Vallier Bistro — Restaurant in Montreal

Stopped by for lunch with my daughter. I asked for a glass of Bordeaux (my wine was refrigerated 🧐🥴)my daughter got lemonade (apparently it was a canned fizzy one). The place was pretty much empty at 2:30 in the afternoon (now I know why) there was only one ☝️ person at the bar. My daughter asked for the steak med-rare and fries, I requested the beef burger med-rare. The food arrived, I cut my burger in half, it was gray, no sight of pink. The waiter became very defensive when I said I’d rather not eat that. This was the ONLY time I refused to eat food that was not to my liking, I mean for $26/burger I expect it to at least be cooked to my liking, we’re not going to talk about the size, that’s another story. I have to say it looked pleasing to the eye, the fries not so much, they were soft and dark in color, but that obviously has a lot to do with the kind of oil they use and the fact they don’t double fry them also the oil temp. So the waiter lost the “battle” with me and called the manager who also was very defensive and swore the burger is great. I said I was not told about the laws of serving med-rare burger which apparently was not possible in Canada, however, it was a mistake on their part because it was obvious we weren’t Canadians and if I asked for med-rare I should’ve been told that it was not possible. So long story short I refused the burger na by that time my daughter had already finished her steak and barely touched the fries, so I asked for the check 60$ Canadian dollars and some change. I left an 18% tip which turned out 70+$ because that’s just me, but it was ridiculously overpriced and not up to par the day the least. Service is below average. Food=not good (I’m being nice!) Managment; should dress presentable at least. For a place that looks somewhat upscale you should dress more tastefully. Would not recommend! So many great...

I gave a 3 because although the food was decent (not amazing, but still good), the way the waiter used his kindness against us was way too much. Let me explain.

As a waitress, I totally understand what suggestive selling is; however, too much of that is not good. For almost every meal or drink we ordered, the waiter had something to say about it. Regardless if it was insisting that we take on a bigger portion, strongly recommending a wine while ordering food, insisting on another drink, suggesting to add a protein to a meal, and the cherry on top, strongly (and when I say strongly, I mean it) suggesting the way we should split bills between us. This waiter has no idea what our relationships all are between us nor does he know our individual financial means. I found it truly insulting that this waiter almost forced us to split the whole bill in equal amounts when we all ordered different things, did not share at all and definitely do not have the same means. In no way is this his responsibility to decide upon that. We were all really confused about it and thank god, after my friend refusing his offer twice, he ended up bringing one bill for the whole table. Not the best, but at least now we could decide how to split it.

I know what was this waiter’s name, but since he was really nice overall, I don’t want to put the whole blame on him. I am not sure if this is how employees are trained there, but that is not the way to go.

Apart from that, as I said the food was good, but portions could have been bigger for the price. I was expecting way more flavours for “higher-end” food based on the prices. Atmosphere was all right, the music was loud, but it was okay for a restaurant.

I am not sure if this is a tourists trap, but as someone from this city, I would not recommend...

As you can see from my rating, we were pretty happy with this place. Here's the rundown.

The good: It's open until 22:00 on Sundays. The majority of other restaurants close significantly earlier in Montreal. It's got duck confit shepherd's pie. It's a very good meal. You should try it if you haven't, and even if you have. The waitress was knowledgeable about cocktails and about the food. I asked if they could make Moscow Mule and she knew the ingredients immediately, knew that they didn't have one and that they could substitute it for another one. She also delved with me a little into a discussion about US names for dishes. Fun stuff I tell you! The design of the place is good, it's clean, some of the tables have coat hangers on the walls next to them.

The OK: The menu isn't large by any means. But it's a Bistro, so that's probably OK. The prices aren't low. But they're average for a french place in Montreal, especially in a somewhat touristy area. They have a menu on their site, so if you're concerned about prices, check it out. But like I said, they're not high either, they're OK. Funny thing. The women's restroom is inside the restaurant, but to get to the men's restroom, you have to exit the restaurant from the back, into the larger apartment building it's a part of, and the men's restroom is in a corridor inside the building with a door that looks like a regular apartment door, but has a small "H" on it. So if you're looking for it, it's a small adventure. The cocktails are good, but a bit on the small side. But good.

All in all, we were pretty happy...