Les Deux Gamins — Restaurant in Montreal

The experience at Les Deux Gamins was an adventure to discover the true taste of French cuisine – the feeling of being immersed in a world of flavors, blending into a cozy and classical space. In contrast, the service was a fiasco, completely not up to par.

My sister and I chose the following dishes:

– Gravlax de Saumon (appetizer) ~ $15 – French Onion Soup (appetizer) ~ $15 – Onglet de Boeuf (main course) ~ $37 – Crudo de Saumon (special of the day) ~ $25

Since we arrived early, my sister and I had time to take photos with the view in front of the restaurant in the summer. The restaurant has a prominent space right from the outside, the tables and chairs and the wall paint colors are harmoniously combined, creating a classical modern atmosphere. My sister and I were the first two customers on the day we went, however, the diners who came after me, all 5 to 6 tables were served food, while my table was empty. The waitress lost the order note of my table, but did not come out to explain even though more than an hour had passed. The restaurant owner brought wine and a sincere apology to my sister and I – the restaurant owner, she took care of everything from the beginning to the end of the meal to ensure that my sister and I did not let the initial misfortune ruin the overall experience.

Regarding the food, Gravlax was served with beets and salmon in Mezcal sauce with goat cheese herbs. The salmon still retained its clear orange-red color, extremely eye-catching. Each piece of smoked Gravlax salmon is delicately prepared with a characteristic soft and fatty fish meat, covered with a unique herbal flavor. The aroma of fresh dill, pure thyme and other herbs combine perfectly, creating a harmonious and impressive combination.

French onion soup is the most famous appetizer in French cuisine. Although the ingredients of this dish are very simple, the process of sautéing onions until they turn coffee color takes more than two hours or more. Therefore, a bowl of onion soup is not only fragrant and rich but also contains the dedication of the chef. This is the best French onion soup I have ever eaten.

The main course Onglet de Boeuf is Hanger Steak with Chimichurri sauce served with garlic mashed potatoes. The sauce is very well prepared by the chef with the steak cooked to perfection. The meat was tender and melted in the mouth, the chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, mint and white vinegar enhanced the sweetest flavors – it is understandable that this has become a famous dish at Les Deux Gamins.

Price does not include 15% VAT and 25% tip. The total bill was over $130 for 2 people, too cheap for me. This is a French restaurant if talking about quality alone is unquestionably outstanding. It is a pity that the service is so unprofessional. If the waiters and waitresses were equipped with certain knowledge, skills and dexterity, this would definitely become a...

I made my reservation for 2 people through the Opentable app. I arrived alone and the waiter did not welcome me so warmly. Maybe a false perception from my part.

Waiters were running like crazy and service kind of slow even though. Maybe understaffed that day? My waitress happened to be very friendly during all the service. Good point and congrats to her on that!

Foie gras: Took looong time to arrive. Thanksgod, the basket of butter and bread helped me to wait. Very good baguette bread! The foie gras was nicely presented. Its texture was very nice and as it is served so cold, I would recommend to wait 5 minutes before begining the degustation. Unfortunately, the dish resulted being tasteless. Disappointed with the foie gras. Happy it is not expensive here. I'd rate it 6 cause I really loved the presentation and its texture.

Duck confit: Again. the plate is very good looking. I had my concerns about the cooking of the duck due to my so-so experience with the starter. Well, not only was the presentation beautiful, but the flavours were amazing and the duck prepared the way I love it. It's a 10 and I really recommend it. I enjoyed the split peas purée and the perfectly seasoned salad.

Paris-Brest dessert: One of my favorites in France. That day, it came in 3 mini "petits-choux", way too hard. I wondered if they were done at the restaurant or processed industrially. The waitress later told me it's usually a big single piece...Would have to try again. The hazelnut filling cream was just OK, somewhat too liquid...But hey, maybe I am too demanding. As the friendly waitress asked for my feedback and contrary to for the foie gras, I shared my genuine opinion on the dessert. A 4 or 5 in my opinion [sorry].

Customer recovery: Canadian hospitality maybe (nd it should always be like that especially because it costs virtually nothing to the owner...) I was immefiately offered a tea or coffe of my choice as a compensation, which I gladly accepted.

Overall experience: Not perfect, but not bad. I didn't hate the restaurant/food. No wow effect either...So, I would invite you to go and make your own evaluation. I could come back. Especially for the confit de canard 🤩..and...

I'll give a 3.5 for my experience.

The interior was pretty and the ambiance was superb until a loud table were sat next to us around the end of the meal. It's a small restaurant and the small tables were near each other.

For the food, it was good but there were no wow. The menu had little choices but most of them were French classics like the French onion soup, beef tartare, boeuf bourguignon and Paris Brest.

For the appetizer, we had the beef tartare and French onion soup. The tartare was good and very well spiced. Although, I would have had liked a some crunchy toasts with it like all other tartares. The soup tasted like a traditional French onion soup. However, there were so much bread. More than half was bread.

For the mains, all my family had the duck confit (lack of choices) and I had the special of the day with was like a Shepard's pie but with turkey. The duck had crispy skins and the potatoes were a good surprise. The turkey dish was very good and I liked the salad that came with it.

As for dessert, we had the creme brûlée and the Paris Brest. I wanted the beetroot panna cotta for dessert but I was so disappointed to be told they ran out of it AFTER I ordered it. We came to eat at 6:30 the biggest crowd didn't even arrive yet...

The creme brûlée, while there was a good coat of sugar on the creme brûlée, the custard underneath was like whipped cream with an orange taste. It didn't have the eggy and pudding like consistency. The Paris Brest, however, was excellent. I think my favorite of the night. I would eat that all day.

Overall, it was good, but not excellent. There are a few things that could be improved on the food...