Montreal Plaza

Here I am back in Montreal for no other reason than to eat!  Yes, I was somewhat here recently in 2023, but I've been on this quest to do as many restaurants on Canada's 100 Best list as possible.  So after catching a wonderful Porter flight (with their spacious Porter Reserve), we got there just in time to pay Montreal Plaza a visit.  This eclectic French restaurant opened in 2015 and they really know how to celebrate your birthday or anniversary with sparklers and some loud music while all of the staff and other patrons clap along.  It wasn't anything special for us as we were there only for the food!

We decided to do à la carte and started with one of their daily features - the Corn Mousse.  Now you might think this was nothing really special, but oh man, was it truly a revelation.  One spoonful and that light airy cloud was a flavour bomb.  If you take fresh sweet corn and concentrate it so that the natural sweetness and aroma blasts our palate, then this was it.  With a bit of salt, it only further enhanced the sweetness that was already there.  Now if that wasn't enough, some silky butter just added that something something to put it over the top.

Next, we moved onto the Foie Gras & Apple.  This was really delicious where the large slab of foie gras terrine was smooth, silky and buttery.  What really enhanced the dish was the crispy caramel coating the sliced apples on top of the terrine.  This added both sweetness and texture to smooth foie gras.  Of course the apples were a perfect compliment as well.  The combination of brunoise apples and hazelnuts with truffle vinaigrette further helped cut the heaviness of the foie gras.  On the side, we found some crispy toasted brioche.

We had an interestingly named dish in the Tartare Popcorn.  Now if you think that the popcorn part of it is merely in name only, you'd be wrong.  There was actual popcorn mixed with big chunks of bluefin tuna and soy vinaigrette.  I thought it was on the saltier side and it partially obscured the natural sweetness and essence of the bluefin.  However, it didn't make or break the dish as the quality of the bluefin was high being buttery and flavourful.  I also thought the marinated ginger on top was quite strong and I used that sparingly with each bite of fish.  About that popcorn, it got pretty soggy and chewy when mixed with all the wet ingredients.  Maybe it should've been sprinkled on top or around the tartare instead.  I thought the melon and pepper sauce has some nice accent to the dish with some sweet pepperiness.

On the menu, they have the Arctic Char Plancha, but for this night, it was Cod Plancha.  Man, this was a unique and appealing dish.  First of all, the intensely crunchy texture on one side of the fish was what made the dish.  This was due to the "bread" which was probably a flour and water mixture seared intensely with oil on the plancha.  It gave way to moist and tender cod that was beautifully accented by the tangy mix of capers and cherry tomato.  We found some guanciale which added some saltiness.  We had some seabuckthrone berries on the side adding more acidity while the spicy mayo provided that creamy heat.

One of their most classic dishes was next in the Whelk Miso.  Presented in an escargot plate, the whelks were tender with an appealing chew.  It was topped with a miso butter that was richly flavoured without being overly salty.   This was mixed with salpicon, chives and espelette.  As a result, there was meatiness, tanginess and smokiness to the dish.  Quite possibly, there might've been a touch too much on top of the whelks.  However, when combined with the crispy and buttery milk bread, this was yummy dish.

Onto another daily special, we had the Hanger Steak with ratatouille.  This was prepared somewhere between medium-rare and medium (as we requested).  The meat was tender and succulent.  It had a pronounced beefy flavour that was full of umami.  With enough salt, it was also properly seasoned.  It was topped with a silky pepper sauce which was fairly mild as well as having an eggplant puree on the side with the classic ratatouille veggies served as balls.

For our last savoury item, it was also from the daily specials being the Squash Mezzaluna.  This featured half-moon raviolis with super thin pasta.  Hence, it ate delicately while still having an al dente chewiness.  Inside, the roasted butternut squash was naturally sweet and smooth.  These sat in a light butter sauce that was mild, but nutty.  We found some spaghetti squash underneath adding some sweet earthiness and texture.

Of course no visit to Montreal Plaza wouldn't be complete without ordering their long-standing signature dessert - Crispy Fruit.  If you are into light and not overly sweet desserts, this one would be for you.  It featured berries on the bottom and white chocolate mousse in the middle tier topped with meringue fruit chips and berry sorbet.  We really got the flavour of the strawberry fruit chips which was quite aromatic.  Nice soft crunch to go with the surprisingly mildly sweet white chocolate mousse.  It was only there in name only as the berries on the bottom were lightly sweet and fruity.  That cold sorbet added more tanginess and light sweetness.

Our other dessert was the Blueberry Fake Truffle.  This "faux" tuffle was filled with chocolate mousse which was creamy and slightly bitter.  The chocolate crumble underneath had some wonderful crunch while the blueberry gelee on the plate added fruitiness.  To completely go in another direction, we had creamy earl grey ice cream that was a temperature contrast as well as offering aromatic sweetness.  Overall, our meal at Montreal Plaza was delicious.  Some unique items on the menu and we loved the crispy fruit dessert.  The place can get a bit loud, so it is great if you want that type of atmosphere.

The Good:

- Delicious food

- Friendly service

- Festive atmosphere

The Bad:

- Can be too loud for some people, we didn't mind it

- Not sure about the popcorn in the tartare