Bistro La Franquette

So here we go with a restaurant that is neither on Canada's 100 Best Restaurant list nor have any form of Michelin recognition.  This brings up an important debate - does a restaurant need to be a multi-award winner to be considered one of the best in the city?  You probably already know the answer to that - a resounding "no".  Bistro La Franquette may not have a cache of awards, but they are highly-rated and for those who are in the know, it is one of Montreal's best.  Therefore, we headed out to Westmount for some French eats.

Really loved the vibe of the place, with high ceilings, killer tunes and warm hospitality.  We started with the Roasted Beet Salad.  This was not a complex dish, but in the end, it did exactly what it was supposed to do.  With a bright and tangy vinagrette, it did whet our appetites.  The sweet and earthy beets were tender with some bite.  Those radicchio leaves provided crunch and bitterness while the star of the show was actually the pickled black walnuts that added an extra bit of texture.

The next item was really something different.  So it was not different due to the main ingredient because Bluefin Tuna Crudo is nothing unusual.  Rather than cubes of bluefin, it came in two large slices.  That in itself made this crudo very different in texture and effect.  Since the accompaniments underneath the tuna were so bold (sheppard pepper, piperade sauce, black olive oil and espelette), I felt the pieces of fish had to be bigger.  Even after we cut them up, the size would've been bigger than the usual cubes.  Hence, we got the buttery taste of the sea from the bluefin mingling with the tangy sweetness of the piperade sauce (particularly from the onions and tomatoes).

We moved onto our favourite dish of the night, the Black Cod.  I rarely see a piece of black cod hard seared as such, especially without the skin.  But the result was fantastic with a crispy exterior that was well-charred.  It was properly salted and had a nutty smokiness.  On that note, the fish was still flaky and buttery at the same time.  This sat atop a cauliflower purée that was creamy and buttery.  We also found thinly sliced cauliflower that had a beautiful crunch.  That caramelized fennel was super sweet and of course had the usual liquorice essence.  Finally, this was finished off with some brown butter with capers and lemon, which had some piccata vibes offering up creaminess, nuttiness and tang.

We moved onto the beef portion of the menu with the Franquette Burger.  Due to the popularity of the dish, there are limited quantities available each night.  We snagged one and it was good.  The soft buttered brioche bun held the freshly ground patty well and held together until the last bite.  Prepared medium, the beef was tender and almost buttery while well-seared on the outside.  It wasn't overly fatty where it got too messy nor heavy.  With beautifully melted 2-year old cheddar, we had some sharpness and nuttiness.  Finally, the caramelized onions offered up rich sweetness.  The side of Frites were fresh-cut and crispy with creamy insides.

For our Hanger Steak, it was perfectly medium-rare being juicy and tender.  It still had a meaty bite and also offered up a wealth of natural beef flavour (as hanger steaks tend to be).  There was an aggressive sear on the outside that offered caramelized flavours (while the steak was properly salted).  The steak was well-rested and sat in a tasty red wine sauce while topped with a herb & lemon compound butter.  This was creamy, bright and herbaceous.  We chose a Salad for the side instead of fries and it was quite good.  Lots of fresh produce including different sweet grape tomatoes, all in a tangy vinaigrette.

We were pretty full by now and decided to share the Basque Cheesecake with blackberries.  This was a fairly light version where it as airy and creamy with a mild cream cheese flavour.  It wasn't overly sweet, but still aromatic.  The tangy and sweet blackberries and accompanying sauce helped keep things bright.  Overall, the food at Bistro La Franquette was delicious and well-portioned.  Prices are reasonable too.

The Good:

- Well-prepared eats

- Fairly large portions at reasonable prices

- Personable service

The Bad:

- Some tables are really close together

- It can get loud in there