Espace Old Mill

We were super excited to try espace Old Mill. The property, ambiance and farm tour are really fun and create an excellent ambiance, unfortunately the food is really lacking to be a top flight restaurant. I understand that to function with their model, they need to cook based on ingredients available, however, the dishes lacked cohesion, often feeling like a mismatch of ingredients on the plate. They didn't have a good variety of texture or any elements to tie them together. For example, the squash course felt like I was just plowing through a half baked squash by the end. On top of this, the porc was not tender and the endive served with it was incredibly hard to cut and chew. I will not even get into the parsnip dessert. As others stated, the portions are also very small. Again, I love the concept and found the restaurant staff and ambiance to be lovely, the food was just extremely disappointing.

The food was really delicious. The restaurant setting beautiful. However, as many people have already mentioned, the portions are tiny, especially with the amount of meat, and the wait times between courses unbearably long. For us, having already spent the day exploring the small towns outside Montreal, the dinner just felt like it dragged on and on. We were two girls and we gobbled up whatever was placed in front of us immediately and then had to wait and wait for the next course. By mid meal, we already decided we had to hit a casse croûte on the way back, but despite our 5:30 pm reservation, we barely made it to one afterwards before closing time of 9 pm as the meal took so long. I really don’t know how a grown man can leave the restaurant full! Honestly, it had all the makings of a beautiful and perfect meal, just those two issues really took away the magic. I attach a picture of the beef and tomatoes. Would it have really killed them to give just a bit more than that very thin slice?

A truly memorable experience. The visit to the greenhouse before dinner helps you understand how they are able to have such extraordinary fresh and delicious vegetables. The five course menu was served at a perfect pace so that you could enjoy each and every element. Each course was enough so that you had a real sense of what it was that you were eating, but we were able to eat all five courses and not feel uncomfortably full at the end; the flavours were just outstanding and in some instances positively astonishing. We appreciated the explanations that came with each dish which were informative without being tedious. Most of us took the paired wine tasting, and enjoyed it very much however, it is certain that some of the natural wines can be a little funky and very much best appreciated with food rather than solo. Yes, it is expensive but not for the quality, quantity and overall experience. We arrived at 6.30 and were there for four hours and enjoyed every minute from the visit to the greenhouse to the little sweet cake at the end. A real treat in every way.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was cozy with great service and staff. The meal was a five course and was very creative with all the vegetable dishes. However major disappointment with the main course. The room was comfortable and clean but noise level was high. Overall was very good but not sure worth the high price.

Such an amazing farm to table gastronomical feast. What might be considered boring winter/early spring fair to some was elevated through remarkable creativity. Who would have thought celery could make the most amazing desert? A true understanding of flavor profiles and artistic risk taking coupled with genuinely seasonal and hyper local ingredients made this one of the best and certainly most inspired meals we have had this year. The wine was paired impeccably and really rounded out the dance of flavors for the tastebuds. From the people working in the greenhouse, to the chefs, to the knowledgeable servers and sommeliers-the experience they create as a team feels so warm and welcoming and real. Only an hour from our home in Vermont it is well worth the beautiful drive through Quebec wine country to get there.

Such an amazing experience. One of the best meals I've ever had. Perfect execution of a visionary concept with simple, fresh ingredients in a beautiful and unsuspecting location. Delicious and unique courses, welcoming, friendly, and knowledgeable staff, romantic setting, excellent wine pairings. I can't wait to go back.

The concept of the restaurant and the experience it provides was incredible from start to finish. It was truly an amazing dinner. There were a few things that our group of 5 would have enjoyed: The tour of the gardens and explanations of their mission and how they operate was a very nice touch to help understand the culinary experience, but we would have preferred to have a bit more detail of the gardening techniques, storage (past just showing the fridge) and how they are able to operate a seasonal menu all year round. The service was professional and courteous, but past explaining the dishes there was little interaction at all. It was have been nice to able to converse more about the food, but I understand in a busy restaurant that isn’t always a possiblity. As soon as the dish was explained, the staff member would immediately walk away. Our waitress Jeanne did an amazing job. Our group of 5 had lactose, vegan and vegetarian restrictions and they were all accommodated without a problem or error. That was very impressive and appreciated. The last point our group felt was the portion size. Having taken the 6 courses (spread out on almost 3 hours), I would have hoped to be full after the meal. Taking nothing away from the food, it was incredible. 750$ for 5 people, you would expect to be full. As someone with a background in the restaurant industry, it could be communicated that it is more a culinary discovery/small bites than a full dinner. We all felt we would definitely come back to try another seasonal menu, but maybe on a less busy day to be able to interact more and be learn more about their techniques and methods if the menu is at that price point.

The place to be in the eastern townships this year! Hyper local fresh food concept with a continuously evolving menu. Very friendly staff and attention to detail. There’s a sofa area for relaxing, a wine bar and a Growers&co store with some local take home food.