A meeting place before and after the theater (Denise-Pelletier), the premises occupied by the Supernat once housed the restaurants Chez Bouffe and La Bécane rouge. Today, it serves the community of Hochelaga with a more relaxed formula by being both a café and a refreshment bar, morning, noon and evening. And no, there is no “Nathalie” here, but a lot of great NATurel wine.
But in 2019, after a caffeinated stint in Portland, Oregon, the idea evolved. There, he experienced the joys of the small independent café that turns into a bar in the evening. This is what he wanted to reproduce in Hochelaga, with his partner Olivier Trudeau, real estate agent.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
The sando banh mi, Japanese-Vietnamese fusion can be accompanied by a small papaya salad, among other things.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Sandos and small side dishes are on the menu.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Espresso flows from a Modbar coffee maker.
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The coffee comes from Montreal micro-roaster Zab, who brews a custom blend for Supernat. It is brewed in two gleaming Modbars (hidden espresso makers). Wine comes from everywhere, and sommelier Sydney Auger (L’Idéal) chooses it. A good place is given to the Quebec cuvées of the moment. We take care to offer a fairly generous selection by the glass. It amounts to about fifteen options which change according to the arrivals. There are even some in barrel and of very good quality, like the Catalan trepat that Paul makes us taste.
As you can’t live on coffee and wine alone, there is a small food offer that revolves around the sando, Japanese sandwich on milk bread (hokkaido). We complete with kimchi or a small side salad. Chef Mathieu Bourdages developed the initial menu. Vietnamese hot pies are made by Paul’s mother. The biscuits are Olivier’s girlfriend’s contribution. The one with peanut butter and miso, in the shape of a cup, is an original sweet proposal.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
The space has been reinvented by the firm MRDK.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Paul Tran is co-owner. He is surrounded here with Myranda Arsenault and Gab Germain.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
In the center of the place, a superb central counter on two levels.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
The concrete terrace was still open at the beginning of November… before the snow.
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“We wanted something simple in the kitchen to be able to rely more on staff specializing in wine and coffee. So the service is done at the counter. To make the place lively, the team organizes events, be it quizzes with drag queens, wine tastings, DJ and oyster evenings or meals with guest chefs.
The duo hired the firm MRDK (Guillaume Ménard and David Dworkind) to optimize the space on the landing and design a beautiful concrete terrace. They chose tones of green, orange and brown to match the abundance of wood and small retro ceramics. There are endless possibilities for seating: counters, mini-benches, small round tables, large communal table. It’s an invitation to come often to test all the options!
Supernat is open Wednesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., then Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
4316 Sainte-Catherine Street East, Montreal