Restaurant Jérôme Ferrer - Europea — Restaurant in Montreal

We had been eagerly anticipating a visit to Europea. For my 40th birthday celebration, we booked a reservation. We were warmly greeted by the hostess, whose friendly demeanor set a positive tone as she escorted us upstairs to our table. Initially, we didn’t mind the warmth upstairs, but it became increasingly noticeable throughout the evening. The main waiter confirmed our selection tasting menu at half price. When asked about our alcohol preferences, we explained we do not drink it. He then suggested mocktails, and I requested a virgin amaretto sour, my usual choice. His response, “Ce n’est pas possible de faire un amaretto sour sans amaretto,” came off with a noticeable attitude, leading me to forgo ordering any drinks. He mentioned that the first course would be served quickly, with a slower pace as the meal progressed. Unfortunately, the pace was so brisk that we had little opportunity to fully appreciate the delicate flavors of the chef’s preparations. The beef jerky was good but did not stand out as particularly special / Seal-Stuffed Inuit Cushion: although the presentation was exquisite, the flavour was lacking./ Sage Leaf Crispy Melt was a highlight, offering a satisfying crunch and delicate flavours. / Crispy Pork Rinds and Arctic Char the components were not placed close together, and I had to clarify with the waiter which parts should be eaten as a taco, which seemed to irritate him./ 3rd course featured churned homemade butter & a selection of infused oils with bread. During his explanation, the waiter used the term “barrater” for butter which I inquired the meaning, his response was somewhat curt. In contrast, 2nd course was presented by a much more engaging and pleasant waiter. The truffle and Canadian lobster cappuccino, paired with a lemon crisp, was exceptional and my favourite part of the tasting menu. The cappuccino offered a vibrant lobster bisque flavour, and the lemon crisp perfectly balanced the dish. The homemade bread, served with various oils, was delightful. We requested to take the remaining three pieces of bread home / crab cake: candied lemon was barely noticeable, and the dish felt one-dimensional. / tuna tataki skewers and onion soup: while the tuna was of high quality, it lacked a zing that a touch of lemon could have provided. We were served a bowl with a whole grilled onion and soup inside the onion. I asked if the onion was meant to be eaten, and the waiter’s eye roll and curt response made me feel awkward. / 6th course was described as veal and truffle with Black Angus beef tenderloin flambéed tableside, was prepared with cognac rather than brandy as described. The truffle mash outshone the main dish. A highlight of the evening was the interaction with the young, bubbly hostess who guided us through a delightful experience behind the black drapes. Profiterole filled with ice cream and whipped cream, topped with chocolate sauce was served. While it was enjoyable, it lacked a sour element to balance the richness. The maple cotton candy served on a tree, began to melt due to the heat. The maple nuts were unfortunately stale. I was asked to specify my tea choice instead of being given options, my husband received a single americano instead of a double. My husband requested a single bill as we were celebrating my 40th birthday. We noticed that the couple next to us had left without their ducky. My sister asked the waiter if she could have theirs. "Madame, il ne faut pas voler tout ce qu'il y a dans le restaurant, il faut revenir plusieurs fois." he answered. A simple no would have sufficed; how rude! I don’t believe that our experience with the waitstaff should tarnish the restaurant’s reputation. However, the staff does represent the restaurant in their interactions with customers. My visit for my 40th birthday left me feeling disappointed and disheartened. Note that the 20% tip we left should be directed to the hostess, whose exemplary service greatly salvaged our visit. Her high standard of service should be a model for all staff. The bread we took home wasn't ours, had...

Trying one of 3, 1-Michelin star restaurants in Montreal. As customary with anything downtown, the driving situation was a disaster. Construction everywhere, no parking and hence gridlock, I called the restaurant to tell them we would be late. The young lady who is the hostess was kind and understanding and reassured me that all was well and to be safe. Once we finally parked, we made our way to the restaurant and were warmly greeted by the hostess and a nearby waiter kindly welcomed us as well. This would be the precedence set for the service for the rest of the night. We were seated upstairs and at first I wasn’t pleased but appreciated the quiet as compared to the main floor although the decor and general atmosphere on the main floor is much better than upstairs which I found quiet but muted in terms of appeal. We were greeted by our main waiter Julian who was excellent. Friendly and efficient never missing a beat. His team included Charlotte who was also excellent as well as two other young waiters who did a great job. We decided to take the experience menu which concentrated on their signature dishes. We ordered a cocktail called the Baiser Tropical which my wife loved. Although pricey at $20, it was in a big glass and little ice so was a better value than cheaper cocktails swimming in ice for a cheaper price at competing restaurants. We received a complimentary "amuse bouche" which consisted of a foie gras and cream foam with a potato churro. This was a great start and was delectable and flavourful. The first of our menu’s courses was the lobster cappuccino with an assortment of 3 different butters of which one was a candle which was lit and you could scoop up the melted butter with your bread. It resembles a brown butter taste and was my favourite. Then we had the Rock-Ferrer oysters which was a $7.50 each oyster extra but well worth the price. The oyster was expertly prepared and although it was cooked, it was still moist and retained its juices in the shell. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Then came the roast lobster which was incredible but a bit on the small side. Would have preferred the whole tail. Then finally for the savory parts, was the Angus filet. Prepared table-side and accompanied with a dual sauce consisting of foie gras and mushrooms. The sauce was delicious and the meat was well prepared but we both found the meat was not at the level we would have expected. It was solid but although medium rare, was on the dry/ultra lean side. The side of truffle mashed potatoes were ok but were under seasoned. I did like the Parmesan flower on top. Finally we got our dessert which consisted of three items. First was the chocolate crisps which were delicious as well as the maple syrup cotton candy. By far the worst item in the evening was their choice for dessert. A berry pavlova, although well executed, just missed the mark and failed to end this lovely meal on a high point and should definitely be reviewed by the restaurant as a definite swap out for a dessert more fitting of the experience and to display the level of culinary ability the chef’s have. So the highs were the service and most of the food. The low points were the mashed potatoes, Angus filet and the pavlova dessert. Although the service was excellent, I felt the food came out too quickly. These are easily fixable to render an even better experience. All in all, a lovely evening and would...

Long review… Food and the set menu experience is probably 4.8/5. Will talk about it in the second part of the review. First, reason why I’m frustrated and giving it 1 star only… When I go to a “fancy” restaurant, one of the minimal expectations is that you get the bill right. You make a mistake, no problem, you fix it, everyone makes mistake. But then you tell me you can’t fix the error and instead, offer me an alternative. If you truly respect your customers, this alternative should be = the error you made. Which is not the case here. Here is the rant. It was dinner for 2. We both ordered a glass of champagne/wine to start. Then I ordered the 4 glasses wine pairing (prestige bundle). We were happy with the meal, everything’s good. Then they started serving desserts, and someone came with a loaded cart of different alcohol selections. At this point, I only had 3 glasses of wine from the pairing/bundle, so I thought, the last one of the four pairings, for the dessert, I get to pair whatever I want by myself, and I ordered a brandy. Bill came, I took a look, the total was reasonable, so I was about to pay. Then the server came back and said he made an error and needed to re-run the bill. He brought the new bill, of course now I wanted to take a closer look. They charged for the 4 glasses wine pairing, and charged for our starter champagne/wine x 2, and charged for the brandy I got. So I told the server there is a mistake, if you charging me separately for the brandy, then I only had 3 glasses of wine from the pairing/bundle. He said he will look into it, and came back and admitted that they made a mistake, but he “can’t change” the wine pairing to the 3 glasses wine pairing bundle (which is $75 instead of $125 for the 4 glasses pairing), “unless I choose to talk to the manager about it”. Alternatively, he took off one of our starter wine from the bill, which is some where between $20 and $30. I admit, I was weak, I didn’t want to argue this after a special meal with my partner which we both enjoyed. But it turns out, I am still very frustrated two days after the meal, hence this long review. Yes, it’s not even $30, but hey, this is also just one out of the hundreds of reviews posted… You admitted you made a mistake, and assuming you know your menu (which you should), you know you are over charging me for $50. You removed a $20 item from the bill and basically told me that my options are either take it or it will get complicated cause I now need to talk to the manager? In any decent restaurant that respect their customer, the manager should already be at the table apologizing for the mistake. Apology if my expectation is high when I go to a place and paying more than $100 in tips… or am I supposed to be grateful that you didn’t remove the tea from my bill as compensation instead, which is only $10? If you got this far, or simply skipped my rant above, the food itself is amazing. And I loved the theme. “The Chalet” is very creative, loved it. One of the desserts definitely can bring out the kid in you. So I guess that also means it may not be for everyone. But even if you didn’t enjoy the theme, the food is amazing. The lobster cappuccino sounds SOOO weird, but tastes great. And the venison’s cooked perfectly. Minus 0.1 cause the desserts are too sweet for my liking. And minus 0.1 cause the first few dishes felt a bit rushed. Thank you...