Tag: Restaurants

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Are kitchen jobs still worth it?

Even before COVID-19 flashed it’s teeth, the value of working in kitchen jobs was diminishing, and it’s not getting better

Let me be clear: cooking is a beautiful thing, whether it is the little dance that comes with combining ingredients, or the aroma of spices doing what they do best. However, moving this into restaurants is something that doesn’t translate all too well. When the server puts down a dish in front of a consumer, it’s all too easy to forget that there was a team in the back that had to prepare the ingredients, for the team on shift to put it all together.

These kitchen teams are falling apart. As a whole, the restaurant industry has seen a massive decline in staffing since COVID-19 joined the party. Following shift reductions and pivots towards takeout and delivery service during lockdowns, many industry veterans departed, and many have not returned. While it would be easy to place the blame on government aid like CERB, the reasons are actually much simpler. Government benefits have mostly subsided and many positions are still empty.

In a recent conversation with a coworker, I was told that this phenomenon is not particularly related to the coronavirus. There are an abundance of reasons to avoid working in food service positions, even if you love cooking. For starters, it’s hot, the pay is low, stress often runs high, and kitchen staff generally don’t see much of what servers get to take home in tips. Throw a mask mandate into kitchens that are poorly ventilated and you’ve got some poor working conditions. Having worked the grill at a steakhouse this past summer, I can say with confidence that the mask becomes a wet rag with ease.

So, what’s the deal? In my own observations from peers in the industry and interactions with management teams, I can say that everybody just wants to keep their heads above water. Supply issues have reduced the number of menu items, and operating costs like rent, utilities and food prices have all gone up. This has created a predicament for restaurateurs who are trying to put together teams of competent employees while also trying to make some profit, if any.

For a while now, average restaurants have hired people they know they can get away with paying less: teenagers! For the business, this makes sense from an economic standpoint. You can get away with paying them minimum wage with the lure of potential tips and occasional free food.

The caveat is that you get what you pay for. Throw a bunch of 17-20 year olds with little-to-no experience into a busy kitchen, and see how fast things can fall apart. When orders start flowing in without pause and servers are calling out how much longer, they can start making mistakes and food starts getting sent back to the kitchen. The culinary assembly line can slow down, and can very easily fall apart if not for one or two leaders keeping them afloat.

This mass shortage of people willing to work in kitchens and at a high level makes this a good moment for industry veterans. In comparison to the skills of an everyman, seasoned kitchen people’s skills are highly sought after because even if they command a higher salary, restaurants can feel comfortable putting this money into capable hands. That being said, the key workers here have more leverage to ask for more from their employers compared to their teenage counterparts. After all, restaurants cannot be run without people in the back who prep the ingredients and those who put it all together during service hours.

Amidst the lack of people who want to work in a kitchen and the lack of people who know what they’re doing, people with veteran experience can demand more from their employers when negotiating terms of employment. More work-life balance and higher wages are usually at the top of the list, although work-life balance is harder to strike when restaurants everywhere are short staffed.

Though it would seem that wages would absolutely explode in response to the shortages, that hasn’t been the case. While some chain restaurants with corporate backing can afford to trickle down some extra compensation, many independent restaurants and chains alike have not moved their starting wages. As a whole, the notion that restaurant wages are rising mostly applies to kitchen lifers who have stayed in their original posts, or those who have been headhunted by other desperate kitchens. The average kitchen employee is not seeing any noticeable increase to their rate of pay.

What seems to have happened is that people who were laid off in the initial shutdowns have found jobs in other sectors, and rightfully so. This past spring while working at a new kitchen job, my personal qualm was: why should I work under these conditions for 15 dollars an hour, without breaks or free meals, when I could be making minimum wage by working anywhere else? Then, at least I’d be ending when I’m supposed to and get to leave my shift without being all sweaty and stressed. For example, at 40 hours a week, the difference in pay between a minimum wage job and a 15 dollars/hour job is largely negligible. When the toll of demanding restaurant work is weighed against a small difference in pay, minimum wage jobs end up being better in the end for those that can afford it.

Is there an answer to the problem at large? Is there a way for kitchen jobs to appreciate after trending downwards for so long? Having worked in a handful of restaurants since I was 17, and still working in one to this day, I can say with certainty that things are relatively bleak. I’ve worked in low, middle, and high-end places, but the bottom line is that all of these are trying to survive. I can cut them slack in that regard, but my coworkers and I are still people. We have goals, families and lives that transcend the kitchens in which we converge to make our living.

Making things better for both people and these businesses is a tricky balance to strike because it centres around money. Regardless of wages soaring or sinking, kitchen culture is never going to die. A bunch of slicked and sweaty people sharing cigarettes after dinner service is something that has stood the test of time.

If coworkers truly make the job, then those bonds will continue to mould regardless of what these kitchen teams are composed of. That kind of camaraderie amongst people who are in the service industry is not going to diminish over the lack or surplus of a few dollars an hour.

People are still leaving though, and kitchen teams are getting thinner and thinner — with the idea that things will return to normal being the only element holding them together.

 

Graphic by James Fay

Hazukido — your new go-to spot?

The front of the bakery Hazukido in dowtown Montreal in Septembre 2021.

A croissant review by a self-proclaimed expert

My TikTok “For You” page is filled with videos starting with, “If you’re from Montreal, you’ve GOT to try this spot…” Being a lover of all foods, I watch these very attentively, pulling my face as close to my phone screen as I can to absorb all the details, sometimes even bending in half so that my body wraps around my phone.

Despite my obsession with finding the newest trendy spots on the island, I have rarely taken the time to actually try these places out. I’m either too lazy, or can’t justify spending the money on something I could make myself. But one thing I cannot cook at home for the life of me is croissants.

You’ve seen the videos of pastry chefs laminating dough with obnoxious amounts of butter, the precise folding and rolling — it’s all too much! I will always buy fresh pastries, and I won’t ever feel bad about it!

Last week, I saw a TikTok about Hazukido croissants, a new spot right near St-Catherine St. and Guy. The Japanese/Taiwanese fusion pastry shop specializes in croissants made with Elle & Vire, a type of French butter that makes for especially great croissants. The pastry shop also adopted a method of proofing the dough that creates a complex “honeycomb” pattern in the pastry.

There have been long lines to get in since the opening; when I talked to the people behind me in line, they told me they had also found Hazukido on TikTok, and had made the journey downtown to try them. A limit of three croissants per customer was placed to ensure everyone would get some — but I got four!

Now let’s get into it.

Raspberry Panna Cotta 

Okay, now this is a croissant I can get behind.

Here, the honeycomb structure and buttery-flakiness that is mentioned all throughout Hazukido’s advertising rang very true: the croissant was light, and had the perfect orgasm-inducing crunch sound and feel. The outside was crispy, golden and light, while the inside was soft and chewy.

The raspberry panna cotta filling is different from anything I’ve tried before — unlike your typical jam-stuffed pastry, this filling was creamy, almost like a tart raspberry custard. This may be too niche, but have you ever had the berry and yogurt smoothie from Pret A Manger? Well, it was reminiscent of those delicate flavours. The filling was evenly piped in, making for an enjoyable experience throughout.

I ate this one up so fast I surprised myself. 8.3/10.

Smoked chicken croissant 

This is the first of the four that I tried. The croissant was sliced horizontally down the middle (creating two triangles) and then sandwiched on top of one another. The halves were coated in what seemed to be a béarnaise sauce — made with mayo, garlic and some parsley. On top of each layer was a slice of deli-cut smoked chicken and some melted cheese.

When I took my first bite, the savoury flavour and buttery texture hit first, followed by the slightly dense dough. The croissant had been weighed down, taking away from the flakiness of the layered pastry. I also ate this one cold.

I’m gonna be honest: this croissant was not my favorite. It tasted like a slightly better Starbucks breakfast sandwich, and at the tune of $5.25. From what I could tell, the cheese was a single Kraft slice and generic shredded cheese that had been melted and created a tough, chewy, leathery layer that was difficult to get through.

The flavour was there, but the execution on this was a 6/10 for me.

Salted Egg Yolk 

This is one of the most coveted items on the menu — it’s been written about, praised, and is one of the reasons Hazukido made it to North America.

This salty-sweet creamy croissant is topped with black sesame, which brings a surprising depth of flavour to the classic pastry.

The croissant itself was delicious, and brought to my attention the superiority of sweet croissants — maybe that has to do with the weight of the fillings, but who knows. The salted egg yolk was creamy, granulated, and had very strong red bean paste vibes (I think that may have come mainly from the black sesame though).

All around, I enjoyed the experience created by this unorthodox flavour pairing. 7.5/10.

Golden Cheese

This final savoury treat brings our croissant tour to a close. This croissant was cut in two, sub-style, and stuffed with what looked like shredded gouda. On the top of your unconventional sub, there’s a melted piece of “golden” Australian cheese, topped with flaky salt.

I have no idea what Australian cheese is, but to me it tastes like a piece of snazzy Kraft Single was melted and then left at room temperature to harden and turn into the strangest rubber substance. The taste was good — once again giving me notes of a fast-food grilled cheese, but with more butter. The pastry itself was nice and soft, but altogether I found it a little too heavy, and I was left feeling a little nauseous.

In all fairness though, I had just eaten four croissants in a row… 7/10. 

Try it out for yourself and see if you agree with my opinions by visiting Hazukido! The address is 1629 Saint-Catherine St. W in Montreal.

 

Photos by Lou Neveux-Pardijon and Juliette Palin

Categories
News

Quebec Restaurants are struggling to stay afloat

With the introduction of a commission-free delivery app, restaurants are given a lifeline

It is no secret that the restaurant and food industry is suffering from some effects of the pandemic.

The average restaurant in normal times could attribute most of their business to dine-in service, with take-out and delivery sales making up a smaller portion of revenues. Nowadays with in-house dining not being an option, all of Quebec restaurants’ revenues are from the takeout and delivery avenues.

While provinces like Ontario and British Columbia have set caps on the commission fees that delivery services like SkipTheDishes and UberEats can charge to restaurants, the Quebec government has all but done the same.

Though some of these services have offset the initial costs to set up their use for restaurants, the large commission fees are weighing down the open restaurants, and have brought others to close their doors.

Sherif Hafez, owner of Essence restaurant in downtown Montreal, has closed his restaurant after trying to operate with delivery services like SkipTheDishes for six months, saying, “You’re basically working for them and there’s nothing left for yourself.”

When the costs of operation such as labour, hydro and rent are put into the equation, and on top of that delivery services skim 30 to 35 per cent, “It wasn’t worth it at all to operate,” said Hafez.

Quebec restaurants that have thrived off the merit and business of the customer that dines in, are sinking. According to business owners like Hafez, the government is turning its back on them.

“I think it’s along the lines of the lack of support to the industry. The provincial government has not been supportive of the industry at all,” he said.

In light of these needs for restaurants, a new commission-free delivery service has arisen: CHK PLZ. To date, the app has received an average of a 4.7/5 user rating between the iOS and Google Play app stores.

The app does not take such high percentages off the top of restaurants’ orders, but rather a fixed rate per transaction. Instead of having its own fleet of drivers, the company partners with rideshare services, such as Montreal-based company, Eva.

When asked if he would consider trying out a commission free delivery service, Hafez said he would be open to trying the idea out.

Annie Clavette, owner of Le Gras Dur and Maamm Bolduc in Montreal, has enjoyed her experience with the service thus far.

“We like [CHK PLZ] very much but the sad part is not enough customers use it; UberEats is the more expensive and the most popular one — go figure,” she said.

While Le Gras Dur is available for order on a variety of delivery platforms, Clavette’s approach has seen her relocate the setup as a ghost kitchen at Maamm Bolduc. The ghost kitchen model sees restaurants geared towards takeout and delivery specifically — it is essentially just an operating kitchen, without having the added space of a dining room and a bar. By doing so, restaurants are able to save on many operational costs, much like a food truck.

Though Clavette has worked hard to receive support from the Association Restauration Québec, no new regulations or support systems have trickled down the grapevine as of yet.

For business owners like Clavette and Hafez, having to fight for support from the government to keep your profits can be demoralizing.

As Clavette put it, “It is very frustrating, you feel you are begging for your money.”

 

Photograph by Christine Beaudoin

Categories
News

Why we closed restaurants during the pandemic

Experts say this is a necessary sacrifice to fight the pandemic

Walking in through the glass door off Beaubien Street, Café l’Étincelle offers a warm respite from the cold November air. Edison bulbs hanging from industrial light fixtures, colourful orange walls, and the smell of freshly brewed pumpkin-spice lattes billowing from behind the counter are what draws in the hip local Rosepatrian crowd.

Rémy Deloume opened the cafe in 2016 with his father and brother. They wanted to create a welcoming space where people could come to work, socialize and feel at home.

But the tables that once were filled with self-employed workers and university students now instead lay host to rows of bags of Nicaraguan blends and ceramic tumbler take-out cups.

On Oct.1, provincial measures forced Deloume to shut his dining area for the second time in six months. The restrictions were further extended on Nov. 13, now going until at least Jan. 11. These rules mean the only way he can create revenue is by selling take-out coffees and merchandise.

“We haven’t had a single case of Covid since we reopened,” said Deloume, adding he felt confident he could reopen his booths and still offer a safe environment for his customers.

Yet most experts are not in agreement. Dr. Colin Furness, an epidemiologist and infection control specialist and professor at the University of Toronto, said that restaurants are “a perfect storm” for the spread of COVID-19. He said that a combination of environmental, scientific and social factors make restaurants particularly dangerous.

“What [COVID-19] really likes is spreading by fine droplets in situations where people are together, sharing air, with poor ventilation and no masks,” said Furness. These factors make restaurants a perfect environment for the virus, as they are often cramped, poorly ventilated places where people generally spend long hours socializing.

Furness said there was a common misconception that closures are in place to protect patrons, when in fact they are there more so to protect staff.

“Their exposure time to the aerosols in the air is much higher,” said Furness, adding that staff are openly interacting with hundreds of unmasked customers every day.

Given the measures that were put in place over the summer to protect customers, like plexiglass dividers and obligatory mask-wearing when moving around, patrons are at a lower risk of contracting the virus in a restaurant or bar than the workers.

The problem arises when a staff member gets sick.

“The virus moves from the waiter to other waiters to family members,” said Furness, demonstrating how outbreaks can stem from restaurants.

Hospitality workers are generally younger, meaning contagion often goes undetected as many cases are asymptomatic. The spread is also further compounded when considering the active social lives of young restaurant workers.

But many restaurant owners, including Deloume, feel the government is not being transparent enough in sharing the data that links restaurants to the spread of COVID-19.

In October, a group of business owners in the industry co-authored an open letter demanding the government to share its data to justify its policy.

According to David Lefebvre, vice-president of Restaurants Canada and co-signatory of the letter, increased data sharing would be a benefit for all involved.

“It would give a better explanation, and people would probably buy in a little bit more,” he said, adding that business owners would feel more involved in the decision-making process.

But Furness said it is difficult to achieve this, as much of the data the industry is asking for still doesn’t exist.

“It’s very hard to find an epidemiological link to a restaurant event,” he said, as many cases go unreported and little formal research exists.

Regardless, Furness said the link was obvious when comparing the similar conditions between super-spreader events.

“It’s invisible, but it’s there, much like the force of gravity,” he said.

Because of these factors, government officials and experts say restaurants cannot reopen until the pandemic is under control, suggesting instead that these businesses stick to take-out, catering and alcohol sales.

“If there were a way for people to be in a restaurant, eating and drinking, and still be wearing masks, I would change my story, but there isn’t,” said Furness. He concluded by saying it was the government’s responsibility to better communicate these facts and help all business owners get through this period.

Yet, Deloume still feels this will not be enough. It has now been two months since the initial closures, and he said it would not have been possible to stay in business if it weren’t for the time his family has put in.

“We work one-hundred-hour weeks,” said Deloume.

He understands the reasons behind the closures and believes protecting lives is the number one priority, but still wishes the government would include stakeholders in its decision-making process.

“We want to feel like we’re all in the same boat, but not that our future depends on a government decision,” Deloume said.

In the meantime, Deloume said he would continue to respect public health orders, serving take-out coffee and food. He also hopes that everyone’s efforts pay off and that restaurants will be able to reopen soon. Deloume said he hopes to soon return to the motto of his café, Ralentir, S’ennuyer, Rêver, and fully reopen so his patrons will be able to once again slow down, disconnect and daydream.

Graphic by Taylor Reddam

Categories
Opinions

The absence of Montreal in pop culture

graphic by Ana Bilokin

Exploring how the city’s French language hinders it from integrating with larger society

“Montreal? I’ve never heard of it.”

That’s what my cousin from the UK told me when I met her for the first time. She knew I lived in Canada, but the only Canadian city she knew was Toronto.

However, Montreal isn’t a stranger to the world—it’s Canada’s second biggest city. It’s the second largest primarily French-speaking city in the world, after Paris.

We have Just For Laughs, the largest international comedy festival in the world, held in Montreal every July. Dishes like poutine are known to taste better here than they do elsewhere. We’ve also got bagels and smoked meat, that are uniquely made here.

Despite its prominence, pop culture shies away from Montreal. It’s not commonly referred to as the best city in Canada. It’s not a cultural hub for food, sports or music. Why not? What does Montreal fail to offer that other major cities do?

It’s not a question of what the city doesn’t have. It’s what we do—French is what makes the city different, unlike any other North American city. Our official language makes us stand out from others, but it’s also the reason we’re excluded. Living in Montreal and in Quebec, there are things we don’t have access to because of language restrictions.

You won’t find some popular restaurant chains here, and I’m assuming it’s because their businesses don’t offer services in French. Red Lobster, Popeyes, and Nando’s are just a few of the restaurants that are English-based, and nowhere to be found in Quebec. The amount of money they would have to invest for translation purposes and whether these restaurants are in demand from Francophones is another issue to tackle. Not to mention, Quebec’s language laws, like Bill 101, which requires businesses to make French the most predominant language when offering their services.

In sports, we have the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens as a proud part of the city’s culture. The hockey team encourages sportsmanship, and brings people of different ages and backgrounds together to support a representative of Montreal. But back in 2012, Francophones protested outside of the Bell Centre for the exclusion of French-speakers in the Habs management––they had an English-speaking coach at the time and barely any Francophone players on the team, according to CBC News. Montreal is the only city in the NHL league that had to fight for language rights; the other teams are from American and Canadian cities, and are unable to relate to language being an integral part of a city’s culture.

Within the NBA, the only Canadian team in the league is the Toronto Raptors. Previously, the Vancouver Grizzlies existed but was merged into the Memphis Grizzlies. There are investors who’ve expressed interest to the NBA Commissioner in an expansion for a Montreal-based team, and even though the Raptors play an annual preseason game here, the NBA just isn’t French. Yet, according to Sportsnet, a Montreal team in the NBA would most likely be successful, based on a “market attractive index.”

In terms of local talent, Montreal is home to few popular artists. Sure, Leonard Cohen and Celine Dion are highly respected and have received notable achievements, and both called Montreal their home at a time in their life. But today, you probably won’t hear their music topping the charts. Popular artists in this generation are people like Drake, who shared his spotlight with Toronto and is credited for generating $440 million of the city’s tourism industry. Montreal, on the other hand, is lacking a comparable figure. Francophone artists seem to be more promoted than Anglophone artists. We see them given the opportunity to be on French shows like La Voix and Star Académie––opportunities the English-based artists wouldn’t have. The top two Montreal playlists on Spotify are French, with more than half the songs in French.

Pop culture is hard to define, but food, sports and music are just a few components of it. It’s more or less the same in different North American cities, but Montreal isn’t a part of western pop culture. I’m not saying this city lacks culture—I’m saying French makes it harder for us to integrate into larger society.

Graphic by Ana Bilokin

Categories
Student Life

The best and worst of Taste MTL

Our round-up of this week’s featured restaurant menus

The third annual Taste MTL week is upon us—from Oct. 30 until Nov. 9, some of Montreal’s most revered and creative restaurants offer tasting menus at either $19, $29, or $39, allowing even the most frugal of us to dine like Kings and Queens. Here are some of our favourite and least favourite of this year’s offerings.

La Société – $29 – 9/10
by Sara Baron-Goodman

Photo by Sara Baron-Goodman

This new French-style bistro, attached to Hotel Leows Vogue, promises to transport patrons to Paris while never straying from the heart of Montreal. Its creative take on classic Continental dishes could certainly impress even Parisian standards.

I started with the octopus terrine, garnished with chorizo and piperade (a concoction made from peppers and tomato). The octopus was tender and flavourful, and the chorizo and piperade gave the dish a nice Spanish zest. The portion was small, but the flavour was big. My dining partners both tried the spiced pumpkin soup appetizer, which was deliciously rich and creamy, and served piping hot.

Next, I had the roasted squab served with butternut squash puree, wild mushroom ragout, and a pinot noir reduction. This was my first experience with squab, and while the flavour was nice, there wasn’t enough meat on this bird’s bones for my liking. The velvety butternut squash and meaty mushrooms, all drizzled in the decadent pinot noir reduction, more than made up for what was lacking in the squab. The combination was rich and absolutely heavenly.

For dessert, I opted for the pain perdu, served over warm creme anglaise, and topped with foie gras ice cream, salted caramel bits and pistachios. After the first bite, I was seeing stars in the best possible way. My friend had the orange-infused “mega macaron,” which was equally superb.

A special shoutout goes to the beautifully-crafted cocktails at La Société, which were not included in the tasting menu but definitely worth the extra investment.

La Société is located at 1415 de la Montagne St.

Laika – $19 – 6.5/10
by Sara Baron-Goodman

Photo by Sara Baron-Goodman

A hipster staple on St-Laurent Blvd., Laika is part lounge, part café, part restaurant. Its Taste MTL menu was creative in theory, with hints of Asian-inspiration, but nothing memorable in practice.

I started with the ricotta crostini with chanterelle mushrooms, garnished with arugula. It was good, with the earthy mushrooms balancing the lightness of the ricotta, but the crostini was a little soggy. I’ve made a better version at home. My friends started with the lobster bisque, which was thick, creamy, and extremely rich.

We each decided to order a different one of the three main courses offered, so we could all try everything. I had the seared tuna, drizzled with sunflower oil and served with pickled red onions and roasted potatoes. The tuna was slightly too well-done, and could have benefitted from a sauce with a little more oomph. The potatoes and onions were more flavourful than the fish.

One of my friends ordered the beef bavette, which was served atop a cold edamame and rice salad. The meat was tender and cooked nicely, and the salad was interesting but would have been nicer served warm. It somehow just didn’t quite go with the hearty meat.

A third friend had the risotto with roasted carrots, radicchio, and green apple. This was by far the best dish of the night. The apple and radicchio added an unexpected burst of flavour to the risotto, balancing out the richness of the dish with a fresh fruity punch.

For dessert, I had the orange crème brulée. The top was perfectly torched and the crème was nice and fluffy, but the orange flavour was slightly too overpowering for the dish, and made it all a bit too sweet. My friends had the cheesecake, served with wild berry coulis. It was a nice, classic dessert. Good, but ultimately nothing earth-shattering.

Laika is located at 4040 St-Laurent Blvd.

Taverne F par Ferreira – $29 – 7.5/10
by Frederic T. Muckle

Photo by Frederic T. Muckle

Named after its well-known Portuguese chef Carlos Ferreira, the Taverne F offers Mediterranean delicacies to its customers. Thriving on tapas-style small portions and numerous plates, the Taverne F’s Taste MTL menu was designed for people willing to share. This may be a horrifying thought for Joey Tribbiani and like-minded individuals, but for groups of friends willing to try out a variety of plates, the formula works beautifully.

Still, it seemed that the menu, including grilled octopus, cod cakes, and Alentejana-style pork with clams among other things, was more focused on its variety than on the quality of the individual plates. Don’t get me wrong, the food was good and the experience was really enjoyable. The restaurant looks good, the service was fine and the general atmosphere was nice. They even had a screen showing you the kitchen, Big Brother-style. However, nothing was impressive. For such a well-known restaurant, one would hope that the food would be wonderful, not just good.

It may be that an efficient marketing campaign makes us think that such an establishment lives up to higher standards, but in the end, the Taverne F Taste MTL experience was pleasant for people who like to share, but not much more than that.

Taverne F par Ferreira is situated at 1485 Jeanne-Mance St.

L’Alexia – 29$ – 9/10
by Frederic T. Muckle

You probably don’t know about L’Alexia. Hell, I did not even know about this place, situated at 1021 Fleury St., north of our wonderful city, before randomly choosing it from the numerous participants of Taste MTL. Proximity notwithstanding, L’Alexia is one restaurant you really want to try out.

With its simple yet elegant ambiance, L’Alexia offers a somewhat modest menu for Taste MTL, including food inspired by the Mediterranean regions of Greece, Portugal and Italy. In its simplicity, L’Alexia provides delicious plates that are all about the little details.

From fresh fish served with homemade pesto to lamb cooked with coffee and black garlic, its Taste MTL menu has something for every kind of customer (except maybe for the vegetarians). Adding to the pleasurable experience, was the fact that the staff was kind and attentive to our needs. Sarah, our delightful waitress, was obviously very busy but still managed to make us feel welcome and comfortable.

The only thing that could be considered a negative point was the fact that it was a bit too hot in the restaurant. I guess it is bound to happen when you get a relatively small establishment fully packed with hungry customers.

You have probably never heard of L’Alexia—you would probably never just walk in on a whim—nonetheless, you definitely need to overlook your cocooning winter habits and venture to Fleury St. to discover this hidden gem. You won’t regret the little expedition.

L’Alexia is situated at 1021 Fleury St.

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