Restaurant review | Inside the Lawrence

Through the good shots and, sometimes, the not so good, our restaurant critics tell you about their experience, introduce the team in the dining room and in the kitchen, while explaining what motivated the choice of the restaurant. This week: the Lawrence.

Eve Dumas
The Press

Why talk about it?

After 12 years of activity, one can say of a Montreal restaurant that it has acquired the title of institution. This is the case of the Lawrence. But the restaurant, which shares its notoriety with the butcher shop of the same name and its laid-back little brother, Larry’s, is far from resting on its laurels. A few years before the pandemic, the dining room at the corner of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Fairmount Avenue was renovated and the menu redesigned to offer a more advanced experience, but still without fuss. Then, for the many months that the venues have been closed, for the past two years, all of the small group’s coffee, food and wine-to-go business has been held in the Lawrence. Upon reopening, Lawrence and Larry’s switched locations. The flagship is now in the more intimate room. It was high time to rediscover it.

Who are they ?

Marc Cohen made a name for himself fifteen years ago with particularly decadent brunches at the Sparrow, a restaurant located a stone’s throw from the Lawrence. Already at the time, he teamed up with his business partner Sefi Amir. Over the years, we have seen the restaurateur in a host of roles, whether as restaurant manager, butcher or crisis manager of all kinds. The third original partner, Ethan Wills, jumped ship recently to open the Wills microbrewery with a bar (in the old Alexandraplatz) with his cousin.

Our experience

There’s something comforting about returning to the small Fairmount Avenue location that once housed Larry’s, Sardine and, before that, Martin Juneau’s Bouchonné. We spent many beautiful and delicious evenings here. While the space might not be the most ergonomic for staff, with its Parisian-sized kitchen, lack of a wine cellar, and closely spaced tables, it’s nonetheless a place with a soul.

And thanks to the very assertive cuisine of Marc Cohen, it is now a place with a strong personality. Vegetarians and meat eaters will probably want to choose next door. Let’s not forget that the Lawrence also has a butcher’s shop and that the restaurant is the perfect place to introduce diners to certain parts of the animal that most Quebecers ignore.

Let’s take the brains: do not hesitate to order the mezzalunas which are stuffed with it. The substance goes completely unnoticed. It is rather the thin slices of smoked eel that set the tone of the dish, voted revelation of the meal. Very gently, the linguini with corn, chanterelles and summer truffles are a great snapshot of the season and a perfect counterpoint to the mezzalunas.

We had more trouble with the “salad” of cucumbers, cantaloupe, pork head and heart. Topped with a host of very aromatic herbs (including shizo which anesthetizes the tongue!), the dish is very pretty, but the tastes are a bit at war in the small bowl. Less cacophonous are the pieces of raw fish (yellowfin tuna, char, sablefish and mackerel) topped with their designated chili (habanada, shishito, jalapeno and habanero). A small dish that is both pretty and playful.

The kitchen also offers some more hearty dishes. We opt for the BBQ lamb neck. The beautiful piece of boneless meat is served on fava beans, artichokes and peas. It is a dish that is both summery in its ingredients and invigorating in its enveloping side.

If you want to end the meal on a (slightly) sweet note, the desserts at Le Lawrence are all fruity and reasonable: morello cherries, rhubarb, berries, accompanied by some form of dairy product (creamy, ice cream). We are more in entremets than in pastry.

In our glass

You will have some great reading to do here, between the choices of cocktails, beers, wines of all colors and profiles, vermouths, bitters and spirits. Sommelier and coffee expert Keaton Ritchie has filled the cellars of Lawrence and Larry’s for several years. The craftsman is at the heart of his choices. He no longer works in the dining room but continues to make purchases and train the service staff, who are very well informed about the products.

Good to know

We chose to eat à la carte that evening, but it is also possible to opt for the “tasting” formula, in five or seven courses. We will mainly bring you dishes from the menu, with slight variations perhaps. Wine pairing is also offered. And be sure to order bread. It’s homemade and delicious!

Information

The Lawrence is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, at 9, avenue Fairmount Est, 514 796-5686