Old Montréal has many attractions : food courts, marinas, various exhibitions and, of course, restaurants. « Le Vieux , » as it is affectionately known, is dotted with restaurants of all kinds and tastes. It is possible to eat fast food and also much fancier dishes at a four-star establishment in this city. But beware. You can eat at a restaurant that appears to be of superior quality only to find out that it `s a tourist trap. It `s a reputation, unfortunately, that some restaurants rightly deserve. Several restaurant owners are careless of their customers and so many tourists return home disillusioned about the food in Montreal. Although I was fearful to try a new restaurant in Old Montreal, I tried my luck anyway with the Communion.
The restaurant is located on the Place Royale, where it is a little difficult to find a parking spot. Luckily, I used the subway. A visit to the Place d` Armes Metro station, a 15-minute walk through beautiful Old Montreal and I had reached my destination—thirsty. It isn `t easy to find the place on the first pass since there’s no signage outside. My guest was already on the beautiful terrace overlooking the old harbour sipping a beer when I got there.
The establishment is operated by a young entrepreneur named Frederick Guarantor, and his chef, Alexandre Arpin, who used to work at the Bistro Cocagne.
STYLE
It’s a warm and friendly restaurant with a superb, newly renovated terrace. The menu consists of classics that are well presented inside an overarching formula of sharing your meal with your friends.
DECOR
A visit to this restaurant reveals the beautiful design work of Gerard Blazys, on the inside, and of Eric Millet, on the front. The large terrace is well appointed with great views from all sides on the old port and its visitors. The renovation has saved the beautiful old stone walls. The furniture is modern and comfortable.
AMBIANCE
Their first winter will probably be quieter, but for summer, with its wonderful location, the place couldn’t be better suited. The terrace of the Communion is full on this Thursday evening after a sunny day. Sitting there under an umbrella, I close my eyes and feel almost on vacation. Try that with your visit to the Communion.
CLIENTELE
The restaurant attracts a younger crowd, for the most part, but there are also some older tourists who were lucky to come across a very good restaurant in Montreal. They at least will go back home happy knowing that there are still good restaurants in the old part of the city.
WINE LIST
It’s not a great list, but it has beautiful offerings by the glass. For example, a Chablis or pinot noir from Oregon are just beautiful choices available to us. By the way, tasting evenings are planned, on occasion.
THE MEAL
Since it `s a restaurant where the food is shared and it is our very first visit, we took the opportunity to taste a number of our attentive server’s recommendations. The duck is served first. Cooked just right and served with a side dish in a shaped boat plate, the dish was juicy and tasty. What a great portion to share. Then we decided to both have the crostinis of beef tartar and salmon. The first, with its emulsion of oil with parsley and horseradish, and the second, with its emulsion of citrus and diced cucumbers, both lacked flavour. The ingredients were fresh, no doubt about it, but I would have liked more punch to them. Impeccable presentation, though. Then we ordered the charcuterie board. The chicken liver mousse was tasty and we were almost fighting for it at the table. Portuguese lightly salted ham and rosette completed the dish well. All were served with toasted country bread, croutons and a shallot chutney with raspberry vinegar. Then came the mini octopus skewers with preserved lemon and pico de gallo. Very light to taste, the octopus was delicious—even my guest, who comes from Greek origins, found it satisfactory. Then the beef skewers with Cajun spices and chipotle dip arrived : not too hot and great with a nice Cabernet, for example. For dessert, our server highly recommended the mignardises, which consist of macaroons, chocolate fudge, sweet pistachions, as well as a French classic financier. The four small desserts were beautifully presented on the same plate, again for easy sharing with friends. It was a very good idea, but we found the chocolate fudge dry. The dessert was accompanied by an espresso that was soft with a beautiful crema.
SERVICE
The service was friendly but sometimes rough since there was a little confusion in ordering my apero . The duck was served first when we asked it to be served mid-meal. At least four different people served us that night. Maybe this is the reason for the confusion? No matter, the happy and eager attitude of the servers on the terrace made us quickly forget these little faux pas.
HOW MUCH
$ 150 before taxes and service for two if you want four glasses of alcohol and you make your own tasting menu as we did. I strongly suggest it.
ADDRESS
Restaurant Communion
351 Place Royale
Old Montreal
514-937-6555
restaurantcommunion@gmail.com
