The Bottom Line
Pros
- Five choices of raw meats and fish offered in five different flavors.
- Fun, original menu, including a brunch menu.
- Unpretentious, congenial service.
- Prices, while not dirt cheap, are affordable for the quality.
- Great wine selection.
Cons
- Wine, by the glass, doesn't go cheap.
- Avoid the oversized foot rest "chairs" if you have a back problem or bad posture.
- One stand alone tartare dish for lunch might not keep you full past 4 p.m.
Description
- Location: 27 Prince-Arthur West, West for St. Laurent
- Get There: Sherbrooke Metro
- Phone: (514) 287-2725
- Marché 27 Website
Guide Review - Marché 27 - A Montreal Restaurants Review
So I checked out Marché 27 for lunch on a weekday around 12:30 p.m. The café-sized joint was almost at capacity, with about as many seats on offer as the restaurant name suggests. Chalkboards dominated the white with hints of blue tiled walls.Apart from one Plateau late teen hipster aching for attention with her indoor Russian hat wear, the varied crowd melded into each other, from late teens wearing t-shirts and jeans to fiftysomething professionals in dress pants and matching blazers.
The menu has variety: Quebec cheese platters for $12 (comes with three cheeses, sometimes with extras), over 20 different coffee options, dozens of wines, paninis such as duck with cranberries and bok choy or prosciutto with blue cheese and pears, several brunch options interesting enough to justify the lack of bacon, mouth-watering fried cheese appetizers, and you can even get a 7-ounce filet mignon with fries for $20.
But I came for the tartare. Affordable tartare, with choice of duck, red tuna, beef, salmon or smoked salmon served Asian (sesame oil, soya sauce, sesame seeds), Lebanese (fresh mint, couscous, shallots), Italian (truffle oil, Parmesan flakes), Thai (citronelle oil, lime, cilantro) or French style (olive oil, dijon, tabasco, Worcestershire sauce).
So I ordered Italian style salmon and fennel salad with cherry tomatoes and arugula in a citrus salad dressing. Verdict? The salmon was delectable although the portion was on the small side. And I hungered for a little more flavor. Perhaps a few extra Parmesan flakes would have sufficed but hey, it was $13! And the salad? Bland. I blame the dressing. Once again, a bit more tang would have been nice, maybe a touch of fresh mint to boot.
Regardless, I'm coming back for more, by simple virtue of the tartare selection, a raw concept that could very well outlast the trend factor of the place.
