Candide — Restaurant in Montreal

Candide is a spectacular restaurant. We wanted something special for our last night in Montreal, and Candide delivered. From the moment we walked in the door, we felt welcome and at home. The service team works in beautiful harmony to ensure a seamless experience. They hit every step of service, with everything that touched the table being considered and, if needed, explained. Items were provided without asking, and drinks and bread were refilled before I even noticed they were gone. Other restaurants could learn a thing or two by watching this team work.

Since there were two of us, we tried everything on the tasting menu. My partner’s allergies were handled without hesitation. We started with the seasonal strawberry mocktail, which was a burst of flavor to welcome us to the space. The optional asparagus starter was perfectly cooked and seasoned, with the sorrel leaf adding a nice “wrapper” and flavor. The little gem salad was like a fresh take on a Caesar salad; the herring really came through, and the cheese was divine. The house bread was a perfect specimen of baking acumen, and they kept it stocked, which I appreciated (bread course is my favorite course!).

The sweet peas in a mussel broth were a standout and unexpected. The mussel flavor was present and well balanced. House-made yogurt added cream and texture, with the peas being at peak freshness for that seasonal taste. Crispy rice finished the dish, adding just the right amount of crunch. This was one of the best things I’ve eaten all year. Bravo!

The mains were both excellent. The halibut was perfectly cooked, paired with spinach and fresh shiitakes. The pork was perhaps the weaker of the two, but it was still perfectly cooked and paired with fresh seasonal vegetables. Both desserts were great and complemented each other well. The cheese-stuffed zucchini blossom with cracker was my favorite.

They offered a half wine pairing, which is something I wish every tasting menu would take note of because, while my partner and I love wine, we simply can’t drink very much of it anymore. The half pairing allowed us a sip to savor and a few sips to try with the food. The sommelier offered elegant explanations and painted a beautiful picture of each varietal we tried. The coffee and tea service was excellent as well, with each being brewed in a small Chemex and paired with fresh milk and maple syrup.

All in all, this is a meal I will remember because of the food, service, and ambiance. It will be at the top of my list to return to on our next visit, and I highly recommend anyone who is interested book a spot at this restaurant. It’s one of the best I have...

A Charming Spot with Potential!

This quaint restaurant, tucked behind an old church (now a community center), offers a unique dining experience with a focus on quality ingredients, thoughtful cuisine, excellent service, and a warm, inviting atmosphere.

I reserved a bar seat for one, but the staff kindly offered me an available table instead. However, I opted to stay at the bar, enjoying the view of the kitchen. The bar seating includes under-table hooks for bags, a thoughtful touch.

The seasonal menu is priced at $85CAD, includes two starters, one main, and one dessert. Add-ons oysters (+4$) and wine pairing (+56$ for four half glasses) are also available.

The starters featured a good portion and impressive variety of fresh greens, including Brussels sprouts, shallots, radicchio, and spinach. The quality and freshness of the ingredients were evident and much appreciated.

For the main, I had the Guinea Hen with Raspberry sauce. The dish was beautifully executed, the meat was tender and juicy, the skin perfectly crispy, and the flavors were well-balanced. The red wine pairing complemented the raspberry sauce nicely, enhancing the dish's complexity.

Unfortunately, the starters were overly salty. When I informed my server, they adjusted the seasoning for my main course, which turned out perfectly. Despite the kitchen tasting each dish before serving, the saltiness accumulates as customers finish their plates, making it difficult to enjoy consecutive dishes. I could hardly enjoy my second starter after finishing the first.

Dessert was an interesting combination of cheese and sweet potato, but the unexpected spiciness of the sweet potato was surprising. While I can tolerate spice, the level is certain too intense for many others. The menu or server should have mentioned this detail beforehand.

Service was attentive after the initial delay, water wasn’t served, and no one approached me for the first ten minutes. Additionally, the restroom door was left open for some time, which detracted slightly from the otherwise cozy ambiance.

The location may be tricky to find, it's directly behind the church facade.

Overall, while there were minor missteps, the quality ingredients, innovative dishes, and accommodating service made for a pleasant evening. I look forward to returning to explore a different...

Came here with friends, tried to enjoy it but just had an okay time. This place needs to be booked in advance. However, the menu changes often, so you never know what you are going to get. The menu is just two choices (fish or meat and for dessert either sweet or one-piece of cheese). I was faced with really tough choices as I immediately did not like either choice in our case, Peckerel fish or Guinea fowl. There are NO other options you can order, if not for our friends, I probably would have left before ordering. We had Brussel sprouts as first, and mussels over a bed of yogurt (what a wired combination of ingredients!!) For main course my wife chose Peckerel ( I personally don't like fresh water predator fish) and it was barely eatable with little fish meat and lots of skin fish , I chose guinea fowl (it was stiff like yesterday's reheated chicken). The tasting menu is offered with wine paring ($56) , i asked the waiter what are the wines and she could not recite it from memory, but said that there were 4 glasses of 3 oz each, one of them was a sweet wine and one orange. That sealed a d decion for me not to take parings. We decided to just order wine by glass, although they have quite an extensive wine list. There is only 1 white, 1 red, 1 rose, and 1 bubbly on the list by glass. For dessert, i took cheese (way too salty). I probably should have chosen the sweets. The only dish I really enjoyed was the Brussel sprouts appetizer. On the positive note, all the waiters and chefs were SUPER nice, friendly and accommodating. Not sure i will be back soon. Either I need a more predictable menu choices at the time of booking a few days in advance or more choice besides the tasting menu. Last point ... although set in historical building, the cieling in dining room is low, with full attendance it is hard to hear people even across the table and the noise is amplified by low cieling and close proximity of...