Régine Café — Restaurant in Montreal

My bf and I are quite the brunch fanatics so when we hear of Régine Café and saw all the good reviews and exceptional reputation this place had, we thought we ought to try it out. I made a reservation as I’ve heard this place always has enormous lines. We arrived just on time but we were told to wait outside even tho we had a reservation. 10 minutes later we were welcomed in. It was crowded but that’s to be expected and the decorations was pretty. We were surprised to be served shooters of juice as we got sited which was excellent tbh. Thought the menu was small and meals were pricey, at this point, we had high expectations for this place. Came to order, I chose the chic croissant and my bf chose the doré aux fraises. We waited a quite a long amount of time and we were surprised by how nice the food presentation was and how garnished the meals were. Unfortunately the hype and excitement died completely as soon as my bf has the first bit of his brioche bread. He’s far from a picky eater mind you and usually loves french toast and strawberry jam but he was absolutely disgusted by his meal. The bread slices were WAY too huge and not French toasts at all actually, just slightly toasted on the sides. Way too much cream in them and the strawberry jam used tasted cheap and too sweet. Frankly, it tasted more like a supermarket cake than a 21$ local brunch meal. I tasted it myself since I have a sweeter teeth than him and my reaction was the same; a miserable small amount of strawberries drowning in a overly sweet cheap jam, too much cream hiding the taste of everything else, bread was was way too thick, blank, dry and not at all prepared like a real French toast. TOTAL DISAPPOINTMENT, We each took a bite and left the plate to the side uneaten and instead shared the meal I ordered, the chic croissant. It wasn’t bad, though a bit too much of bechamel, the pork was nicely cooked and seasoned and the sweet potatoes were crispy but lacked seasoning for our taste. Overall, decent but nothing special. Good thing the meals are big since we were both full by sharing one single plate. One server noticed the uneaten plate and asked if something was wrong, when my bf casually told her it wasn’t to his taste (too much cream) but it wasn’t a big deal since we shared a meal and he was full, she defensively and in a rather condescending voice told him all the ingredients were written in the menu and HE choose the meal, implying it was his fault if the meal wasn’t to his taste. We just brushed it off although left somewhat awkward by this interaction. I guess the server noticed our discomfort and took out the coffee out of the bill, I suppose as a small apology for the disappointing meal ( or/and maybe just to still get tips out of us despite the less-than-ideal experience we had). Overall, the chic croissant was a decent meal even if the doré aux fraises was an utter disappointment. It still way too expensive for what it was and left us feeling disappointed since we had had quite high expectations for this brunch experience. If this place wasn’t so hyped up by people and the prices were more like that of a normal brunch place, I would have come out of this place much more satisfied. Probably will never come back unfortunately.

FYA: I think the meal might have given me an indigestion of sort, maybe the bechamel had raw flour in it, or maybe I just ate too much. My stomach started hurting as soon as I got out of the brunch place, same sensation as if I’ve...

Decor and Service is superb. Food, not so much. Juices are excellent though. Pastries are also good.

Went to Regine Cafe and Janine cafe in the same weekend, because it got amazing reviews (above 4.5) and there’s usually a small (quick) line up, but I was left disappointed and confused. I’m not sure what other people are having but it’s not what I’m tasting.

I came up all the way to Regine Cafe for the CHAMPI dish (because I love mushrooms). Although I was tempted by the cassoulet special of the day dish they had. The ingredients separately are good but the way they combine it or flavour it.. something is missing. The balance and ratio is off.

For example for the CHAMPI, they had this veggie (garnish?) on top that I didn’t know what it was and if I was supposed to eat it or how.. it was a bit odd and it didn’t pair well with the rest of the dish. The bread was hard and oversized for the rest of the plate, the cheese on it was minimal so it was mainly bread. Though re-heated the next day, it tasted better and the bread was softer and had absorbed more flavours. Ihad switched mine out for the scotch egg, and flavours once again were strange and it was dry. The potatoes as well, dry and flavourless (though I had them at Janine cafe the next day and it tasted slightly better so maybe they forgot to spice our potatoes?). When the waiter asked me how it was I mentioned just part of this but very casual in passing. He was really sweet and offered us dessert which was nice.

The juice shot they gave us before the meal was really tasty and a great combination of flavors. Interestingly enough, the food tastes better as leftover, as both me and a friend experienced. So now that I’ve tried both places and gave it the benefit of the doubt, would I come back? Would I recommend it? No but I really did...

Very cute aesthetic, nice ambiance, actually very popular so there's often a waiting line. I didn't have a reservation so I waited 20min for a table of 2 at around noon, which I think is fair. The service was impeccable, nothing more to say.

Le gros jambon: typical american breakfast with eggs, bacon and ham. The ham this time was moist, whereas last time I went it was almost as dry as jerky. The bread is very well toasted, little to no char but very crunchy.

Le grilled-cheese: very interesting combination of flavors since it is to be eaten with caramelized olive purée. So there was a salty olive taste with the sugar. The grilled cheese by itself was underwhelming, not as flavorful as I expected. The salad was a good acid that complimented the sandwich well.

Chocolat chaud dégustation: 70% dark chocolate, it was very very good. They give you a good amount of milk to add to the chocolate so you can drink a lot. Perfect for the people who have less of a sweet tooth but still want to enjoy a hot chocolate. It comes with a homemade marshmallow eith just enough browning. Very good.

Cinnamon bun: crispy outside but very very dry and very little cinnamon sugar in between the rolls. I didn't take it we th cream or icing but it should be good by itself nonetheless. Do not recommend.

The main dishes fill you up well, the cinnamon bun is not worth the price, the hot chocolate 70% is divine. Very nice ambiance and service. Good place to go to treat yourself from...