New Birks Building Hotel to Feature French Brasserie Henri | Eater Montreal

"The new project from Imad Nabwani will be a French brasserie inside the Birks Building downtown, physically attached to the boutique Hotel Birks but operating independently; Nabwani, who took over Pois Penché, describes Henri as a décontracté neighborhood restaurant that should be less snooty and suitable for everything from special-occasion meals to 5 à 7 drinks and bites. I hear it will offer a modern approach to the French brasserie with a bar and lounge, leaning on well-sourced, quality, locally focused products and potentially skewing toward southern French cuisine compared with the more Parisian Pois Penché. Designer ZÉbulon Perron will work with about half of the 19th-century lobby to emphasize historical features while adding marble and metallic gold touches, and with the hotel accepting reservations for early September I expect Henri to open around the same time." - Tim Forster