Restaurant review | Palme: tropics with a Montreal twist

Through the good times and, sometimes, the not so good, our restaurant critics tell you about their experience, present the team in the dining room and in the kitchen, while explaining what motivated their choice of restaurant. This week: the tropical cuisine of Palme.

Why talk about it?

Ralph Alerte Desamours often says that he called his restaurant Palme because it is inspired by the cuisines of many countries where the palm tree grows. Even if this symbol of the Tropics is not part of the landscape of the Quebec metropolis, this restaurant located in the heart of the Village is nonetheless very, very Montreal. These days, chefs feel particularly free to be influenced by any culinary heritage that speaks to their taste buds. “We are foodies, U.S. too. We eat in other restaurants in town and that inspires us,” says Lee-Anne Millaire Lafleur, co-owner and partner of Ralph, during the photo shoot. Some attempts work better than others, but Palme’s cuisine makes up for in generosity what can sometimes be lacking in finesse.

Who are they ?

Ralph and Lee-Anne were born in Montreal, he to parents of Haitian origin and she to a Barbadian father and a Quebecois mother. The restoration allowed them to travel, to the Cayman Islands, among others, then to Mexico. Seven years ago, the couple was ready to bring their own establishment into the world (and, since then, three little boys!). In a former Mexican restaurant that was not known for the charm of its decor, Lee-Anne managed to create a place that takes you on a journey, with its plants, photos and other works on the walls, its decorative objects and its ceiling. coffered for a touch of elegance.

Our experience

An oasis in the heart of a neighborhood that would like to see better days (the East Village), Ralph and Lee-Anne’s large house is immediately welcoming. That’s good, because we had to come and eat there twice!

The portions are so generous that you won’t want to order more than one starter and one main course per person. It’s difficult to judge a table based on so little, especially since the menu, without being vast, still offers a good number of options. A second visit was necessary.

Don’t expect to find traditional versions of anything here. The very good jerk chicken and the artibonite chicken (a comforting Haitian dish with sauce) are probably the most faithful to their origin.

But the acras are with shrimp rather than cod (and a little too fritter, not enough sea). Griot, this Haitian dish of braised and then fried cubes of pork, is “lightened” into a delicious salad with watercress, sweet potatoes and spicy honey vinaigrette – rice with peas and weighed bananas on the side.

The rest of the menu demonstrates the chef’s creativity, happily in the form of a large giant kebbé-style beef croquette, with a very spicy curry sauce, and even inflammekueche, a “tart” of Alsatian origin to which Ralph adds beautiful jerk shrimp. The chef’s imagination, however, finds its limits in a dish of duck with orange served on orecchiette pasta with creamy cheddar sauce. The meat is stiff, the pasta overcooked and the sauce tasteless.

There isn’t always dessert on Palme’s menu. It’s whatever the kitchen feels like that week. Moreover, customers’ appetites rarely allow them to go as far as sweets. It also happens that certain dishes are missing from the menu from one evening to the next or that the chef launches into a few creations of the day. This spontaneity is part of the charm of the place.

In our glass

There is wine (including the Quebecois and natural ones from Polisson) and beer on the menu, but it seems that the majority of customers fall for Lee-Anne’s cocktails. Who says palm trees says rum. There is quite a wide choice here. Ti-punch purists (white rum, sugar, lime peel) may cry heresy, but others will surely be charmed by the Palme version, with a touch of hibiscus juice. By her own admission, the co-owner tends to want to “camouflage” the taste of alcohol with juice and sugar. Be careful if, like me, you like your spirits less doctored.

The costs

Starters cost between $10 (excellent plump sweet potato fries) and $20 (foie gras with rum), mains between $22 (risotto) and $42 (beef filet). Since you’ll probably come home with leftovers for another meal, it’s safe to say it’s inexpensive!

Good to know

The menu has a vegan section with three main course options. Don’t want to make a choice? There are menus for two already designed for you.

1487, rue Saint-Catherine Est, Montreal

Visit the Palme restaurant website