The Mon Lapin restaurant continues its irresistible rise. The establishment, which has been established in Little Italy since 2018, is now at the top of the Canada’s 100 Best list, the Canadian benchmark in the field, a jump of five places compared to 2022.
It was initially with a certain amount of disbelief that the Mon Lapin team reacted to the news. “We are super happy, but we did not expect that. We suffer a bit from the impostor syndrome, says chef and co-owner Marc-Olivier Frappier. We never work for those prices, but it’s really nice. »
The most recent list of the 100 best restaurants in the country indeed testifies to the direction that the restaurant is taking in Canada, but also to the fact that the judges must vote, since last year, for the quality of the food above all, rather than to judge, as in the past, the complete restaurant experience, which included service, décor or wine list. These elements are still taken into account, but they are now listed in secondary rankings. “Mon Lapin’s cuisine is very disciplined, the service is impeccable, but it’s anything but pretentious, we inject a dose of pleasure into gourmet cuisine, it’s the way of the future”, says Jacob Richler, editor-in-chief of Canada’s 100 Best.
We are thus entitled to an increasingly heterogeneous list of tables where restaurants such as Mon Lapin and Alo rub shoulders, a high-end Toronto establishment which comes in second place this year – the Michelin-starred restaurant on rue Spadina is a subscriber to the top 10 of Canada’s 100 Best. “We are always a little mixed when we talk about awards, emphasizes Marc-Olivier Frappier. As in music or art, grading something like cooking is extremely suggestive. Also, putting all the restaurants in the same boat is something abstract. But it comes with a recognition that represents something very unifying for the team. And Canada’s 100 Best has positioned itself as the list that people watch the most in the country, so we’re really happy. »
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, PRESS ARCHIVES
Chef Marc-Olivier Frappier, one of the co-owners of Mon Lapin
“It’s certainly a nice tip of the hat for what we’ve accomplished, a huge thank you on a slightly different scale,” added sommelier Alex Landry. We enjoy doing what we do, fun dining is now something people recognize and enjoy discovering. »
For Jacob Richler, the success of Mon Lapin depends first and foremost on the plate. It testifies to the dynamism of Quebec cuisine, which, according to him, has the most diverse range of products in the country. “When I’m at Mon Lapin, I know exactly where I am and what month it is, explains the Montreal native – he is the son of the novelist Mordecai Richler. Many restaurants claim to be part of the ‘farm-to-table’ movement, but the assertion is sometimes a little tenuous. At Mon Lapin, we absolutely do not have the impression that we have fulfilled a specification. »
This year, Quebec has the most restaurants in Canada’s 100 Best, with 34. Beba, from the borough of Verdun, ranks 8e rank, while Pichai comes in at 15e row, just in front of the Monarque. Montreal Plaza (21e), Joe Beef (24e), Moccione (28e), Air-Conditioned Room (30e), Gia (36e), Cabaret l’Enfer (39e), Mouso (41e), Crazy! (45e) and Floating Island (50e) have also managed to enroll in the top 50.
Twice as many judges in 2024
The Canada’s Best 100 list was established this year by 135 members, who include chefs, informed consumers and food critics – our colleague Ève Dumas is one of them. Next year, Jabob Richler intends to double this number, always respecting the proportion of the population of each province. In addition, each judge must devote 30% of their votes to restaurants that are not in their home province.