Restaurant review | Osmo x Marusan: social club in the heart of downtown

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: Osmo x Marusan coffee.

Why talk about it?

Where the heart of the metropolis beats, very close to the corner of Saint-Laurent and Sherbrooke, Café Osmo was born in 2016, a project of the foundation of the same name, to which we owe the preservation of the Notman heritage house, which has become an incubator for young shoots today called Campus Notman. The café was designed as a continuation of this social mission, in order to encourage creative exchanges and encounters between the various start-up companies that pass through its walls. Since spring 2021, Osmo has partnered with Marusan. Its surprising interior space reminiscent of the brutalist architectural style and the oasis of greenery of its hidden terrace at the back remain a nice secret to discover in this neuralgic sector of Montreal. On the menu in this “social club”: lattes, sandos, natural wines and vinyls!

Who are they ?

David Schmidt is the brainchild behind some of the most inspiring projects in the sector: Le Mal Nécessaire and its tiki cocktails, Tiradito and its Nikkei cuisine, Fleurs & Cadeau and its small Japanese-inspired dishes, le Système (this one on the Plaza), a hybrid of bar and nightclub. For years, he has been working to rethink the restaurant model: shared tips, better salaries, insurance, more humane management. At Flowers & Gifts, he teamed up with Hideyuki Imaizumi, co-founder of Marusan, a counter specializing in Japanese bowls of all kinds – donburi, ramen, curry – which first saw the light of day in Old Montreal before migrating to the Time Out Market at the Eaton Center. David and Hideyuki have been friends for a long time and when the first asked the second if the idea of ​​partnering up with the Osmo café with a menu signed Marusan would please him, the deal was quickly concluded!

Our experience

It’s easy to walk past the entrance to the Osmo without noticing it. Partly concealed by a green roof, set back from rue Clark, the discreet door in no way announces the place that unfolds once you have crossed the flight of stairs: an atypical space, slightly below the street, bathed in light, where concrete and green plants offer a successful marriage. It’s fairly minimalist, but nicely laid out by Montreal firm MDT Mobilier, with long tables and galvanized steel light fixtures. At the back, a space to shop for vinyl records and a booth where guest DJs spin every week. “We even have a system”open-deck” where people can offer their services, as we could do in the days of Laika. We are trying to revive the spirit of this place which was for me a real social club where everyone is free to express themselves,” remarks David Schmidt.

The place is a meeting place open to all. The crowd is colorful, mainly young people, students or young workers armed with their laptops or in a brainstorming session and friends chatting over a tea latte. It’s unpretentious, laid back; we simply order at the counter and the staff comes to bring our dishes and drinks to the table.

Precisely, the cute sandos that arise in front of us are just waiting to be eaten.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of biting into these Japanese-style sandwiches, now’s your chance! The milk bread (without crust!) is soft as in a dream and the sando comes in three variations.

The tamago sando, topped with two breaded soft-boiled eggs coated in a creamy Mornay sauce, has it all; hard not to succumb to karaage – especially for lovers of this Japanese-style fried chicken. New on the menu, the katsu (breaded pork with slightly sweet miso sauce) is also doing very well.

Hideyuki Imaizumi is of Japanese origin, but has lived in Montreal for over 20 years. It says “revisiting Japan” rather than offering 100% traditional food. In addition to sandos, the short menu offers a vegan curry – to which you can add katsu pork or fried chicken. The meatless version smells great, but its smooth texture is surprising: the tofu and vegetables have been mashed with the sauce. Beyond the surprise, it is true that the taste is famous; full of umami, a little flavor bomb. A dish that is undoubtedly more winter than summer, to accompany tsukemono (pickles of the day), like watermelon or celery!

In our glass

Obviously, we serve coffee in multiple variations here (Montreal micro-roaster Escape Coffee Roaster). The tea program is also solid; we do business with the Toronto importer Hokusan and the quality can be tasted and felt in the matcha (ceremonial grade), the hojicha (Japanese roasted green tea) latte and the other specialties of the house. natural wines, pet natsakes (including the very cute sakes “ in a cup ), all privately imported, are on the alcoholic side of the program, complemented by an inspiring cocktail menu (rooibos, hibiscus sour, espresso martini, etc.) on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Price

It will cost you $10 to $13 for a sando, $15 for a curry. Other items on the menu include miso soup ($4), karaage chicken side ($6) or matcha tiramisu ($7).

Good to know

Osmo x Marusan is a cafe, but also a social club. Many events and pop-up offers are held here on Fridays and Saturdays, when the doors close later in the evening. These days, Stronzato serves its pizzas cooked in a wood oven on Fridays on the terrace.

Information

Osmo x Marusan is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – and until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

51 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal