Every November, we in Montreal are lucky enough to have the MTL à Table food festival going on. This wonderful event – where restaurants offered a reduced price table d’hôte – is a great opportunity to try a restaurant that you have otherwise not had a chance to try at a price that makes taking a chance more reasonable. Over the years, I have used it as a great way to visit those places that I have wanted to visit but honestly forget about. This year’s choice is no exception. I have been aware of Chez Victoire since its opening in 2010 and while it has been on ‘the’ list for a while, I’ll admit to simply forgetting about it year after year. As I looked at the different menus offered, theirs was one that grabbed my wife and I’s attention so we made our way down Mont-Royal on a quiet and cold Sunday night to see if the long wait would be worth it.
Chez Victoire described itself as a neighbourhood bistro and yeah that description fits well. The space feels like a bistro but more clean and modern, less ornate. The high ceilings and the mezzanine in the back of the room amplify the noise such that, with a full room, the noise level was a little too high ideally. The waiters are dressed in the classic bistro style with the black vest and white shirt and their service is in keeping with a bistro – very smooth, professional and sharp. So far so good but what about the food?
Prior to the MTL à Table menu, we decided to try a plate of their house-made charcuterie served with bread, crackers, dijon mustard and olive oil. Lots of variety on the plate and very enjoyable all around. I am also a big fan of grilled bread like they served with it.
Coming back to the actual Table d’hôte, my wife and I decided to share the two options available for each part of the 3 part service. The first entrée was braised pork from Beaurivage Farm served with celeriac, butternut squash, ahi amarillo and carob. Very favourable dish – the tender fatty pork pairing very nicely with the earthiness of the squash and celeriac.
The second appetizer was quebec whelk served with leeks with leek dressing, yuzu, dill and a goat cheese mousse. Lots of flavour here but weirdly, everything but the whelk came through. Loved the texture of the goat cheese mousse and how it combined with the leeks but that pairing is what comes out as the star. If I hadn’t known there was whelk, I wouldn’t have known as I tasted the dish. The other more minor issue I had was the leeks at the bottom being served room temp. It adds some crunch but I admit I would have preferred it lukewarm to warm.
The mains had a similar split of excellent and alright. First was the braised Lac Brome duck thigh served over celeriac puree, puy lentils and kimchi topped with butterscotch miso butter, pomegranate, walnuts and mint. Lots of components and seems very busy with the mix worked very well. The duck was beautiful in terms of tenderness and flavour. The mix of celeriac, lentils and kimchi provided some earthy hardiness but with a spicy kick and then the butterscotch miso brought the richness that works so well with duck. Loved this dish.
The second one was more of a meh – Albacore tuna tataki served with apricots, green beans, carrots, carrot puree with jalapeño and a curry oil. Compared to the other dish, this one just felt fad. The curry oil was only slightly noticeable and the jalapeño not at all so the big punch of the dish didn’t show up. The rest was well done but felt underwhelming.
As for the dessert, both were excellent. First, a dark chocolate ganache served with malden salt, sunflower seeds, creme fraîche, kumquat and a financier. The richness and creaminess of the ganache was excellent and although my wife didn’t love the sour creme fraiche, all of the accent ingredients worked well to pair and contrast with the chocolate.
The second dessert was a rice pudding with coconut milk served with kaffir lime, caramelized bananas, spiced rum, citronella and pecans. We both love a good rice pudding so this was an easy sell for us. The addition of the bananas, pecans and rum paired well with the rice and coconut notes of the pudding.
So I finally made to Chez Victoire and despite a couple of flat dishes, I can definitely see where the praise for this restaurant comes from. I love the idea of a neighbourhood bistro and the homeyness that comes with that but with the high level of execution and presentation. It is ironic that I finally visited a Plateau bistro only once I left the Plateau but I’m happy to have finally tried it. Definitely worth a try!
Cheers!
Chez Victoire
1453 Mont-Royal Est
514 521 6789
Ramblings from the Complex Mind of a 30 Something 
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