Michaël D.
Yelp
I have been hearing and reading about this place for a while now and I was really excited when I realized that I was finally gonna go try it with my best friend for his birthday. We went there on a Wednesday night and at first, I thought I was gonna have a hard time getting there because I'm in Gatineau but no, it took me just a little over a half hour by bus.
Anyways, on to the main event, now. When I passed the door I was confused because I saw a lot of people getting out from the little door on the left so I thought it was the dining area but no! It's a private lounge! You have to go upstairs. Protip: don't invite granny if you go because she won't be able to get all the way up there.
Enough rambling though. I got upstairs, at last, and told my name to the seater because I had a reservation. He showed me where to go and he even offered to take my coat: wow! So I sat down and looked around while waiting for my friend to show up. I ordered a beer and while sipping on it, stared at the pretty people. The place felt very cozy and even though it's definitely on the chic side, it's not pompous or snob at all. The staff is also very friendly and helpful and the clientele is young.
On to the food now, because that's what we are there for after all! To start, I had the beef tartare with crostini and truffle oil. I thought it would go well with my beer. I also had never had tartare before and have always wanted to try it. It was DELICIOUS! I didn't think I was gonna be a fan, but since I always have my steak extra-rare, it makes sense for me to enjoy tartare. The dish was very flavourful and the tenderness of the meat was matched very well by the crispiness of the crostini. I did find however that it was a bit too salty. I still had enough beer to get through 'til I was done though, so in the end, it was good. For my main course, I ordered the sea scallops. That night, they were served with confit celery root (celeriac) and some kind of roasted root vegetables and roquette salad, everything moistened with veal jus. Do I really have to say it was VERY yummy? The scallops were perfectly seared: crispy and brown on the edges, with a very tender heart. The veal jus was a very good idea; I wouldn't have thought of that to go with scallops. The root veggies and roquette salad was really nice too. I think I could have done without the confit celeriac though... It didn't really taste like anything. Another cooking method could have made it keep its flavour, I think. To accompany this course, I did ask the waiter for wine pairing. I don't remember exactly what he suggested, but he gave me a very good white wine that wasn't too sweet nor too acidic. I usually don't like white wine because of that, but I really enjoyed this one. As we still had a bit of room left in our bellies, my friend and I ordered dessert. I had and apple and walnut cake with some sort of cinnamon cream on top. It was really good. Maybe not as outstanding or original as the rest of the meal, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Next time, I would go with the ice cream I think... The flavours seemed very interesting -- more than my cake anyway -- that's what my friend was having and I was kind of jealous.
In conclusion, I really dig this restaurant. It's a place with really good food at a reasonable price (on the high end of the scale though). They also have very good staff and in a really intimate decor. There is something for everybody on the menu. It's not a restaurant I think people would be intimidated by if they go for the first time and are not really used to the fancy stuff. I think that's what this place is about: making really good food accessible to the greater number. I really am looking forward to going again and I couldn't recommend it enough. If someone suggests this place to you and you turn it down, God will kill fluffy kittens.