The Enfants Terribles of Place Ville Marie came back down to earth in the spring.
They are now settled more wisely at the foot of The Ringon the esplanade, a strategic geographical location allowing them to fill the very large room (and the terrace with around a hundred seats) with tourists, business people, young Instagrammers looking for beautiful scenery and other curious people.
What is impressive, besides the elegance of the premises imagined by Atelier Zébulon Perron, is the kitchen’s ability to maintain a high quality despite such a large volume. The dishes are very well executed, from the soft mushroom arancini to the sea bass in romesco sauce, with beans that are just crunchy enough. There is now an excellent vegan dish on the menu, based on roasted cauliflower on couscous with herbs, chickpeas and tahini with peppers whose warm aromas evoke North Africa. Only the gazpacho seems a little insignificant, but perhaps that is because my vegan companion had to have the mustard ice cream containing dairy removed.
House classics like mac and cheese, mini pogos, steak frites and pouding chômeur are still on offer. There is a lovely brunch on Saturday and Sunday that would be worth trying one of these days.
On the wine list side, the by-the-glass options aren’t particularly exciting for craft wine drinkers, but you can find an interesting bottle if you dig around. We stuck to the cocktails, which were again well-executed, but not revelatory.
“Mainstream”, “classic”, “safe bet” would undoubtedly be the best expressions to describe the offering of Les Enfants Terribles, this little empire of the Brûlé family which has lasted over time.
3, Place Ville Marie, Montreal
Visit the Enfants Terribles website