Description: Call it international flea market or garage sale revival, but don’t let the decor – sculptured angels, flamenco shoes, an African mask, random furs and an indoor gazebo – fool you: This is a restaurant of refined taste and sensibility. Cuban music might be playing on the stereo or a live fiddler could be performing traditional songs on an old-timey violin.
The menu is creative, honest and uncompromising. A chickpea tart with tomatoes, anchovies and tapenade brings in darker flavours that hint at the kitchen’s fondness for offal. If you’ve ever had a craving for lamb kidneys on a stick, you should probably try them here. You may not like them, but at least you’ll know they’re well prepared.
Owner and sommelier Bertrand Messotten’s idiosyncratic wine selections assure there’s as much interest in the glass as on the plate. He pairs a small dish of lobster and apple with dill, chives and Sainte-Rose cheese from Fromagerie La Petite Heidi with a rare Quebec chardonnay, and the match is inspired. Cooking this confident and cultivated needs no ornamentation.