Restaurant review | Small dishes and great pleasures at Nolan

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 Nolan wine bar, in Griffintown.

Why talk about it?

To start the year in style, we returned to a neighborhood restaurant that seemed full of promise on our first visit last summer: Nolan, in Griffintown. Local and seasonal vegetables prepared with creativity and inviting cocktails are offered in this pretty welcoming space that operates without reservations.

Who are they ?

Nolan was born from the meeting between two groups. On one side, Matthew Shefler and chef Vincent Lévesque Lepage, a duo known for the Knuckles restaurant in Villeray; on the other, Julien Bétancourt and Abel Garcia (Clandestino), who have accumulated several years of experience in catering, as well as their good friend Paul Aoun, a great traveler who serves as an external critical eye. Shortly after the opening, this last trio finally bought out the shares of the other two partners and is now leading the boat. Julien signs the wine list and Abel, that of the cocktails. In the kitchen, Tyler Flamand (Foxy) wears the chef’s hat.

Our experience

First week of January, when several restaurateurs choose to close in order to breathe a little. Fortunately, on this freezing Saturday evening, Nolan shines like a beacon in the night at the corner of Notre-Dame Ouest and Saint-Martin streets. The place is full as an egg, the atmosphere is already lively and the evening is well underway. As it is impossible to reserve, we have to wait a bit before getting a place. In the meantime, darling and I are taking refuge in the hidden bar Henden of the Bird Bar, just next door. A glass later, we already have our place at the bar; a comfortable little cocoon where we immediately take our ease, already convinced that the evening will be beautiful and good.

Because Nolan is that kind of place where the magic happens right from the doorstep. All the elements contribute to this feeling: the place, pretty and welcoming, tastefully decorated (we no longer recognize the trace of the old Nini Meatball); the service, absolutely impeccable while remaining relaxed and friendly (special mention to Alexis, the bartender, who served us); and finally the short menu, inspiring and inventive, highlighting local and seasonal products.

In just a few months of existence, Nolan has succeeded in building and asserting his personality. Even if the wine bar is undoubtedly in tune with the times with its small dishes and its locavore menu, we are far from being served reheated food.

The small plates arise in front of us, in two services, and make our happiness without clouds on the horizon. The “Nolan Rolls”, signature dish, are a pleasure imbued with a touch of nostalgia not to be sulked. High and Montreal-style version of the “cheese stick”, the plump sticks are coated with a light and crispy panko breadcrumbs, which reveal under the tooth a blend of melting Emmental cheese, smoked meat and sauerkraut, to dip without depriving yourself in the creamy red pepper sauce, which you could eat with a spoon!

The trout gravlax, worked and elegant, is prepared in a creative way. The pronounced taste of Quebec wild trout is refreshed by a brunoise of pickled cucumbers and marinated shallots; sweet and savory tapioca and maple chips and pieces of fish skin, dried then caramelized with a torch (no waste!), add a pleasant crunch to the whole.

Vegetables are very well represented. The tempura-style fried oyster mushrooms, topped with an emulsion of homemade “baseball” mustard and another with green shallots, are an absolute success — we still dream of it! Very subtle and well balanced, the dish of red and yellow beets is served with homemade whipped ricotta, a crisp green onion and lemon balm oil and a pumpkin seed granola. “A game of textures around the beet”, sums up the lover (and budding restaurant critic).

Very al dente (perhaps a bit too much for our taste), the squash is served cold (a good idea?), with smoked tomato powder, smoked apple butter and caramelized onion compote. Many elements in this rather destabilizing dish which is less unanimous at our table. Which was not the case with the homemade cavatelli, an instant favourite, inspired by cacio e pepe. An enveloping and meaty dish, featuring kale, tender roasted parsnip cubes and shiitakes from Quebec, wrapped in a rich brown butter sauce and Clos des Roches cheese, by the Grondines farm.

In our glass

The wine list is full of discoveries and often gives way to new ones. As an aperitif, the ultra-fine bubbles in the traditional method of winemaker Franck Peillot (Bugey Montragnieu Brut) were perfect to whet the appetite. The Quai à raisin, a white suggested by Julien, offering a nice minerality and slightly nutty, blend of macabeu and grenache, was a very good companion to this more than satisfying meal. Only downside: it’s hard to find bottles there for less than $65.

Special mention to the very inspiring cocktail menu of the place, which works a lot around bitterness, freshness and acidity — think amaro, vermouth, cynar, campari, etc. As an after-dinner drink, the Child’s, an “inverted dirty martini” where white and red vermouths steal the show, washed down with Citadelle gin and olive juice, offered the perfect conclusion to the evening.

Price

Small dishes range from $12 to $21; the cavatelli retail for $27 and you’ll pay an average of $40 for the heartier dishes (Arctic char and striploin during our visit). Cocktails run around $15.

Good to know

The menu is very vegetarian-friendly; vegans should inform themselves, because butter and cheese are present. The place is not particularly suitable for people with reduced mobility, as the toilets are in the basement.