I like to discover restaurants that surprise me with their simplicity and the freshness of their cuisine, rather than with their snazzy decor or the way they attract the in crowd. I favour visiting places that offer a selection of small tasting portions, like tapas. And I am always keen to sample a wide range of the world’s flavours in my dining-out fare. With this needs inventory in mind, a friend suggested I try the Biarritz Downtown Montreal. I did. The restaurant, which is easy to miss from the street thanks to a discreet exterior façade, has seats for...