Everyone gets lost on their first visit to Savsav, in the Saint-Henri district. That’s what makes it so charming. Once you know, you know. And there’s a good chance that we’ll want to go back to introduce those who don’t know.
Take my father-in-law, almost 70 years old, visiting from France. Without me, he probably never would have known! But he appreciated this bath of Montreal youth and energy. We were not representative of the dominant clientele, but we were not made to feel it.
The space is grandiose, with 23-foot-high ceilings and a giant chandelier/mobile designed by artist Jamie Wolfond, with 40,000 handmade glass beads. The luxury/pasha side of a large modular sofa in pink velvet is balanced by square plywood furniture.
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PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
It doesn’t get more deliciously wintery than this dish of späetzle and pork tenderloin.
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PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Brussels sprouts, hazelnuts and tonnato sauce complement each other in texture.
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PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Under this beautiful slice of mortadella hide goat cheese and applesauce.
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PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
This maceration white from Domaine Ligas, in Greece, is one of the less classic offerings on the menu.
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Until now, I had mainly seen photos of the large industrial premises bathed in natural light. By day, the coffee niche, run by co-owner Félix Lam (Tommy, Crew, BarBara) has been adopted in part by workers in the building, where the offices of the Bleublancrouge agency, Billets.ca and Billets.ca are located. the South-West district, among others. But the bulk of the clientele is made up of people from outside who go there with full knowledge of the facts, to the surprise of the founders.
PHOTO AUDREY-EVE BEAUCHAMP, PROVIDED BY SAVSAV
This superb giant chandelier/mobile by artist Jamie Wolfond is the main decorative element of the Savsav.
In the evening, the menu by chef and co-owner Vincent Monast, who has worked in a number of kitchens, including Mano Cornuto, Entre-deux and BarBara, and the menu of cocktails, wines and other liquids filled by the third partner, Antoine Doucet -Chagnon (Taverne Atlantic and BarBara), are still gaining recognition. There is great creativity in this new kind of “social club”.
Some evening specials overlap with the daytime menu, which includes more sandwiches. This is the case with the delicious Toastipasto, a surprise mortadella toast under which Gray Owl goat cheese and applesauce are hidden. This is also the case with the Nordic shrimp, fennel, apple and herb salad, so fresh it feels like summer.
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PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
The evening atmosphere is as warm as the room is bright during the day.
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PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Antoine Doucet Chagnon, Félix Lam and Vincent Monast are the three owners of Savsav. They worked together at BarBara.
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The pork tenderloin on a large bed of späetzle, parsnips, tasty yellow beetroot, apple/onion quenelle, divine, sings even more when accompanied by roasted Brussels sprouts with tonnato sauce. At $27 for a plate that can easily feed two people, this meat is a steal. The other prices are reasonable too when you consider the generosity of the portions.
To take advantage of it, simply walk four minutes from Lionel-Groulx station to enter via 780 Brewster Avenue, turn left, walk to the end of the corridor, turn right and follow its nose to the door of knowledge.
Visit the Savsav website