Back yesterday from our weekend in MTL, the toppest-class city in North America. Glad to have escaped the fireworks hoo-hah (though we did hear some the day before; less than 10) for a long weekend of cool summer weather, spates of rain, and excellent to most-excellent eating.
Day 2: Jean-Talon & Vin Mon Lapin
In the AM, I set out to the Plateau for a coffee and a pastry, landing at Hof Kelsten, pastries purveyors extraordinaire. So under-caffeinated and hungry I was that I neglected to take photos beyond the excellent lid game – but of all the coffees consumed on this trip, this probably was in top 3. (NB: The coffee game here was not as strong as I remembered, but my data set is limited. I did not hit Dispatch nor Cafe St. Henri; Myriade has moved away from 49th Parallel to their own house-roasted beans, which were underwhelming at best. At least their baristas still know how to aerate milk properly.)
My girlfriend rolled into Gare d’Autocars de Montreal at around 10am. We got her settled and set out to Ave Mont Royal, which has been turned into a walking street. I think this is likely from lockdown-era measures, as there were a few avenues-turned-promenades around, such as in Verdun.
This is my girlfriend’s first time in MTL, so, of course, we set out to Marche Jean-Talon. Early enough that it wasn’t tourist-mobbed, and we could appreciate the vibrant produce and high-quality meats. It gave us a lot of ideas to splurge on accommodations next time so we could prepare some meals of our own.
Regard our obligatory crepe:
Spinach, swiss cheese, ham, egg, buckwheat
Our reservation at Lapin (which is, in my closest approximation of Quebecois pronunciation, La-PANE, with a characteristic twang at the final consonant) was for 5:30pm, so we set back home to prepare ourselves.
Here we go:
The dining room is spacious and homey, with touches of the luxurious throughout. I.e., an all-copper bar. But the restaurant’s warm friendliness was priority, and seemed to know it was having fun: Not pictured, and only spotted upon our exit, a portrait of a bottle of gatorade.
We hit the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 10th, 11th, 13th, and 15th items on this menu. A healthy amount for two people; our server Guiaullme approved.
#1: Sea urchin with celery salsa verde
C’mon! The salinity in the celery and the bright but bodied salsa verde was a fun and refined complement to the fresh-as-hell urchin.
#2: Razor clams, white asparagus, elderflower
Peas and asparagus were big motifs throughout the dining weekend. Lapin’s application was the best – the floral and round sweetness of the elderflower lifting and supporting the asparagus and clams, which both had the perfect feedback on the tooth.
At this point in our meal, my girlfriend alerts me to the regression of my commentary into Paris Hilton: “that’s really hot.”
#3: Lobster, heirloom tomato, choron sauce
Absolutely loved the balance here with the creamy sauce, substantive but light lobster, and the juicy tomato that had the right balance between melt and al dente.
#4: Scallop sandwich with rouille
One of those numbers where you could instantly intuit the amount of labor expended. The scallop filling was smooth and soft yet bouncy and airy, like steamed custard. Instantly reminded me of HK-style shrimp toast.
The runner explained that we were absolutely forbidden from using utensils, and that we were encouraged to double dip. Heard! The people next to us weren’t so keen on this advisement.
#5 Strozzapreti pasta, salted cod ragu
“Now it’s getting serious, guys,” the runner says, as he presents this incredible pasta dish. Bite-sized morsels of salted cod emerged through the slightly twisted pasta strands – house-made, of course, and perfectly cooked – in an unctious sauce that kept me thinking about it for the rest of the trip. Top 3 dish of the weekend.
#s 6 & 7: Beaurivage pork, morels, green asparagus, lobster sausage Veal sweetbreads, peas, smoked eel
“Now it’s getting serious, guys…”
No doubt. Undoubtedly rich and intense, the confident, mature intensity of these two dishes floored us.
Rendering of the pork fat rivaled the best hong shao rou, and the lobster sausage was hearty but didn’t bear over any other component. Pan-sauced.
The absolute star of the dinner were these sweetbreads. I think I’ve had them only once before, and they weren’t like this: Ideally-seared exteriors gave way to creamy and soft interiors that were the synthesis of the kind of fatty proteins one often yearns for in secondary cuts. But the dark horse here was the smoked eel, which formed the saucy accompaniment with the peas. Damn…
#8: Birthday mille feulle
I let slip at La Lune that it was my birthday, and when the server Emil said he’d tell the others at Lapin that we were coming, he did indeed! Staff made mention of it without fanfare, but for the sparkler in this very competent dessert. The tops were just a little overdone.
I also want to spotlight this incredible cider I had about halfway, which is, according to Guillaume, made by “a very nice French guy.”
Thank you to all FTCers who chimed in about Lapin. I’m so very happy I hurried there on my first night in to secure a reservation. Thank you to Lapin for an incredible meal! Hope to come back soon. Service and the food were exceptional, if not at least a little quick-heeled in its pacing. I could have used a short breather after the shrimp toast to recover, but the second half of the menu was adequately paced. Can’t wait to come back to see the rabbit!
Next posts: Nora Gray, Larry’s, Beba!