If you’re planning a trip to the capital of Quebec any time soon, there’s a restaurant group you should check out – mostly because at least one of its Old Port restaurants will appeal to you. I don’t always love restaurant groups, but this one is impressive because of the quality of each of the restaurants I’ve been to and heard of, several of which (or all?) happen to be in the same building. Years ago (1977?), it launched Tannière, which got a lot of positive press across Canada as one of the first upscale dining places in the city that could stack up against the rest of Canada). Then came an update using quality products from local farms.
The group expanded and more recently launched Tannière3, which has two dining options: a dining room where the meal will cost from $120 to $150 depending on the time and day of your reservation, or a chef’s table experience that’s probably the most expensive ticket in the city at $155, or $175 on Friday and Saturday.
But it’s supposed to be incredible, which is why I was disappointed (though happy to save the money) when I couldn’t get a reservation early enough for my schedule on the day I was going to be in the city.
So instead, I went to L’Orygine, which calls itself an organic and boreal bistro. It’s beautifully designed with a stunning backyard terrasse for summer (complete with dangling lights that make it even more charming as the sun sets) and slick interior for colder months. It features local ingredients and responsibly sourced fish and meat. And it’s not an afterthought to Tannière3.
In fact, it’s incredibly smart because it ticks all the trend boxes: Local beer list, interesting mocktails with local flavours, and even an almost all-Canadian by-the-glass wine list (at very high prices – $12 to $26, with the average glass around $16) and a lot of micro-distilled Canadian and Quebec alcohol for the cocktails (also pricey at $12-$17, with most on the upper side).
My friend got a whiskey cocktail and I got a glass of white wine. I really loved talking through the wines with the sommelier. He was very knowledgeable and it was fun to hear about these Canadian wines that we don’t see on menus in Montreal (which favours European natural wines and some Quebec ones over BC and Ontario – though I actually often prefer the imports, even if I like supporting local).
The chef is Sabrina Lemay, co-owner of La Tanniere. Dishes are usually described by two main ingredients and three accompanying ones or descriptors, e.g. Veal and shisito: crudo, tomatillo, camelina. When we went, summer was just ending, so we got to sit on the patio and enjoy the local harvest.
We had:
From our gardens; raw, roasted, marinated
Scallop and radish: ceviche, dill, creme fraiche
Deer and cippolini: bhaji, smoked cheddar, balsamic de l’Ile d’Orléans
Duck and eggplant: heart, little gem, morello (aka duck heart, little gem lettuce and morello cherries)
The most beautiful dish was the From our gardens, with candycane beets, bok choy, sweet-marinated cucumbers (not too sweet), broccoli, roasted carrots, fried carrot slices and cauliflower. I’m probably missing some thing. I think there was a broccoli purée or pesto and some powdered carrots. I thought was very impressive, a nice mix of crunchy, soft, sweet, savoury, raw, bitter, creamy, smooth flavours and textures.
The scallops was delicious as usual, even without the creme fraiche (dairy free for me). The kitchen was very good at adapting to my food intolerances (gluten and dairy). Again, gorgeous. Paper-thin radishes (they’re so thin they’re translucent) with little crunch bits of what seems like pickled mustard seeds. I could have eaten three plates of this, though the flavours would have become a bit monotonous. And the $24 price tag would have been inhibitive. Actually, $24 for one of these plates made me want more scallops, though I know quality scallops are pricey.
The deer and cippolini with the fried spiced nugget bhaji and grilled sliced cippolini onions came with a thick, smoked cheddar sauce and sweet dabs of local reduced balsamic. I couldn’t taste this one because of all the dairy, but my friend gave it a thumbs up. It’s for anyone who likes rich, comforting sweet-and-savoury sauces on perfectly seared lean red meat.
My friend is a sucker for duck breast and I’m a sucker cherries and most things offal, so we had to try this one. The duck breast was tender and set off by the crunch and juiciness of the little gem lettuce and sweet morello cherries. It was satisfying.
Overall, I loved the platings and presentation. The prices are high, but the ambiance, the dishes, the drinks and the service are exceptional. I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here again when there are so many other places to try (Arvi and Battuto are still on my list, as is Tanniere3), but I would happily say yes to an invite from a friend. Especially in summer.
L’Orygine Organic Bistro
Where: 36 1/2 rue St-Pierre
418-872-4386
How much: ~$85 per person for an appetizer, main and glass of wine with tax and tip
Hours: Lunch Wed-Fri 11:30am-2pm, dinner Wed-Sun 5:30-10pm, brunch Sat-Sun 10am-2pm
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