Jonathan P.
Yelp
Les Oubliettes is a lovely bistro-cafe located just off the Plaza St-Hubert. Situated on the northeast corner of the intersection of St-Vallier and Bellechasse--squarely between Rosemont and Beaubien metro stations--les Oubliettes is perfectly placed to make the most of both the sun's daily arc and the local laptop and lunch scenes. As for sunshine, the cafe boasts huge floor-to-ceiling windows along both south- and west-facing walls. With 10' white ceilings and an uncluttered decor, the whole interior space is open, airy, and brightly lit. And as for laptopping and lunching, there's free wifi, lots of seating (more than 50 places), and an inviting bistro menu.
The overall ambiance here is outstandingly appealing. Lots of open space (two full bays of the occupied building), lots of plants (some large), minimal wall decorations (mostly lattices or boxes, which make for interesting shadows), savoury smells wafting from the open kitchen, and unobtrusive music (pop, folk, jazz, low-fi) played at just the right volume all make for a space that manages that perfectly balanced cocktail of soothing and lively.
Coffee is good, though nothing to write home about. One odd detail: they serve their lattes in tall water glasses, which although it _looks_ snazzy enough, means that trying to drink it while it's hot makes you the unwilling star of a Monty Python skit. In a touchingly fussy gesture, they knot a small napkin around the waist of the glass, which is obviously supposed to serve as an insulated cup holder--but again, while this _looks_ snazzy, it's too small, too thin, and too slippery. See the trend here? This is hardly a deal breaker, but it would be nice if the baristas weren't obliged to make a design statement with my beverage.
The main issue, as is often the case with bistro-cafes, is the food. Baked goods are (i believe) made in house. They taste fresh, but they don't taste as awesome as homemade should. Similarly, the kitchen menu (which comprises mostly modest offerings--sandwiches, pizza, etc.) looks great--concise, focused, and intelligent--but the food itself isn't as well composed. When I tried to eat the veggie sandwich (hummus plus lots of veggies), it just fell apart on me. Now I don't mind messy as long as it's tasty, but this mess was short on both salt and acid (cardinal culinary sins). I could taste what it _wanted_ to be, which would have been very satisfying indeed, so that I wondered whether the cooks were actually tasting what they were serving. In short, the food here is fresh and well-conceived, but it's only pretty good when it could be great.
Bottom line: This is a wonderful addition to an up-and-coming neighbourhood in Montreal, and most of the issues I've cited are both minor and readily fixed. The big draw at les Oubliettes is the ambiance, which is easily among the most appealing out of all the cafes in Montreal. Les Oubliettes is already, only a few weeks after opening, a great place to worship the laptop gods or linger with friends over a morning coffee. If the food improves, it will be one of the premier daytime meeting spots in the city.
