really fills up easily.

If you want to see more pictures of my meal, please make sure to go visit and like my facebook page!

Monsieur B on Urbanspoon

1 comment:

  1. How was the butter on the steak flavoured?

    ReplyDelete