Novelties, events, temporary activities…Each week, the Plaisirs book informs you of gourmet news not to be missed.
apple shack
We know the sugar shack well, but what about the apple shack? The Labonté apple orchard, located in Oka, in the Lower Laurentians, offers an original concept during the sugaring-off season. Three different menus are offered in the dining room. The gourmet revisited cabin meal includes the estate’s special onion soup rather than pea soup, as well as a rustic layer (creation of the chef, Sylvain Mercier), which is actually a pile of smoked ham in the oven. maple and oka cheese sandwiched between two waffles covered with apple sauce. Gourmet as you wish!
As for the revisited gourmet vegetarian hut meal, it will please by its similarity to the traditional menu, but its absence of meat. Finally, the enhanced traditional cabin meal allows the buyer to taste the divine pea soup of yesteryear, somewhat sweet and garnished with crispy bacon, homemade creton, ears of crisse, soufflé omelette, fabulous hash browns and all the dishes that make us salivate when we think of the sugar shack.
These gourmet menus are also presented in take-out meal boxes. You can pick them up at the cabin, at a drop-off point or have them delivered to your home. There is also a lighter menu, perfect for hikers who want to refuel during their mountain excursion. For the latter, economical formulas are available starting at $10.
And for dessert? Those with a sweet tooth will be satisfied! This year especially, Labonté de la pomme has teamed up with Juliette & Chocolat to create a decadent dessert, in fact a reinvented classic: an apple and maple chômeur pudding. Note, the maple taffy is served inside on a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Prices vary between $43 and $55 per person. Mandatory reservation.
New maple ready-to-drink
The creators of spirits at the Noroi distillery, located in Saint-Hyacinthe, are certainly fond of our maple, as they are about to launch a brand new ready-to-drink alcoholic Amaretto Sour in its honor. This product is added to the maple liqueur and maple gin marketed last year.
Available at the end of March in SAQ outlets, this ready-to-drink presents a harmonious blend of almond liqueur, lemon juice and maple syrup. Sparkling, but not too much either, the drink is no sweeter than any other in this class, and the finish is all maple. Developed in collaboration with the SAQ, this new maple Amaretto Sour will be available in four 355 ml cans for $15.60 and contains an alcohol content of 5%.
Tommy Café settles in the west of the island
Constantly appearing on lists of the most beautiful cafés in Montreal, Tommy Café has enjoyed a flamboyant rise. Since its creation, in 2015, on rue Notre-Dame Ouest, the Tommy Café has spread to the whole of the island and even beyond. There is now a branch on Saint-Paul Street; on Mont-Royal Avenue East; in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville; in Oakville, Ontario; and now at the Fairview shopping center in Pointe-Claire.
The Tommy Fairview is the first establishment to offer tapas and an evening menu conceptualized by chefs Ara Ekmekdjian and Giselle Serpa. The inspirations are varied. We find on the new menu the pan con tomato, typically Spanish, but also labneh whipped cream, a classic of Syrian and Lebanese cuisines, and empanadas and queso served with a pico de gallo which makes us dream of Brazil and the heat of the south.
A liquor list has also been developed by Bob Otis, expert in cocktail creation and former barista. A happy combination of experiences for a cafe that serves alcohol. His caffeinated creations are bold. For example, the Cold Tonic Brew consists of gin, cold brew coffee and tonic. And what about his version of pina colada made with Patron XO Cafe Mexican liqueur!
Tommy Café, 6801 Trans-Canada Highway, Pointe-Claire