Restaurant review | Chez Jean-Paul: class and audacity

Rising stars of the restaurant world, institutions that stand the test of time, hidden gems… Our critics dive in and help you make informed choices. This week, Chez Jean-Paul, a discreet restaurant that we shine the spotlight on.

And then, this Michelin Guide? For, against, lukewarm, indifferent? The news is exciting, but it remains to be seen what it will mean for restaurateurs… and for us, the gourmands of this world! Let’s just hope that it will mean more recognition, and not necessarily more pressure, because the job is already stressful enough!

Like many of you, I have never set foot in a Michelin-starred establishment, even though I have had my share of experiences at renowned tables, here and elsewhere. When traveling, it is rather the hidden gems or the newcomers that interest me, the chefs who make their terroir and their identity speak, the creative and gourmet plates, the places where you can feel the heart of the cities beating.

This detour to arrive at my subject of the day, a place still too little known but worth discovering and with a charming name: Chez Jean-Paul.

Old-fashioned perfume? At this restaurant in the Petite-Patrie district, we absolutely assume, even embrace, this love for beautiful and old things, as evidenced by the Cristal d’Arques style glassware, inherited from the owners’ grandparents, and whose collection grows with the rhythm of donations from customers. An anecdote that says a lot about the speed with which we feel like part of the family, Chez Jean-Paul (first name of the chef’s grandfather, by the way).

On the plate, the discreet but talented chef-owner Isael Gadoua (formerly at Paloma) managed to surprise and charm me during my two visits during the summer. He knows how to play nostalgic and classic notes, but breathes a certain audacity into them that makes what we taste there not belong to the past, but to the present.

Let’s start with an unexpected encounter between sea urchin and… chicken. In an elegant bowl, a sea urchin parfait is layered, then its gonads, and finally a mousse that is in fact a reduced chicken stock, whipped with butter, then moussed. A revisited land and sea; iodized and salty, airy and rich, comforting and seductive! An appetizer that gives a nice foretaste of the creative spirit that reigns here.

And what about this very crispy and salty chicharron, sprinkled with smoked paprika. It hides in its center an airy dill cream that gives its freshness to the dish, without forgetting the fillet of top quality white anchovy that is placed on it. It makes you thirsty!

All these dishes parade, narrated by Laurent Blanchet-Lecompte, maître d’hôtel and sommelier with an enveloping and delicate service, lulled by classics of French music or jazz. His wine list is full of discoveries and surprises. As evidenced by this maceration rosé from Austrian winemakers Franz and Christine Strohmeier, produced from a very old variety of grapes from the Styria region (Blauer Wildbacher), all in fruit with a nice hint of acidity, and which enchants us.

The eggplant arrives, unrecognizable, in a salty panna cotta, to be eaten with a spoon. We barely taste the vegetable, but its fleshy side is sublimated.

With the lactofermented tomato jelly covering it, and the small fish eggs (trout, salmon, herring) decorating it, it melts in the mouth, but unsettling!

The lamb flanks arrive. Compressed in a terrine style, then grilled, they are accompanied by a sweet and sour sauce (made with morello cherries and red pepper, simmered with… a pig’s trotter for maximum collagen), grilled shishito, and mint flowers. Very tasty, even if the melted slices of Fruitière des Bergers (semi-firm paste made from unpasteurized sheep’s milk) unnecessarily weigh down this already very rich dish.

To rinse the palate, a layered composition of sheep’s milk yogurt, marinated cucumbers, chartreuse and cucumber granita, green onion emulsion and grated bottarga (dried fish eggs). A very successful play on textures and temperatures.

You’re not at the end of your surprises, because the dessert section is filled with a… salty aroma. Here again, the chef surprises us by combining charcuterie and sweets. The creation of dried and smoked beef (on site) and cocoa may be too intense for some, but we can’t deny that the combination works. My favorite is the strawberry mousse, like the one the chef’s grandmother used to make, sprinkled with pretty, delicious strawberries and served with a lightly smoked crème anglaise, verbena and, as a garnish, homemade pancetta with Sichuan pepper, which melts in the mouth. I say yes!

Good evening, Jean-Paul. We’ll see each other again!

Price

The chicarron will set you back $7 each. Appetizers and small dishes range from $14 (for the sea urchins) to $26 (for the lamb flanks); for main courses, expect at least $35, maybe $40, and $65 for the aged duck breast (for two). Desserts cost about $15 per plate. Another option: let Jean-Paul decide: 7 to 9 courses to share at a cost of $90 to $110 per guest.

Good to know

The restaurant first made its name with its dinners, but the team is now focusing on the evening menu. Chez Jean-Paul is now only open for dinner on Fridays, with a reduced menu drawn from the evening menu and a few additions.

Information

Open Friday lunchtime, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Wednesday to Saturday evening, 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

1141, Bélanger Street, Montreal

Visit the Chez Jean-Paul website