The weather had turned rather gloomy and rainy when I awoke from my nap. I needed to run a few errands; get some cash, pick-up a few items from the drug store, so I decided to let the Missus nap while I headed out.
The rain wasn't too bad; mostly annoying drizzles and occasional gust of wind. I'm fairly certain that the locals would scoff at folks who grumbled about this weather after all; it ain't nothing compared to typical winters here.
I managed to get my stuff done....a quick trip to Calforex on Peel; even better than my bank's ATM foreign exchange rate. And a quick stop at Jean Coutu for some toothpaste...and a few snack of course.
I got to walk down the very commercial St Catherine Street with all the usual suspects....H&M, Puma, Guess, Zara.....
Though there always seems to be a church around the corner. I suddenly recalled a well known quote about Montreal by Mark Twain: "This is the first time I was ever in a city where you couldn't throw a brick without breaking a church window."
The Missus was starting to wake when I got back to the room. We just relaxed for a while; our dinner reservations weren't until 8pm, then headed out to dinner....the rain had paused for us it seemed. I'd made reservations at the rather trendy and hip Bouillon Bilk......the idea of sharing plates, with seasonal fare was just up the Missus's alley.
The restaurant, located in an old Electronic Repair and Retail Shop...indeed, the restaurant still has no "real" sign as it still says "Multi-Systems Electronique" on the banner. I guess when you're this popular, you really don't need a sign, right? We'd kinda enjoyed the "old" Izakaya Sakura before the sign went up in 2015.
We really enjoyed the service; efficient, not overly hovering, appropriate in the very "Canadian" way. When we mentioned how tables were moving, on a Monday no less, he mentioned that there were three distinct crowds...pre-theatre, the 730-8pm, and post theatre...and this was actually pretty nicely paced.
Bouillon Bilk offers a nice looking tasting menu; but we decided to order a la carte. We started with some cocktails; an Old Fashioned for the Missus, a Martini for me.
The bread arrived. Something both the Missus and I noticed; it seemed like serving cold bread (usually with fabulous butter) is the norm in these parts.
We started with the "Strawberries"; basically a strawberry salad.
As I mentioned in other posts; it seemed that the flavors of the fruit and vegetables practically shined. This was no exception; the sweet-tart of the strawberries; along with the crunch of the squash blossoms; the slight green-bitter of the greens, the nuttiness of the millet, you could taste it all. The romesco was a nice savory touch and the dab of crème fraiche would add another dimension when used for the berries. An excellent dish.
For us, the Hamachi was a total opposite.
Fennel and Yuzu Kosho really don't go together really well and the flavors in this dish really clashed. The excellent quality Hamachi was totally lost in a miasma of grapefruit, fennel, and yuzu kosho.
By far, the Missus's favorite dish of the night was the "Lobster". The Missus isn't a big fan of lobster....She thinks it's rather bland. But man, this was delici-yoso!!!
The lobster was nice and sweet, slightly briny, the texture tender, just perfect. The cucumber yogurt sauce was just enough in terms of the clean cucumber tones and slight, milky acidy. We could have just eaten those radishes by themselves; it was so crisp, slightly sweet, with a touch of pungency.
The Asparagus was the star of the Veal dish.
Man, the flavor of the asparagus which went so well with the bitterness of the greens......everything else just was in the background.
And of course; we had to get the "Duck".
We really, really, loved the Parsnip Puree; which went so well with the foie gras; the coffee flavors paired nicely with the duck breast. Kind of two dishes in one.
Out last was the Lamb and Pappardelle. This one didn't live up to its potential.
The pasta was undercooked and the braised lamb was very salty. So salty you really couldn't taste much else.
The Missus went with a dessert She saw everyone getting and loved it.
I went with a very nice Vermouth. A wonderful way to end a meal.
Bouillon Bilk is one of those places that seems to take chances......and when things work out they are really memorable in the delicious kind of way. When things don't seem to work out; it's just the opposite. At least none of the dishes were boring. The prices weren't too bad considering the exchange rate; coming out to something like about $120 U.S. without tip. In terms of quality of ingredients totally worth it. Though I think the Missus would select BB's sister restaurant Cadet if/when we return.
Bouillon Bilk
1595 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Montreal, Canada
glad the rain stopped before dinner:)
Posted by: kat | Monday, 19 June 2017 at 03:57 AM
We felt quite lucky Kat!
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 19 June 2017 at 07:08 AM