Majestique

I've been to my first new restaurant opening in Montreal.  This is momentous due to the fact that as many as 90% of my London blog posts were about meals at new restaurants.  So, it's less happening that London, obviously, but there are interesting places popping up here if you know where to look for info.

Majestique was named one of the 12 most anticipated openings of 2014 by Montreal Eater, in fact it was top of the list.  The room is lovely, full of quirky little pieces and interesting light fittings, the long bar is inviting, there are casual tables at the front and booths for larger groups towards the back where the kitchen is located.  I liked the vibe, I read someone say it feels like you're in a sepia photo, it really does. 

The list of people behind Majestique reads like a who's who of the Montreal dining scene, Richard Holder and Charles-Antoine Crête, even I have heard of these guys!  Here's what we ate in the order it appeared.

Salade de Boeuf Mariné, légume croquante.

 Marinated beef salad with beets.  Really nice, small for $14. 

Marinade didn't deliver much flavour.

This was one of their specials, morels, bacon and fiddleheads on toast.

I was so happy to see fiddleheads making an appearance but this was perhaps the 

blandest dish of all, only tasted the bacon really.

Another order from the specials, the crevette po boy style dog.

My favourite dish of the meal, crunchy veggies and a nutty topping.

This was also a special, when it arrived we thought it was soft shell crab.

We were wrong, it was quail.  We hadn't ordered it but ate it anyway.

It was a bit too boney to enjoy this way but the accompanying dip was lovely.

 The fries were actually brilliant, served with aioli and plenty of salt, woo hoo!

Needless to say, I was over excited about this one so was a tad disappointed.  There was a consistent problem with the food, it was all under seasoned.  Which is a real shame because the menu is really exciting, the usual Montreal favourites of tartare (yawn) and oysters (such a huge deal here) are offset by the appearance of dishes like salmon confit brulee and whelks.

It was very early days though, and if this had not been the case, I would have loved the place.  It's open and serving food until 3am Monday-Saturday.  We definitely outstayed our welcome and were rewarded with free shots for our commitment to prosecco.  It's a really fun venue and I'll be back for drinks for sure.

We paid around $90 each, seems a lot but we were there from 6-1 and did drink all the prosecco, mostly from champagne saucers, happy days.  Cocktails were decent too.

Majestique
4105 Boulevard St Laurent
Plateau
6/10

ps. They're not on Urbanspoon yet, I've added them.  And grrr, their website is shit and you'll need to find details on their facebook page, still hating that.