Thalissa Gailloux and Michel Malo are foodies assumed, restaurant enthusiasts who want to share what turns them on. After a breakfast restaurant, a food truck and a Neapolitan pizzeria, the couple from Lac-Brome has just opened Babar, the first Mediterranean cuisine restaurant in Bromont.
“My father is Lebanese, so it’s in the family, it was like a must for me to open a restaurant serving Middle Eastern cuisine, underlines Thalissa Gailloux. We visit my family every year in Paris, then my grandmother receives us, my taste comes from there. »
The menu full of freshness is presented in all simplicity, which highlights the quality of the ingredients, enhanced by cooking over charcoal — Michel Malo had a grill built from scratch to integrate it into the restaurant’s kitchen. A table is also set up in the kitchen for a more immersive experience.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Syrian-inspired dumplings stuffed with beef and lamb, topped with yogurt sauce, Aleppo clarified butter, pomegranate arils, roasted pine nuts and cilantro sprouts
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Michel Malo and Thalissa Gailloux, young owners of Babar, are also at the helm of the popular pizzeria La Selva, which opened in Bromont in November 2020.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Charcoal-grilled octopus is served on yellow pea hummus with cherry tomatoes, mixed olives and parsley and oregano olive oil.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Hummus all dressed is topped with cubes of filet mignon marinated in a blend of seven spices, with garlic yogurt sauce, pomegranate arils, pine nuts and cilantro sprouts.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Completely rebuilt, Babar can accommodate 60 people inside. In addition, there is a terrace which doubles the capacity of the restaurant during the summer period.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The owners have stocked their restaurants with a nice selection to drink.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Opened in February 2023, the Babar already employs nearly 30 people, that’s as many as the La Selva pizzeria, the other Bromont establishment run by Thalissa Gailloux and Michel Malo, who now runs Babar’s kitchen.
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Michel Malo and Thalissa Gailloux may be only 30 and 33 years old, but Babar is already their fourth restoration project in 10 years; in the fall, they sold Bistro M, a popular breakfast restaurant located near the Bromont airport, choosing to concentrate their activities on their Masa Mexican food truck, as well as the excellent pizzeria La Selva, which is a hit in the downtown Bromont.
But it was mainly to devote himself to the opening of Babar, which required nine months of renovation work and an investment of nearly 1 million dollars. All without doing any proper market research — the young couple are clearly in tune with their community. “The response from Bromont residents and people from the region is even better than we had imagined,” says Thalissa Gailloux. We realized that people wanted fresh, healthy cuisine, with vegetarian and gluten-free options. You know, Bromont is an active town, it’s a sports town, people want variety. »
Great wine lovers, the owners have also provided their restaurants with a fine selection of drinks, Babar offering a more classic side than the rather left-field pizzeria. It is now Guillaume Lemay who is responsible for the menu of the two restaurants.
This mixologist trained at the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) before going to work for three years at the Pinard et Filles vineyard fell in love with wine: “I find that the Babar’s cuisine offers really interesting pairings , said the young sommelier. I find it easy because these are wines that I like to drink; Rieslings, Jura whites, fine Sangioveses, Gamays, Pinots, wines that have aromatic depth and a nice acidity that supports the spices and freshness of the food. There are just as many good reasons to visit this new address!
616 Shefford Street, Bromont