Le Molière par Mousso in Montreal takes the number eight spot on the Top 10 list of Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2023.
Le Molière par Mousso
Montreal, QC
Street Address
1560 Saint Denis St.
City + Province
Montreal, QC
Reservations
Yes
Website
You know the look. Servers in black vests and long white aprons detailing menu items rooted in the French classics in a room outfitted with art deco fixtures. It’s a look Montreal has long been familiar with. The fun in 2023 is seeing the classic boisterous brasserie brought to life by chefs Antonin Mousseau-Rivard, Daniel Vézina and Samuel Sauvé-Lamothe in a soaring new Quartier Latin space with a horseshoe bar, for sipping champagne, glowing at its core. Mousseau-Rivard is known for his creative takes on terroir, while Vézina is a godfather of modern Quebec cuisine. Both share a taste for history and modernity; this all-day restaurant dishes out both.
An omelette aux herbes is so much more than beaten eggs when a friend takes a bite, rolls her eyes in pleasure and asks, “What is this?” A slice of pâté en croûte, studded with foie and sided by local apple butter boasts an old-timey formality and a jolt of freshness. Doré meunière, usually pan-fried in browned butter with hazelnuts and a squirt of lemon, has the same rich, toasty flavours, but here, uplifted with an airy siphon sauce. It’s like going from Escoffier to Adrià in a single bite.
A large crisp profiterole, filled with thick cream and French vanilla ice cream, doused in warm chocolate sauce, tastes as if La Ronde amusement park came to Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It’s about making old favourites into new ones.