Montréal Plaza

The chef-owner here was trained at one of the city’s best restaurants (Toqué!), but he has added a whole creative and playful dimension to his cuisine since then. The food is of high quality but breaks away from traditional norms; expect to find plastic figurines on your plates.

The decor is eclectic (featuring toys) and the dishes made from Québec products evoke nostalgic memories and flavours. This is an out-of-the-ordinary restaurant where you dine in a festive atmosphere – just don’t try to understand it!

While there are certainly big names to be found (Romanée-Conti, Arnoux-Lachaux, Selosse and the like), the wine list isn’t flashy. The sommelier manages to reflect the relaxed nature of the cuisine while maintaining professionalism and seriousness. It’s a nice list – not huge but well-balanced – and not everything is listed since many bottles are in the process of ageing, which adds depth to the list overall. The most enjoyable aspect is trusting the sommelier to bring you bottles blind, without fear of being disappointed, and with the certainty of making great discoveries.