BARROCO — Restaurant in Montreal

My partner and I made a reservation here for our four year anniversary several weeks prior to ensure we would not have any trouble getting a table. We’re from out of town (Toronto). A lot of praise came from a local colleague of mine to celebrate our special evening here, so we had good expectations overall. The cuisine and ambiance we received was European cuisine/fine dining, upper-class.

Upon arrival the hostess, Jane, mentioned that our reservation was not in the system. Apparently our reservation was cancelled due to us not answering their confirmation call earlier in the day, even though I was not aware of it until that moment. A message was sent in French indicating that our reservation was cancelled, but of course as an outsider who does not speak the language, I had no idea what the text meant and did not see it, busy traveling..

The manager Ayub was quick to find a solution and find us another table within 10 minutes or so. He also extended an apology for the inconvenience, offering champagne on the house while we were waiting outside, which was a proper gesture.

When we were seated indoors at a corner table, we noticed immediately how crowded the place felt and loud overall. The music was way too loud to talk over. It did not fit a romantic/dining even vibe at all. Selection was all over the place and it just didn’t make sense.

Our waitress Pamela was very polite, knowledgeable and courteous, though she would have benefited from having more support serving wise on the floor. We were surprised to find out that two servers were responsible for handling approximately 20 tables or more? Food runners and hostess’s are not enough to support the needs of that many tables and you should not have servers sectioned in multiple areas (patio and indoors) otherwise they cannot properly attend customers and be aware of any needs and issues in a timely manner.

Nice cocktail menu and food. Food came out cold initially so we made the first person we could find aware since our server was too busy. Also, there was a one person washroom for the entire restaurant and the door lock was broken? I walked in on someone and could not lock the door myself, so this was uncomfortable.

Overall, a disappointing experience given the high esteem and reviews. The food and drinks were good, the service however was not what it should be. By no means is this the fault of the server. On a Saturday night you should have far more staff. Mains should never come out cold, and the sides hotter. Assign proper sections to servers (5 tables or so) and not have them running taking orders with silverware, plates and glasses in their hands both indoors and outdoors.

Good service is all about creating this facade and warm atmosphere, but this one was very sub-par, or maybe our expectations were too high because we were initially told this was a fine dining restaurant.

Hire more servers to give more detailed customer service. Two is not enough. Ask people if they are celebrating anything special. Have working washrooms (multiple). Confirm reservations by text/call/email in both French and English, rather than assuming no answer to one phone call means a “no-show”. Give servers pagers that vibrate when food is on the hot plate and ready to serve.

It’s possible we evaluated the identity of Barroco incorrectly prior to arriving which is why I did not give it a worse rating overall, but overlooking details such as the ones I mentioned above are crucial towards a proper fine-dining experience.

TLDR; Barroco is El Furniture Warehouse but...

It was my boyfriends birthday and he had also just completed his capstone project, so I wanted to find a place that would have most of the things he liked (oysters, truffle, beef) and I was throughly pleased with just looking at the menu. Now, once we got there, I was immediately taken aback by the atmosphere - it’s comfortable, it’s intimate and ultimately very pleasant. The lights are dimmed to perfection and your table is topped off with a cute little lamp for added ambiance. Our waitress greeted us rather quickly and she was truly a ray of sunshine (if she has a tattoo on her right hand, you’re in very good hands). Mutual respect went a long way given how she was very nice and even ordered complementary vegetables for us with a lovely vinaigrette.

Now, for the appetizers. We had ordered the BBQ Oysters (6) and the chicken liver parfait. Both were to die for. The chicken liver parfait is 100% a Christmas dish, and I recommend eating it by hand and not leaving the bread behind. Everything works together so well. The BBQ oysters were delicious, and were not too rich in flavor - they were perfect. For the main, I highly recommend anyone listen to the specials of the evening because you might be in for a surprise - beef Wellington! They only make about 10 a night, and we had gotten there at 6:30 so we managed to order one, and it was delicious (comes with mashed potatoes and a truffle sauce). There was also a special spaghetti for the evening, but we had unfortunately let it go cold given how we were encompassed by the Wellington, so if you were to order two mains, give them both even amounts of attention at the same time. Eventually we moved onto the desserts, we had ordered all four of them; the trou normand: ordered without the alcohol, and thus it was a lemon pineapple sorbet and it was honestly my favourite one. Call me simple but a nice sorbet is a solid way to end a delicious meal. Panna cotta: if you have a sweet tooth, this one is for you. It’s definitely a rich dessert with many flavour and textures at once, but it’s not overwhelming. The raspberry and the hazelnut chocolate complement each other nicely, but there certainly is a battle for which flavour ought to stand out most. olive oil cake: I didn’t particularly get to try since my boyfriend practically inhaled it, but he gave it 5/5 stars. chocolate pudding with the madeleines: the madeleines are freshly baked and have a simple flavouring, but that’s what makes them special after a flavoursome evening. The salted chocolate pudding was definitely something new for us, and I personally recommend maybe mixing it given how they sprinkle extra salt on the top (crazy salty if you scoop off the top without mixing), however I liked how it wasn’t overly sweet by any means and reminded me a bit of the authentic flavour of chocolate itself. Drinks were very nice, although I do recommend you ask a bit more about the flavour profile to see if it matches what you normally like - like the forbidden fruit smelled lovely but interestingly enough tasted a bit smoky. Small anecdote: we had complementary Aperol-like shots to celebrate his birthday and capstone. Very very sweet gesture. To the owner, kitchen and staff: stand proud. Throughly impressed by the service and food this evening. I certainly do see myself coming here again in the near future. Thank you for your hospitality and...

Great romantic atmosphere, and friendly staff, however the food was not for us. The presentation of the food was nice and beautifully plated, but unfortunately our palates could not find the flavours that matched the presentation or the expensive cost.

We started with the charcuterie & cheese. Which was a bit of a let down to say the least. We ordered a charcuterie board at Brasseurs which had beautiful meats and cheeses along with pickled veggies and baguettes which was ordered as one board, meanwhile Barroco you need to order the charcuterie, cheese and olives all separately. Not the end of the world when your eating at what I would consider an upscale restaurant, but we certainly expected more from the trio.

My wife went for the pasta which she figured would be safe, and I chose the Cornish Hen for our mains. The pasta tasted like a bomb of garlic had exploded on the plate. The Cornish Hen dish I would argue that the chef is using way too many different flavours some of which I don’t necessarily agree compliment the dish. The menu is limited, and based on the descriptions these selections seemed to be the best fit with what we’re comfortable with. I can respect, and see that careful thought has probably went into the menu, considering for us, we read the menu and weren’t sure how some of the flavours would fit together, and as I said, unfortunately for us they didn’t meet our expectations.

The waiter we had was extremely passionate with his descriptions of the dishes and the process in making the dishes, and the hostess was welcoming. Based on the other reviews I would say this is maybe a great place for some who will be able to appreciate the dishes, but for us it was a miss. During our stay in Montreal we also ate at Kyo, Gibbys, Brasseurs & La Cage all of which offer different types or foods and atmospheres, and all of which we enjoyed with the exception of Barroco. This review isn’t to scare other food goers not to go here, because as I said it’s probably perfect for some, but I think it’s important for some people to know that this place won’t be for all. Unfortunately, when we seen all the raving reviews, even after reviewing the menu first we figured we would take a chance as we figured with such a high rating the dishes would be some of the city’s best, but...